L1, L2 Visa

Hi,

Thanks for this forum for sharing the experiences about visa interview for L1B.

I visited Chennai for my L1B and L2 for dependents. My appointment was on 3rd/4th.

For OFC, don’t go before 15 mins. They will not allow inside.
Next day for Visa interview, I went 1 hr earlier and they allowed us inside because I have my son with me.
After all formalities and DD submission, I appeared in front of Visa office(lady).

VO- Good morning sir.
Me – very good morning. How are you doing today?

VO- I am doing good . Thank you.

VO – So you are going to Phoenix?
Me – Yes mam.

VO – Have you been there earlier? Can I see your earlier passports?
Me – Yes I had been. Here are my previous passports.

VO – What are you going to do there?
Me – explained my project in 2 lines and they my proposed work.

VO – What is the use of this product who will be using this?
Me – I explained.

VO – So you will be working at client site or company office?
Me – I will be working in xxx office.

VO – What will be your designation there>
Me – answered.

VO – Thanks.
 
She was looking at my I129S and wrting in her computer for some time.

VO – SO you visa is approved. Good luck.
Me – Thanks very much. Thanks…Thanks…

Be confident and keep smile on your face.

I advice to prepare answers for these 5 questions required for L1B –
1. What is your project?
2. What are you going to do there?
3. What do you do here?
4. Why only you chosen?
5. What is your specialized knowledge?

Thanks hopefully it will help.

Hi,

Thanks for this forum for sharing the experiences about visa interview for L1B.

I visited Chennai for my L1B and L2 for dependents. My appointment was on 3rd/4th.

For OFC, don’t go before 15 mins. They will not allow inside.
Next day for Visa interview, I went 1 hr earlier and they allowed us inside because I have my son with me.
After all formalities and DD submission, I appeared in front of Visa office(lady).

VO- Good morning sir.
Me – very good morning. How are you doing today?

VO- I am doing good . Thank you.

VO – So you are going to Phoenix?
Me – Yes mam.

VO – Have you been there earlier? Can I see your earlier passports?
Me – Yes I had been. Here are my previous passports.

VO – What are you going to do there?
Me – explained my project in 2 lines and they my proposed work.

VO – What is the use of this product who will be using this?
Me – I explained.

VO – So you will be working at client site or company office?
Me – I will be working in xxx office.

VO – What will be your designation there>
Me – answered.

VO – Thanks.
 
She was looking at my I129S and wrting in her computer for some time.

VO – SO you visa is approved. Good luck.
Me – Thanks very much. Thanks…Thanks…

Be confident and keep smile on your face.

I advice to prepare answers for these 5 questions required for L1B –
1. What is your project?
2. What are you going to do there?
3. What do you do here?
4. Why only you chosen?
5. What is your specialized knowledge?

Thanks. Hope this helps.

Thank you, Immihelp members for sharing your experience. Now, it’s my turn to give back to the community.

L1 Blanket – Specialized Knowledge, Chennai
OFC: 2nd Nov, 2016
Visa Interview: 3rd Nov, 2016

OFC:
Required documents:
1. Passport
2. DS-160
3. Appointment confirmation

I reached the VAC location an hour early. The board outside the office indicated queue for earlier appointments. However, I was let in and I completed fingers prints and photo in 20 mins.

Points to remember:
Please ensure that the information entered in DS-160 is as per Passport, ex. Given name, surname, DOB and so on. If there is a discrepancy they will direct you to correction center on the ground floor. This’ll lead to unnecessary stress and delay.

Interview:

Required documents:
1. Petition Papers – 3 copies
2. OFC stamped DS-160
3. Passport
4. DD or Credit card
5. Appointment confirmation
6. Supporting documents – paystubs, educational qualification certificates and mark sheets, work experience certificates, certifications, and so on

You’ll visit three counters before the interview with VO,
1. DD or Credit card payment. I submitted DD, however, had credit card just in case
2. Finger prints
3. Passport check

Interview questions:

VO: Good morning! How are you doing today?
Me: I’m doing very well. Thank you. How are you?
VO: Great!

VO: Can you please pass the passport and documents
Me: Sure. Slided the two
VO: Looked at my papers and glossed through details on the system.

1. VO: How many years have you worked for at xxx company?
        Me: Two years

2. VO: What is your projected salary in US dollars?
        Me: …….per year

3. VO: Will you be working out of home office or client location?
        Me: I’ll be directly working for my employer

4. VO: Where were you working prior to working with xxx company?
        Me: I was in Academia. I worked for a ………….educational institute in …………….city, state.

5. VO: What is your highest educational qualification?
        Me: …..in….

6. VO: What will you be doing in the US? – (responded in 4 - 5 lines – specialization, responsibilities and outcome of my work).
        Me: I’ll be working with the members of xxxx company team in the US to design and implement ………solutions. Specifically, I specialize in xxx, example……In addition, I conduct and publish research in the areas of ………………. This will result in ………………….

VO acknowledged that he heard me by nodding his head and took my papers and stamped approved!

VO: VO smiling, ‘you’ll need these two copies with you, one’ll be submitted at the port of entry and other copy is for your HR. You can pick up your passport within five days at your chosen pickup location. You have a great day!
Me: Perfect, Thank you. You have a good day!
VO: Thank you.

Points to remember:
1. Be confident. Smile. Be courteous.
Go with optimistic attitude. Don’t get carried away by the rejections around. Remember, every case is different for them. The applicant prior to me was rejected, that didn’t mean VO was in bad mood or that my application will be rejected.
2. Be crisp and use simple language.
This is very important. Be crisp and precise in your response. You want to ensure you make it easy for them to understand your case and not difficult.
3. Specialization skill is the key question. Prepare for this question well based on your petition. Keep in mind, you know your job best! Do elaborate if you have a valid point but argument or story might not be apt. (Listening to 50 people in a day and making decision for them is not an easy job. The best we can do as an applicant is to keep it precise.)
4. I was dressed in Indian formals (salwar). I didn’t think western formals would make a difference. But dressing presentable and having a presence of mind is important.

Hope this helps!
Sending best intentions your way. May you have your visa approved! So be it!!

Please update if any recent information regarding L1 individual petition (regular process) status by Vermont center. Mine was received by USCIS on 25th March, yet to receive the update.

thank you

First of all, thanks Immihelp users whose experience is valuable preparing for my interview.

Sorry for delay in posting my experience.

OFC : 7th Oct - Hyderabad

Documents required :
(1) DS-160 confirmation page
(2) Passport
(3) Appointment Letter

Arrive at OFC center just 30 mins before your appointment only. Security allow you inside just 30 mins early.

Note : Do not carry mobiles, pendrives or any other electronic items. There are private lockers available outside Hyderabad OFC for Rs.100.

Visa Appointment - 18th Oct - 10:30 AM - Chennai

Queues : Security --> Documents reconciliation (8 pages I129S + I797 first page + Passport - 3 sets will be prepared here) --> DD deposit --> Fingerprints and Passport check --> Final queue before meeting VO at any of the counters, as guided by volunteers.

Mandatory Documents required (if you go for appointment alone - without dependents)

(1) Passport
(2) 3 sets of I129S
(3) 3 sets of I797 (first page)
(4) DD for $500 (in INR) - Please check consular conversion rate in www.ustraveldocs.com (right bottom of the page) before you take DD
(5) DS-160 confirmation page (stamped in OFC)
(6) Appointment confirmation letter

Questions asked for me :

(1) Which company you work for ?
(2) Who is your petitioner ?
(3) What is your designation ?
(4) Which place are you traveling ?
(5) How long will you stay ?
(6) What is your salary ?
(7) Do you get per-Diem in US while you get salary in India?
(8) What is your specialization ?
(9) What is special about this product ?
(10) Who uses this data from your product ?
(11) What benefit they get after using this product / How it is helpful ?
(12) Who is the client for your product ?
(13) Will you work for your client or your company ?

Overall, it took around 7-8 minutes.

FInally, VO said - "I am approving your visa". Please handover one set of I129S to HR and other one at Port of Entry. Please ensure you put these documents in Check-in baggage else you will be trouble.

Key points :

(1) Go thru I129S completely. The specialization, roles&responsibilities mentioned in this document are expected by VO when we answer them
(2) Be confident and maintain eye contact (always) with smiling face
(3) Work with BA for your product/specialization and understand all nuances of product/application. This helped me a lot in answering above questions.

Passport was received in Hyderabad pickup location in 2 days.

Please let me know if anyone need any other inputs.

Wish everyone all the best.

Thanks a lot for the Immihelp users , through the users experiences I have got to know lot of things before I go for my interview.

Here are my Questions

VO: Very Good Afternoon Sir
Me: Good Afternoon mam, How are you doing today?
VO: Doing great mam, Please Pass on your documents sir?
Me: Given my Passport, 3 sets of I-129S & I-797
VO: Looked into all my documents,

VO: Which company you are working for
Me: answered
VO: What is your client?
Me: Answered
VO: From Where you will be working in U.S.?
Me: Answered both City & State
VO: What is your U.S. proposed Salary?
Me: $##### USD per year
VO: How long you will be staying in U.S. ?
Me: 11 months

Looked into system for 2 min n came back

VO: Now, Can you please explain me sir what you will be doing in U.S.?

Me: Started talking about my product first (2 Lines about product) then about my development parts in the core Products(3 lines) and then about what I will be doing in U.S(Customizing the core product for 'X' clients)

VO: These are the only 'X' clients you have sir?

Me: No, we have ## existing clients and these 'X' clients are new clients those will be using my product.

VO: Since how long you have associated with this development work sir?

Me: 4 years and 2 months

Me: I saw that she was putting Approved Stamp on 3 sets of petitions and got super excited before even she said that she is approving my VISA.

VO: Ok Sir, I am approving your VISA for 3 years, Please collect your VISA in 2 to 5 business days.

Me: I said thanks almost more than 3 times in excitement.

I think we just need to Keep it Simple when talking about the specialization to avoid unnecessary questions. All the Best Guys!!!
 

Below were the questions

To Me

-Pass your passports and documents
-Which company you work for?
-for how long your are working in HPE
-What is the client name
-What is your specliaized skill
-Where are you going?
-Why your company chose you over your collegeue
-How long you are going to stay
-how much salary you will be earning in US Dollars
-Which place in US are you going to.
-Your highest educational qualification
-Your designation

To My wife
- How long are you married
- What is your highest educational qualification
- You just have 1 kid?

Appeared for interview at Chennai Consulate on 28.10.2016 and Visa got approved.

Question:-
1. Name of Organisation?
2. Client or Parent Company?
3. Designation in US?
4. Specialised Knowledge?
5. Details of Product or Tool working on?
6. How much revenue does that Product/Tool earn?
7. Total revenue of the company?
8. Whether I am the Developer of the Product/Tool?
9. How many people are in my Team?
10. Whether I am Lead or Individual contributor?
11. Annual Salary in US?
12. Whether been to US before? When & which Visa?

to my wife:-
1. How long married?
2. Got kids?

That's it!!!
Things are really very fast there and people are proactively helping applicants.
VO are very polite and patient.
Drop in an email if you want to know more.

HI all,

Thanks to all the contributors for sharing your experience. All the questions are helped me a lot.
Now it is my turn to give it back to the forum

VO was very cool with a smile

Questions:

1. Your Designation?
2. What are you going to do in US?
3. You are working with?
4. How many years of experience with the current company?
5. Tell me about your project?
6. How many reports to you in US?

That's it.. Most awaiting words.. Your VISA is Approved

All the time VO was typing something...

Wished him a great day ahead.. left the consulate

Hi

My L1B visa got rejected. Below is the transcript.

please note that the I-129S format got changed from september 2016 and I was carried the old format unfortunately as my travel team did not mentioned any thing about it. the VO was not happy with that. He told me about the new format I replied that "sorry I am not aware of that".
 
Que: how many years you are working with xxx
Ans: I am working with xxx from last 5yrs 5 month now.
Que: Who is your end client
Ans: Told the client name
Que: what they do
Ans: Explained what the client business is
Que: what is your total duration in US
3yrs
Que: what kind of work you do in US
Ans: I told him about the specialized skill name that I am going to use, and before I explain further he stopped me and went on to further question
Que: Is this tool developed by xxx or any third party tool
Ans: xxx developed this tool
Que: When this tool was first developed
2011
Then he said “Sorry sir we are not approving your visa because the tool can not be considered as specialized tool.”
And gave me 221(g).