H1B, H4 Visa

Hi All,

My interview is scheduled on17th of this month with my wife and son in New Delhi. Please advise how to prepare for the same.

I am currently working in the US and came down to India for stamping. These apply to the US embassy in Chennai only...

Keep in mind that the interview process is to test your ingenuity... please prepare a little bit to answer these questions in a natural and fluent fashion (and not look like a prerecorded voice because some of them were getting admin processing forms or rejects while doing so).

First and foremost, DO NOT carry any documents, not even proof of address (utility bills) in envelopes. All envelopes will have to be attested at the gate and that will take a long time especially if you have envelopes that are not open at all (they will send you outside to open them) - happened to me as I had a lot of them.

Only for candidates coming from the US - Take photos preferably in Walgreens (CVS Pharmacy didn't do a good job) but if your photo is not satisfactory, you will be asked to take a photo in the embassy (provision and setup is there already but it will cost Rs.100).

After all the processes in the outside 1st building (like arranging the documents and ten finger print), you will enter the second building where the actual interview occurs. Don't get tensed by looking at people getting rejects or 221G admin processing, be confident and keep your cool.

These were the questions asked to me and pretty much to everybody I saw coming for H1B stamping:

1) Initial greetings - SMILE and BE SMILING!

2) The person in the first building bundled my passport, I-797, CEAC barcode print out and visa appointment letter to be passed on to the visa officer, I did it.

3) Immediately after that, without the officer asking for anything else, I passed along a letter of current employment from my company saying "here are some more documents if you would like".

4) Then passed along the original visa petition with LCA.

5) She started conversing and asked the following questions:

   a) Did you finish your course in the university of YYYY (after seeing the F1 visa in passport) and the answer was obvious.
   b) What is your highest level of education - answered (Masters in YYYY engineering)
   c) How long have you been working for YYY company? (Answered and gave the date of joining)
   d) What is your position - told the position.
   e) What project do you work on? - explained the project briefly mentioning the title and 1 sentence about what it is.
   f) Who is your client - told
   g) Where will you be working in the US? – told the city and state.

6) Then she went through the LCA and other documents and was typing and struggling with a slow computer :)

7) In the meantime, to keep things cool, I started conversing asking if she liked Chennai, how long have you been here and so on - very brief and subtle (don't look desperate). She said she was from Miami, been here for a year, 1 more year to go and doesn't miss the heat nor the beach :)

8) Then said that my visa is approved and I will receive my passport within a week through courier.

Cheers and all the very best!

HI,

My visa was approved on 26th April at New delhi but till date have not recieved my passport.
The online status shows its under process with Embassy. I am worried whats going on. Does anyone has idea about it or have experianced thesame?
Please help me what should i do.

I have submitted required documents on April 24th.
I got email from VFS on May 4th to collect my passport.

Hi,
I have got admission in US university for phd.But my gre score has now expired and visa interview is in 2 months.I am planning to give gre again as suggested by many,but if i dont score that well again will it be a problem as such i have got admission but then will visa officer consider my low score or he will look for my previous high score.

Hi All,

Thanks to immihelp and all who have posted their experiences here really very helpful for preparing for the visa interview.

H1B New Visa approved.

My interview time was 9 AM in the morning.
I stand in the queue by 8.00 AM. By 8.45 they allowed the queue to walk inside for doc/folder scanning.

Then the queue moved toward finger scanning window hall and in the same hall inteviews are conducted.

Its somewhat noisy place. There are many chairs and in front LCD displaying token number to go for interview window.

Your number comes in 30 mins once you done with your finger scanning.

Guys, when you are waiting for your turn, Please do not look for other's visa result's.
Just remember and revise your ansers in those 30 mins. Visa interview is just for 2 mins.

My Questions are -
1. Employer Name
ans. abcd

2. Client Name
ans. xyz

3. Onsite Salary
ans. **** **

4. Years with Employer
ans. abcd

5. Roles & Responsibilities
ans. abcd

6. How many are working onsite for this client for this employer.

7. Have you received this while pamplete.
ans. NO

Then he said - You will ge your passport in 3-4 business day, Good Day

I also said - Thank you sir, Same to you.

Guys, please follow these things
1. Keep yourself fresh and energetic
2. Your body language should be like professional.
3. Keep your mind cool so you can give exact answers.

I have not been asked any document to show. Visa officer only asked for my passport.


I am wishing all the BEST who are going for Interview.


Nowdays, H1B are approving...so be cool.

Went for Visa Interview on 7th May Chennai and got 221g Green

VO – Name of the company
ME - YYYY
VO- name of the Client
ME - YYYY
VO- Year of Experience
ME - YYYY
VO- Technical Degree
ME - YYYY
VO - Salary Offered
ME - YYYY
VO – This is level 1 salary
ME - Yes
VO – cannot approve visa this time ask your company to submit revised LCA at VFS services. And given 221g green

If any one faced situation like that please share what will be the next step?

Hi everyone..

Hope u r doing great...

I have seen many people posting positive response about their approved H1 visa's :) Dats a very gud news indeed :)

I' am curious to know about those visa.. wat I mean is are the approved H1's in April and May are the fresh H1's which comes under FY 2013 Cap..???

Please let me know.. Your information is very helpful.

Thanks

Hi Everyone,

website really helped me

Below is my experience of the day

Interview date: 4th May 2012

Visa: H1B

Place of interview: Mumbai

1. Why are you going to US?
Ans: I am going for a project for one of our clients in US.
2. What is your project?
Ans: YYYY XX is my project.
3. Tell me the work in the project
Ans: I have told : it is enhansment project for adding or modifying the exiting functionality
4. can you Pass I797B?
Ans: passed
5. Who is your client
Ans: YYYY XX
6. are you marriade
Ans: tell yes or no which you have filled in online
7.do you have chaild
Ans: tell yes or no depends on your's
8. what is salary in US?
Ans: YYYY X$ per anum

Sreekiran P

Hi Everyone,
This website really helped me to get an idea of basic questions asked during the interview.

Below is my Experience of the day.
Interview Date: 2nd May 2012
VISA: H1B
Company: IT MNC (renowned one)
BEP: Yes
Place of Interview: New Delhi Consulate

I reached the Embassy at around 8:00AM while my interview slot was for 09:30AM. I suggest everyone to reach 45 minutes (at max) before your interview slot because it’s too hot here in Delhi these days. You will have to stand in sun for quite long as other embassy’s security people do not allow to stand in front of other embassies.

1. Security people will announce the slot number and will ask to stand in the queue(a long one).
2. You can carry your mobile phone with you. Security people will submit your phone and will give you one token number accordingly. Only mobiles are allowed not the laptops. Water bottle can be carried till your interview place. So it’s better to take the water bottle along with.
3. Security people will check your Appointment letter here.
4. Then you will proceed towards the entry and Security people will scan you completely (5 mins process).
5. You proceed to a place where your documents will be checked and they will arrange the docs in the required order. Important docs to carry:
a. Appointment letter (Security people will check that step3 above).
b. CEAC DS160 confirmation letter.
c. I797 photocopy. (I did not have the photocopy. So he attached the original I797 with my passport which came along with my passport after stamping).
d. Passport.
He will just staple all these docs with your Passport. Here they will give you one white pamphlet as well and will ask you to proceed towards a machine where a lady will look your docs and will issue you a token number and will staple the same with the other docs.
6. Then you will have to wait in the waiting hall. Waiting hall looks like a waiting hall of a railway station (quite neat and clean though  but a non AC place). There are washrooms at this place also. So no worries if you have a drunk the whole bottle of water that you carried with you.
7. Token number will be displayed along with the counter number as follows:
Please proceed
Token No Counter no
A17 B7
 
8. Then you can proceed towards the Counter number.Here an Indian lady/guy will check your documents and will ask you some genral questions such as:
a. Which VISA are you applying for?
b. First time?..That’s it.
9. Finger printing Window: A person will take your finger prints and then you will have to sit again and wait for ladies present there to call your token number.
10. Ladies will call your token number and will ask you to wait on the window where your interview will happen. It’s possible that you will have to wait behind a person who is already being interviewed. There is no such series/pattern which VISA interview will happen at which window. It’s quite random. A lady in front of me was interviewed for L2, one befoe her was for H4. Their VISAs were also approved.
Now the Interview happens :

Me: Hi! Good Morning(with high tone , smile and confidence).
VO: Good Morning.
VO: Which company are you working with?
Me: YYYY
VO: Where are you going?
Me: YYYY , Michigan.
VO: Are you going for some project?
Me: Yes.
VO: What will be your roles and responsibilities?
Me: Requirement Analysis, HLD, DLD, Development and testing and Onsite/Offshore Coordination.
VO: Whom will you be reporting to?
Me: My Reporting Manager at Michigan.
VO He sits at Michigan?
Me: Yes.
VO: What’s his name?
Me: Told her his name (the same name written in DS 160). Name was quiet difficult as he is a south Indian so she could not understand the name. I voluntarily spelled the name.
VO: Quite hard name (with a smile).
Me: Yes (with a smile again).
VO: What’s your highest Qualification?
Me: B Tech Computer Science and Engineering
VO: How many years you have been working with this company?
Me: 5 Yrs and 9 months.

Then the golden Words with a smile

I AM APPROVING YOUR VISA AND YOU WILL GET YOUR PASSPORT IN 3-5 WORKING DAYS.

Key points:
• My petition was approved for different client and I am travelling to some other client.
• I had a valid LCA for the new location. So the salary mentioned on I129 and new LCA was different.
• I also got a transfer document on my company’s letter head.
• Also a client letter on client’s letter head.

I was not asked for any of the documents written above. But I carried everything with me.
 
That’s it. If you have any specific question, please mail me. If I can be of any help I will do that.

Thanks,
Angad..