L1, L2 Visa

Thanks a lot peoples who are sharing the experience in this Forum. Really its helps people to get success.

All the questions asked by Officer are covered in this forum. Not even single question out of this. Let me put the questions asked to me.

1. Greeted each other (infact officer greeted first before I say good Morning)
2. Which company you are working.
3. How long you are with your organization.
4. What is your specialization
5. What exactly you will work for your client
6. How long you will be working in US

Finally Stamped I129 as approved :)

Hints :
1. Be confident and in smiling face (don't be nervous)
2. Stand smartly and try to keep eye contact with officer
3. Try to use your company tag if possible (I used and saw few other folks used as well)
4. Dress code doesn't mater (but better to have formal)
5. While explaining your specialization, please be point to point and try to explain proprietary tools of your organization (don't tell anything essay) and tell how your company or/and your client will get benefited out of the tools/product you are handling.
6. Do lot of home work and practice the qst/answer in front of mirror.

Seems, the L1 approval rate is quite better now. In front of me all four were approved.
Hope this information will help you some extent. Best of luck :)

I had my visa interview recently.

Greeted the VO Good morning.

1. So you have been working for <company name>. What do you do for them ?
2. What's your designation there and how long you have been working with them ?
3. What you plan to do in the U.S ?
4. How long you are expected to stay in the U.S ?

Types something in the computer for 30 secs and says I am approving your visa. Have a pleasant stay in the U.S. Returned me 2 copies of I-129S and said to give it at the immigration and HR.

The main thing is confidence. Have it with you when you attend the interview :)

Hello Friends,

My Visa for L1 - Blanket (L1A) with Dependents L2 @ Kuala Lumpur is approved an hour ago.

Here the process is bit different, I had paid VIS fee online but my fraud detection fee was collected at the US embassy equal to local currency RM (1800).

The interview was very straight forward, questions were

1. Which company do I work for
2. How long I have been in Malaysia and why did I move from US
3. In which VISA I was in US in previous trips
4. Give me your marriage cert and my child's birth cert

your visa is approved, you can head home, passports will be sent to you.

VISA L1-A Blanket: Chennai:

I had my Biometric (OFC) and VISA Interview for L1-A Blanket VISA on June 3rd and 4th respectively. I definitely went through the experiences of people on this site and its a stamp that this forum covers 100% of questions ever asked or would ask.

I visited both days with my wife and daughter (who is 3 year old) and must say, the whole process and the staff are extremely efficient and sensitive. The staff allowed us to get inside as I was carrying my daughter (Just remember, if you have a child of age less than 2 years, you should definitely ask if you can enter without being in the queue).

OFC on 3rd:

 - Only documents required are Passports, DS-160 with correct information, Appointment Confirmation Letter (and receipt of fees). So do not carry, other journals, company info etc.
 - Do not carry any bags or sacks. If you have to, then Auto guy/Coconut guy will keep the bags till your work is done for Rs. 50/- (People will make business out of anything :-), but hey its for your help)

It took total of 20 mins to provide biometric inputs.

VISA Interview on 4th: (1130 AM Appointment):
 - Reached 20 mins prior to the appointment (Do not reach very early as you might end up soaking the Chennai Sun, getting your clothes drenched with sweat and getting irritated). Again the process and people are extremely efficient, helpful. You just have to be good and in case of any query, request them and they would help you.

 - Do not carry phones, tablets, laptops or bags

 - Documents to provide once you are inside the hall (after security checking and providing Appointment confirmation letter) for L1A-blanket - A. All pages (4) of form I-129S B. All Passports C. Demand Draft D. First page of I-797. No need to carry your Pan Car, Ration Card, Liquor License, Driving License etc.

 - Was inside the hall within 10 minutes.

 - After submitting the Demand Draft, if amount is less, they would ask you to pay the balance amount (Do carry some cash with you to make up).

 - Asked to meet the VISA officer with a packet of documents (given by the lady who checks your payments and gives the receipt) containing Passports, I-129S and I-797 (page 1)). Keep the carry case down to be comfortable. I was carrying on my daughter).

VISA Interview Questions -

Me: Greeted (Hello, Good Morning)
VO Lady: Morning; How are you
Me: Good, thanks, How are you
VO lady: Good thanks.

VO Lady: So you work for <company name>; What is you designation
Me: <designation>
VO Lady: How long its been that you are with <company>
Me: 2.9 years

VO Lady While smiling at my daughter: how old is she
Me: 3 years
VO Lady: She is a big girl now and looks like papa's girl
Me: Told her why I had to bring her
She said it is all right.

VO: What is your Salary in US
Me: <xxx,xxx>
VO: How many people report to you
Me: <x> + <x>
VO: How many years You are planning to be there
Me: 3 years
VO to my wife: Ma'am, what is your highest educational qualification
My Wife: <xxx>

All the while, she was typing on the screen and looking at the documents.
And she said, okay, your visa is approved, have a good trip.

Me: Greeter her - Thank you for your time and gave her the feedback that whole process and people (helping them or us before reaching VO) have been very good.

VO: Thanks for the feedback; We like to hear that how people are feeling about the process. Thanks.

Summary:
A. If yours is a genuine case with right visa type applied with right designation, you don't need to worry. Only looks at your Roles and Responsibilities and you should be fine. They do all background checks on your documents, profile.
B. Treat VO as your friend and not somebody who is trying to grill you or take your school.
C. Do not provide False answers. Relax and Take your time to answer
D. Remember may be there's something better in-store even if the VISA is denied; So don't be pressurized.
E. Do say good things to the staff when done, including the security staff.

First thanks to this site and the members. It really gave a good idea about Visa Interview.

My OFC was on May 31, 2015. Visa Interview was on June 1, 2015. Appointment time is at 12 noon. It was drizzling in Chennai on that day, so we went to Consulate very early at 10.45 and we got in without any waiting time. We got out at 11.15.

Following are the questions asked:

1) How long u r planning to stay in US ?
2) How long you are working in the present Company ?
3) What is your salary in US ?
4) R u going to work for a Client or your Company ?
5) What is your Designation Here?
6) R u taking your wife and son along with u ?
7) Specilization ?
8) Whether your company is completely moving to Cloud ?
9) How many people are working in US Team?
10)What is your Highest Qualification (to my wife) ?

I answered one word for all the questions except 7 & 8. Maintained eye contact.
Interviewer randomly checked the eye contact.

Hi
I would like to know if there is any way to get an early appointment (fast track or a premium) for the interview.
We are in Dubai. We have our L1B visa approved and there are no dates available either in Dubai or Abu dhabi.

Hi,
I have got my L1B approved and L2 for my wife and daughter. We have a valid B1 visa. Can we schedule an interview in the US as it is really difficult to get an appointment date in UAE for the next 2 months.
 Is it possible to have the interview and the stamping in the US.

Is there an option to convert B1 B2 visa to L1 L2..

Both my wife and I attended our L1a blanket petitions in Chennai in April 2015. We were travelling with our daughter who was marked as my wife’s dependent. Though my company HR had asked me to carry quite a few documents, only the following was used:
Documents required for Biometric appointment:
a. DS-160, appointment letter,
b. Passport
c. And photograph of my child (as she is 4 years old)
Notes: In Chennai, the biometrics does *not* take place in the Consulate, so please ensure that you report to the right location. Try to be there in the location no more than 30mins from your appointment time. The process is streamlined and there is no point in going early.

Documents required for the visa interview:
a. DS-160 handed back from the biometric visit,
b. Appointment letter,
c. Passport
d. Petition letter
e. DD for $500 (atleast a couple of folks in the line had forgotten to get the DD and were asked to go back). Carry cash at hand just in case your DD value in Rupees ends up being lower due to USD variance.
f. Three copies of I129S
g. Three copies of I797
Note: Your company HR might ask you to carry a dozen documents over and above this starting from your ration card to your library card but the above seemed sufficient (atleast in my case). Carry other docs by all means but make sure you have covered the basics.
Note: The interview itself was a breeze and lasted less than a minute. The questions asked are similar to the ones posted by other folks (below) and included standard questions like what is the job title, what is the salary, how long will I work in the US, will I have ppl reporting to me in the US (“No” in my case). Be confident, don’t make up your answers and stick to the facts – you should be good to go.
People around me were getting rejected for L1a, L1b, tourist visa etc but don’t’ let that bother you – the outcome of the previous candidate does not impact future candidates.

This forum has helped me a lot. Wanted to give something back by talking about my experience.

My interview was scheduled in Mumbai. Everything leading up to the actual interview is just a grind. Be patient and get through it all...the weather, the lines, the pat downs, the process...all of it.

Got to the actual counter finally. Very pleasant lady. She was talking a little away from the mouthpiece (or it wasn't working very well) so she wasn't very audible. As a result, I was having to ask her to repeat for every question. That was a bit of a downer in my mind and I kept wondering if she is going to misinterpret that as me being unsure of what I have to say. Thankfully, that's not what she thought, and my visa was granted with minimal fuss.

The questions:

1. Details of the role. Just explain what you actually do in very clear, lay man's language. Do NOT try and BS the VO. Say whatever it really is. The truth. There is no assurance of the visa being granted anyway, but your best chance is to stick to the truth. I saw a couple of guys who were clearly trying to dress up their answers, and the VOs were onto them in no time.

2. Educational qualification

3. No. of reportees

4. Been to the US before?

Done.

Of course, there are obvious details in your case that will help or harm your chances of getting an approval. Experience, pay, all of that. But all that info is pretty much locked in by the time your petition gets approved. So no point fussing over that before the interview. Don't overplay their role; just try and give yourself the best chance irrespective of how strong or weak the details that are out of your control are. Again, I'd urge everyone to stick to the truth.

The whole process takes an hour and a half, tops. Interview itself, maybe 2-3 mins.

Will be happy to answer any questions.

Hi All - I am very happy to write my experience of L1A visa interview that i went through on Apr 1 2015. Please check with your HR and make a list of all the documents you need to carry and keep them in a small folder in order.

I had my L1B visa approved in 2010 and was in US from Nov 2010 to Sep 2013 and then had to come back for the extension in Oct 2013 and unfortunately it was rejected and was asked to apply in a different visa category. We have tried for H1b,but was not fortunate enough to get picked up in lottery process. Hence, had to wait for 1 year to complete in my company in India office. The interview was on Apr 1 2015 and we went bit early ( almost 1 hr) to the US consulate office in Chennai. I was thinking of wearing the suite, assuming it would help me positively in getting through in the interivew. But, finally due to Chennai heat i have decided not to wear at the last minute.

Interview questions :
1) What category of visa you are applying? L1A
2) Which place in US? - I said Orlando, Florida
3) How long you are going to be there? - I said 3 years
4) What's your salary in India & USA? - YYYY X ( I felt that good salary in USA helps you to get your visa)
5) What's your roles & responsibilites in your current position in India?
6) What's your roles & responsibilites in your future position in USA?
7) How many reportees ( direct/indirect) in your current/future role? - 5 in current role and 6 in the future role. Again let the answer be very short to the point.
8) How long you are married ( to my wife) - YYYY years

The VO officer was looking at his computer and also listening at the same time. After a minute, he told the golden words that my visa is approved.

Just give one word answer to questions 1-4 and Be prepared well for questions 5 & 6 so you can answer them in not more than 2-3 sentences & the same should cover all your roles/responsibilities. No need to tell the big story, as it's going to against you. Please donot forget to use word " i manage a team that is responsible for xxxxx".
Stop thinking that you are going to do the work,etc. Just think/speak like a manager & i am sure you will get through in the interview.

Very Important : Be calm, confident ( again very important) & have direct eye contact with VO.

All the very best/good luck to all those applying for the visas.