L1, L2 Visa

Hello All,

This website is a goldmine for people looking for information and experiences on US Visa. The experiences shared here helped me when I applied for B1 Visa, more than 2.5 yrs back. This time, it was no different when I went for my L1B blanket. A BIG THANK YOU to all the contributing members. You all are just amazing.

OFC: 17th Oct, 2016 - Appointment @ 02:45 PM.

I reached by 02:15 PM and was our by 02:45/50 PM. People have explained already around the process, so i wouldn't go into it. You can carry wallet and mobile phone (keep it in switched off, once you are inside).

Interview: 18th Oct, 2016 - Appointment @ 10:00 AM.

Reached consulate at 08:15 AM hoping to get inside earlier than my time as i had seen people mentioning that nobody checks time of Appointment. Well, they do. I got inside along with others with same time of appointment. Once you are through the security check and screening, you will be asked to separate 8 Pages of i129s and first page of i797 and make 3 sets - along with DS160 confirmation page and your passport. You can choose to do it earlier.

From there, I moved to second building. They asked me to go to Counter 14 for payment of $500 as Fraud Detection and Prevention Fee. I payed it through AMEX (company's credit card). Then i was asked to go to Counter 16 where i gave my passport. They checked all the details and asked me to go to Counter 18 where finger scans were done. I was then asked to go to the adjoining room where real action was suppose to happen. Unlike the last time when I was here for my B1, no token was issued. I stood in line and waited for my turn to be asked to go to a certain counter. I tried shutting down my ear to the extent possible. This was to avoid listening to Q&As which I think makes me unnecessarily tense. It;s just like discussing before exams on what could be asked. You might have a different opinion on this, which is totally fine.

I was asked to go to counter no 28. I waited for my turn in the cramped space as the lady giving her interview was right in from of me. Then came my turn. Phew!

I will try to give my answers as well, as I find it very useful when people provide both Qs and As when they share their experience. Moreover, questions are almost the same. they have always been the same.

VO: Good Morning Sir, how are you?
ME: very Good Morning Sir. i am doing very well, thank you. How about you?

VO: Doing great sir. Can you please give me your passport and the 3 set of documents you have sir along with DS160?
ME: Here you go sir (passed my passport and documents).

VO: You already have any US Visa sir? Now you are applying for L1 i see. Is it A or B sir?
ME: You are right Sir. I already have B1 visa. now i am applying for L1B Blanket.

VO: Is it in-house project or you will be working from client site sir.
ME: I am moving to HQ of my parent company as Corp Finance Reporting team works out of there. This is for a finance position Sir.

VO: That's great sir. So, what will you be doing in US sir?
ME: I will be working closely with Corp Reporting Team and interact regularly with with the Exe Mgt. Sir. I will be involved in all aspects of financial planning and analysis of my company's Cloud Business and develop KPIs that will generate insight to enhance sales force productivity and effectiveness.

VO: What's exactly is KPI sir?
ME: Its abbreviation for Key Performance Indicators. These are business metrics which help us evaluate the performance of business and are critical for success. For E.g. Revenue, Bookings, etc.

VO: That's amazing. What will be your pa Salary in USD sir?
ME: $ YYYY XX sir.

VO: Can you please give me the supporting document sir?
ME: Sure sir. Here you go.

He went over the document for few minutes while going through is system in tandem. Then he told - You are currently Finance Manage Sir? I said Yes. He told me to wait for few minutes and off he went with my documents. He came back after 8-10 minutes, clicked few things on this system, entered few things there and stamped my i129s. I was not able to see clearly what he stamped as his left hand was in front of the papers. Then he turned to me and said - "Your Visa is approved sir. please hang on to these documents. One you need to give it at the airport when you travel. Other you keep it always with you. Whenever you travel, you would be needing it Sir. So do not loose them. Hang on to them. All the best sir. "

I smiled, thanked him for his time and wished him well. I was back to my hotel in 2 hours - start to finish.

VO was very polite and never addressed me without Sir. Really liked his approach as he didn't tower on me. I guess i was lucky.

The account might be lengthy for few but i wanted to share in detail, hoping it would help others. Thank you for reading it. All the best !

The interview process was very simple, we were out of consulate in 40 minutes or so. The counters reminded me of our Train reservation systems. I had been with my family (4.5 yrs son and 11 months daughter). Here are interview details:

Me: Good morning mam, How are you?
VO: I'm good,Thank you. How are you doung today?
Me: Good Mam

VO to my son: Hey buddy, which is your favorite animal?
son: Just kept silent and looked at me
VO: No problem, I can understand (With a smile)

VO:Can you pass your petition?
Me: Provided

VO: Who is your petitioner?
Me: ZZZ

VO: Since how long you are working with ZZZ?
Me: 8 years 4 months

VO: Will you be working at client location?
Me: Yes

VO: Who is your client
Me:xxx

VO:Can you say bit slowly?
Me:xxx

VO: What will be your salary?
Me: $ YYYY XX

VO to my wife: Since how long you are married?
wife: 6.5 years

VO: Where are you going?
wife: Atlanta, Georgia

VO smiling: Your visa is "APPROVED" Have a pleasant stay in US and to my son - you know my favorite animal is Tiger :)

Tips: Just be confident,dress well,speak clearly and do not fumble.

I would like to know if there is any chance of visa approval in case of being single as I observed in most of the cases applicant's marital status matters. Is it true?

Hi
First of all BIG thanks to this forum.There has been a lot of difference after reading the posts here.

My experience :
OFC : was over in no time as I had gone with my 1.5 year old was given preference.

Visa interview:
There was very less crowd and very relaxed.Again got priority due to my daughter.
The VO officer was a gentle man who was having coffee/T when my turn came.
VO: Good morning mam
Me: Good morning

VO: Passports please
Me: Passed it to him

VO: Who is the petitioner
ME:Told my company name

VO:Can please spell
Me:Told him

VO:Repeated
Me:Yes

VO:Which location are you going
Me:Told him

Vo:What is your designation
Me:PM

VO:Your visa is approved
Me:Do you want to see I129,1797
VO:No that is not required.

Thats all!!! I had been in formals.I don't think that mattered.Most of them went back happy.Some people were shouting with lot of information.

I did chant the visa mantra.Looks like if the petition is Individual, they should really have a good reason to reject.Hence max goes approved.

VO: Good Morning. How are you?
Me: Good Morning Sir. Im good. How are you?

VO. Fine, thanks. Are you applying for Individual or Blanket?
Me: Individual Sir.

VO: Why are you applying for US Visa?
Me: To work in my client's location for my company ZZZ

VO: Who is your Client?
Me: YYYY

VO: Where are they located?
Me: Rancho city in Sacremento County, California

VO: Whats you salary?
Me: ZZZ$ per annum Sir.

VO: Have you completed your bachelor's degree?
Me: Yes Sir, Bachelor of Engineering

VO: Are you married?
Me: Im Single still SIr.

VO: I am approving your visa!!!!!!

Previously, I had a L1A Blanket Visa rejected last year. This year filed for L1A Individual Petition in premium process and got approval in a week. Following are the question asked for me and dependent.

1. Which Organization you work for?
2. How many years you are working for this Organization?
3. Which Client?

Dependent
1. Please tell me your marriage date

Then the officer approved our Visa.

Thanks

Hi,

Time to give back to this forum. People who posted there experiences really helped me a lot.

Day-1- On visiting to Visa finger print scan center you can bring mobiles\wallets but at the time when you enter the Scanning counter your mobiles should be switched off and there is no much restrictions here.

Day-2 - Visa interview. (I suggest to not to bring Mobile phones,Sealed envelopes and even bike or Car electronic keys here but anyhow there is a baggage collections center as well but it is on our own risk)

Here are the questions asked to me by the Visa Officer.

VO: Good Morning.How are you doing Today?
Me: I am doing good Sir. Thanks. How are you?

VO: Fine. Thanks. Show me your documents.So, Which company your from?
Me: I am company A.

VO: How long your working in that company?
Me: For the past 3 years.

VO:What is your specialized knowledge?
Me: I have on the job training on the in-house proprietary tools followed by Tools names.

VO:What are all these tools about?
Me: These tools are online tools which are used to give the feed for the project which I am going to work there.

VO: Who's your client?
Me: I am going to work for my parent company and I don't work for client over there.

VO: SO, as you said it is the tool, why not others from your team is selected to go there and why you selected for this chance?
Me: I am the developer of this tool followed by tools name and that is the reason I have given preference for this chance.

VO:What is your salary?
Me: ZZZK dollars and it will be off Per-diem and accommodation allowances.

VO:Do you Married?
ME: Yes. Recently

VO: What is the duration of your trip over there?
Me: 6 to 8 months.

Thats it. The golden words. Your visa is Approved. Your all set.

My Tips:
1. Be confident and slow while explaining about your specialized knowledge.
2. Have a smile always in your face.
3. Have some Mock interviews with your friends it will be more useful.

Thanks for all your help.

Regards,
Vikram G

Hi,
I had my L1B VISA issued at dec -2013 valid through -dec-2016.
after this I have my visit to USA on Mar -2014 to Aug-2014, then Mar-2015 to Jun-2016, till this time my I-94 was issue for 3 years in total,
then on my third trip to USA by Aug-2016, My passport is valid till Nov- 2017, so i got my I-94 valid only till my passport valid ie (Nov-2017).

My dependent (Spouse) got L2 visa from May-2014 to Mar-2016,
My kid L2 approved from Sep-2016 to Dec-2016,
when they traveled to USA on Oct -2016 their I-94 was issued till Mar-2017 for both,

I need information on what is way we can sync all I-94 validity.
More over i want to is there any chance to get back my one more year of I-94 validity without doing extension,
that is my visa was issue for 3 year ( so far i have stayed in USA for 12 month + current I-94 valid for other 12 month only) so is there any way to extend my I-94 validity for other 12 months.

thanks,

I attended on 13th Oct at Chennai.

-> Who is the petitioner
xxxx

-> Is it xxxxx company?
Yes

-> So it is in-house project
Yes

-> Which projects you are working
xxxx and yyyy

-> For which primary project you are travelling
xxxx

-> which location you are travelling
Texas

-> How many years you are working for this company
4 years

-> What will be your salary
xxxK USD

Since am from US product based company for me it went cool.

Special Thanks to all the members for sharing their experiences over here and which was of great help.

Time to share my experience on this Forum. And this is my first experience on obtaining US Visa.

I had my OFC interview on Oct 13th, 2016 @ 02:00 PM. And the entire process took about less than 30 mins. Documents which needs to be carried for this process

1. DS - 160 final confirmation page.
2. Interview Appointment Letter
3. Passport

They clicked photo & took Bio-metrics once after validating the above mentioned Documents.

Visa Interview was on 14th Oct., 2016 @ 9:30 AM. But i managed to reach the embassy around 8:30AM and luckily i was allowed to enter before my scheduled time. Mandatory documents required for this process,

1. DS - 160 FInal confirmation page which was taken to OFC centre.
2. Interview Appointment letter.
3. Passport.
3. I -129S - 3 Copies (Please check if you are carrying the latest template of this form else your VISA might be put on Hold or Rejected)
4. I -797 - 3 Copies
5. DD for the Fraud protection Fee (500$). [Note: You can pay through Credit Card as well and i paid through my AMEX but to be on a safer side i carried the total amount in CASH as well.]
6. G - 028 & Support statement Documents
7. Your CV, work experience letter.

After all document/Fingerprint Validations we will be put through the final interview process,

VO: Good Morning, Please pass your passport & Documents
Me: Good Morning, Handed over the Documents

VO: What VISA type are you applying for ?
Me: YYYY

VO: Which company do you work for ?
Me: YYYY

VO: What do you do ? (This question was bit tricky and i tried to explain him my Roles & Responsibilities)
Me: YYYY

VO: Why do you want to go to US ?
Me: YYYY

VO: Where would you stay in US ?
Me: YYYY

VO: Will you work at client place or Parent Company ? (Since my VISA is L1B i need to work only for my parent company)
Me: YYYY

VO: Am not clear on what you would do in US, are you gonna work at client place or what will be you exact role in US ?
Me: YYYY

VO: What's you experience with the current company ?
Me: YYYY

VO: Within 3 years, how did you become SME for the Modules you mentioned ?
Me: YYYY

VO: Did you develop these Modules from Scratch ?
Me: YYYY

VO: If you have not developed how can you say that you are SME for these Modules ? (Again this is a tricky question, never lose you confidence and be bold & polite to explain him the fact)
Me: YYYY

VO: why do you want to go to US & not your collegues ?
Me: YYYY

VO: How many of them in your company is aware of these Modules ?
Me: YYYY

VO: Globablly ?
Me: YYYY

VO: Am afraid that i cannot approve this application, as am not clear on your roles in US.
Me: YYYY

[He was talking to his Senior officer for about 3-4 Mins and came back again and continued with questions]

VO: Do you work for Any clients ?
Me: YYYY

VO: When you say End Users, are you referring to cleint ?
Me: YYYY

VO: How many clients you would work for ? (Again this is a tricky question, when you apply for L1B be careful when you talk about clients)
Me: YYYY

VO: Can you name the clients which you would work for ?
Me: YYYY

[Again he was talking to his Senior officer for about 3-4 Mins and came back again and continued with questions]

VO: You said you will work for Parent company & you are talking about clients ? (Again this is a tricky question, need to reassure that you will work only for parent company & not client)
Me: YYYY

VO: Where would you stay in US ?
Me: YYYY

VO: What would be you package in US ?
Me: YYYY

VO: How long are you planning to stay in US ?
Me: YYYY

[Please be careful when you reply for the above questions, as it will be cross verified against your I-129S form]

[Again he was talking to his Senior officer for about 3-4 Mins and came back again and continued with questions]

VO: *Started going through all the documents line by line right in front of him*
Me: *Nail biting Moment*

[After few Mins, he opened the I-129S form and stamped as "APPROVED" in all the 3 copies of I-129S]

VO: Your "VISA is Approved" [Finally the Golden words].
Me: Thanks.

Overall the entire interview lasted for 20-25 Mins. And most of the questions which i was asked were not the ones i prepared.

Couple of things which i noticed personally,

1. L1 A/B Visa Rejection rate was too high, only one in 6 were being offered VISA's but this was not the case with H1B & other VISA's and they were getting it with ease.
2. Please check if you are carrying the latest template of I-129S form as it was changed in the month of September, 2016.
3. Be polite & Confident on what you explain and your VO officer intention is not to humiliate you but to check if you are really eligible enough to get through this VISA.
4. Always answer in a definite way and don't give him any assumptions.
5. Go through the I-129S form clearly.
6. Apart from this there are some questions which will be out of Syllabus and we should be prepared to answer them as well.

Thanks everyone, And all the very Best !

Regards,
Jerard