L1, L2 Visa

Hi,
Thanks to everyone who have contributed on this thread. Special thanks to everyone who have had rejections and yet have posted their experience. Now that takes something.

I did note down a few questions which were common & FAQ but did not worry about the answers as I knew I was going for a genuine reason and was going to speak the same truth. In a nutshell it was a justified Intercompany transfer and the company would have been in a loss and not me if at all I had it rejected. So that put away half the nervousness.
The only thing remaining was that, the answers should justify your application. Thats what we need to prepare.

I noted down the common and some specific questions and began preparing for the speech.
As said by many Java and VB, tools frameworks are a strict no - no as the VOs know there are a plethora of people in the US who know specific tools and languages. If you know them too, you are nothing special. Don't talk about any unique combinations of languages or custom code as well.

Design, development, high level design, risk analysis and mitigation, impact analysis, as-is to-be, Gap analysis, enhancements, upgrades, extensions for your customer at a company branch site in US is a good explaination and good words to choose from.

Please refrain from sounding special and do not over do stuff potraying your desperacy to get a nod from the VO. The basic hint here is your presence is going to make your company profitable and hence you need not fall on anyone's feet to go there. Unless there is peer or relative pressure to get a US return stamp on your forehead of course. Many people unfortuntely do that. That bugs the VOs.

I have known people who deserve to be in the US but since they over did their interview preparation and answers they bombed the interview and the VO came to know about their.

Please know this: The VOs are there for a reason and before you, they must have had 10 lakh people and you cannot outsmart them by throwing false information. Sitting in the queue and observing their body/face language tells you if they are satisfied or they need more info pack or they know a fake case.

Some guys got their interviews successfully in half a minute because of their answers or previous visits. Some were grilled for 15 minutes (by the healthy lady who eventually accepted/retained the passport).

There was a couple who go rejected by the male VO and I felt mad for them.

Here is my ordeal.
I went to the counsulate 30 minutes before.
I had to stand in a queue outside the gate.
15 miutes before the interview I was cleared in the gate for security check.
They checked all my folders for any suspicious items. Of course they did not find any.

I submitted all my douments kept in the folder:
Company covering letter
D.D
Petition papers
HDFC challans
Passport
Photos.

I submitted these to a lady in the counter who arranges the folder to be presented to the VO ultimately. She asked me to place 4 fingers of the left hand for prints, then the next 4 right hand ones for prints and both thumbs lastly.

In the process I couldn't hear her say 'right hand fingers' and I thought the left hand prints were not proper and placed the left hand again only to face her anger. And it was rude. Very rude. 'I said right hand' Enough to make the nervous ones behind me a wreck.

So that took the polite assistance out of the window most of them posted. I feel they have so many people visit them they are bound to be hasseled/twitched at some point or the other.

Next, Inside the VO building, no one tells me to remit/ get my DD acknowledged. I sit in the queue looking at people facing the VOs. There were 2 males and 2 females. I also saw the famous and dreaded healthy female.

There is a guy and a girl who assist senior citizens call out batches with specific timings etc. I found the girl to be stern and I personally thought she owned the place and the VOs as well. Atleast she must. The other local guy is very very helpful.

Then when she called out the XX AM batch I was the first one to pop out from my seat and went ahead. She suddenly looked at the DD popping out of my folder and asked me "Sir, you need to submit your DD outside". Drat! I went to the counter where the other rude lady was preparing the folders and the security there told me not to come out and the DD counter was inside itself.
Again I went inside the VO building and the local polite guy said "Sir, not outside but here, counter 12, but it is closed. It will open anytime now."
I had to sit in the outside room looking at the counter number 12. It opened after half an hour and the lady behind the counter was getting her stuff ready for work typical desi style. Late that is.

I went to her submitted the entire folder. She shook her hands wildly in the air and asked no no not the folder, only the items in the folder.
I said ok, that should be written somewhere here on the wall for everyone to understand. (In my mind of course.)
By this time 2 more batches after me were being called in for their final interview.

I got a receipt for my DD and she stapled it to the application forms and said I was good to go.

I then showed the same to the lady who asked me to go to counter 12 and after a satisfactory look she asked me join the queue which comprised of 6 individuals ahead of me.

The healthy lady was talking and asking various support documents for claims made by the interviewee at her window. The other lady VO was attending to an old couple who did not understand english and I could make out from the conversation that their daughter was in the US and wanted her parents to come to join her. But in the process forgot to give her parents a copy of her passport. So much so that the lady VO went: YOUR DAUGHTER'S PASSPORT PLEASE' so loud that the earth shook. Ok this is an exagaration but you get the point. She was audacious. By this time I was having second thoughts on the female staff and wanted to face the male staff which were looking rather composed.

When my turn came I faced the same lady who interview the elderly couple who nodded in affirmation. I went there and I said Good morning Ma'am to which she did not reply. She took all of the folder and asked me to place my left finger on the scanner (which I feel goes to the FBI database).
No 'how are you' good thanks no nothing. Straight dhanda/business.

Question 1: What do you work on.
I knew what I worked on so I told her the suite of products and YYYY product which I specialise in.

Question 2: Which company did you work before:

ZZZ Company in YYYY location and worked for the same product as in the my current location.
(This is all the truth acertaining my years of exp and skill and specialization).

Question 3: What is name of your project ?

ZZZ.
VO: XX what ?
ME: ZZZ.
VO: XX what ?
ME: ZZZ. (showed with my forefinger the number which suffixes the project name).

VO: I am approving your VISA.

ME: Thank you. Have a nice day.
VO: (Bland nod)

ME:( was looking at getting back my folder )
VO: THANK YOU. (which meant, we are done, get lost you low life)

I came back. Had a glass of water at the facility there.

Thanked everyone I could. Followed the exit routes and I was back to sweating Chennai.

Disclaimer: This is all the truth I have written and few things pointed are opposed to the frequent polite expereinces posted by others.

Tips: If yo belong to a American Major, there are good chances of you fairing well without much hassel. Either that or your customer should be a American Major.

A guy in front along with family opened his mouth wide enough to say that I make or work on software which helps plane pilots navigate their aircrafts..blah..blah to which the family were escorted to a room adjecent to the VO's desk.

If you are genuine and your case is truthful, you have nothing to worry. As it is the company's loss if you are not going. If you are going there for the heck of it and making things up for a quick converted buck, then you need luck, coconuts crushed lemons and what not.

Best of luck.