L1, L2 Visa

A big thanks to this forum members for helping me understand various scenarios and process.

Let me start with the petition process. I work for a US based MNC, hence had blanket approval already. It took 2-3 weeks to prepare the I129S and the support letter from my company. It was daily exchange of mails with my attorney to get the support letter reflect my specialization.

I paid the $190 visa fee using NEFT from my icici a/c. The Travel docs team reverted with confirmation within 3hrs.

OFC was a straight forward 10 min process. The only catch is that the US Docs profile asks for First name and last name. The passport has last name and given names (which include first and middle name). Hence the US Docs travel profile does not have the middle name causing mismatch. I corrected this by sending email to [email protected]. The correction is to include middle name as part of the first name itself. It took 3 hrs for the support team to correct the name on the profile.

Now comes the interview day. I travelled from Hyderabad to Chennai a day earlier in the evening and was put up in Oriental Inn near Cathedral road. Was a decent place to stay overnight. My interview was at 7.30 am. Came to the embassy by 6:45 am to see 50 people already standing in line. At 7 am, VFS folks started to segregate the lines and was inside the embassy in 10 min. Completed the form verification, finger print verification, visa fees payment by 8.10 am. Was eagerly waiting for my turn to complete the process. At 8.20 my token flashed on the screen.

There were 3 people standing before me on B1, Medical visa and B1. 2 were approved and one was 221g. The interview itself was very straight forward lasting less than 5 min. Following were the questions -

1. Where are you headed to?
2. Which company do you work for?
3. What do you do in your company?
4. Have you been to the US before?
5. What is your US salary?

I kept the BEP letter also along with the docs; The VO said thanks for these but I don't need them. He did not ask for the Support letter as well.

He said this is the first L1 Blanket approval for the day and stamped 3 copies of I129S and gave 2 to me. Oh yes! I was very happy!!

Overall it was a good experience and frankly it was only a casual conversation/plain talk with the VO. As other's said below, there is no need to over-prepare/worry.

Thanks everyone and my best wishes to all!

First of all, thanks to this forum for helping me to get a feel of the interview process.

OFC @ New Delhi on 21.08.13 – Quick and easy in 15 minutes...Appointment letter, DS-160, Passport only
# Alert : names between DS-160 and passport should not mismatch...saw few people there denied entry for this...you need to fill up a new DS-160 for this fault..So be careful

L1B Visa Interview @ Chennai on 26.08.13

My appointment time was at 11:00A.M. ...reached and stood in the que outside at 10:30 (sunny day).....security check...then got inside at 11:15.....document verification, fingerprint, DD submission....finished by 12:15......called for interview with VO at 12:30 (lucky to be first in the VO desk with no other candidates in front of me at that time)

VO: Hi...good afternoon..how r u doing....long day wait
ME: Good afternoon ......its sunny today....I am fine....how r u doing today?
VO: Oh..i m good..thanks for asking
Then VO asked me for petition letter and passport
VO: So, for which company you are working?
VO: How long is your experience with your current company?
VO: What is your Indian salary?
VO: What is your US salary?
VO: For how long you are going to US?
VO: which place you are going to in US?
VO: Have you ever been to US before?
VO: What is your role in the US project, why are you going, what is the specialisation?
(looked straight into my eyes)
ME: (this is it.....this is my moment....i answered precisely and neatly so that he could understand)
VO: Ok great....can any other company also develop such application? (Searched through his computer)...cross questioned about the application
Me: (i hold my nerves and senses....stayed cool and answered precisely)
VO: (started stamping & got convinced)...smiled and said....OK...with a smile he said...... “YOUR VISA IS APPROVED....give one of this to your HR and keep one with you....

So, aspirants...don’t over-prepare and overstress yourself....this is not an exam....neither you are going to write a long answer nor recite a long poem....if you are confident about your work...absolutely no need to worry....stay cool and confident

One more thing...VO are really smart people who can find out easily through your eyes, personality and most importantly your answers whether you are lying....so don’t try to fool them

Best of luck to everyone

Visited consulate office 2 hours prior to interview
There were 2 queues on footpath outside the consulate for each time slot
Visa executive verify your passport and appointment letter
Visa executive will scan your bar code on interview appointment letter
Entrance counter they will print and share token and will stick it on your passport
That is your token which you need to track through out the process
At first gate security check will happen, metal detector and other accessories they verify (basically don't carry any thing other than cash and your documents Big NO: mobile, pen drive any metal accessories)
 
Visa executive first window verify your documents.
Visa executive will ask to share your fingerprints on next window
Visa executive will ask to submit your 2 number of DD's , he gives you 2 receipts from that counter
 
Then once your token number reflects for particular window for interview
For me following were the questions
 
Me: Good Morning officer
VO asked for Passport and I-129S docs ,
Questions asked to me
VO: For this work are you going to client site
VO: What is your special skill set which is not available in USA, for which you are going over there
VO: What is so special in you amongst your team members, Your organiasation choose you for this assignments
VO: How much duration you need to be there to complete this work
VO: What is your Indian salary
 
Once VO will be satisfied they will stamp your 3 sets of I-129S, VO will keep 1copy of I-129S, copy of DD filled receipt and your passport
 
After that you should fill up the Global courier form and INR 300 at Global courier counter which is located inside the consulate office.
You will receive one more receipt from courier desk
 
You will receive your stamped passport on your address

Ok Let me Post my own exp. here as well... Thnx immihelp admin for finally replying to me in the email. :)

ME: Hi
VO: Hi

ME: How r u doin today?
VO: Gud n u?

ME: Good till now & hope the same for the rest of the day (I cudn't help my self from saying this...;) )
VO Just looked at me & smiled & started stamping my Doc.s (I knew at that time itself it was Approved)

VO: For which Client u r going to work for?
ME: Told

VO: Specialized Knowledge?
ME: Told

VO: US Salary?
ME: Told

Thank you sir, ur visa is Approved. :)

My interview was scheduled very early at 8 am (New Delhi Consulate). Turned out to be a good thing for me as I got free pretty early at 8:50 am.

Questions Asked (after Hi How Are you :P ) ---

1. What your company is all about.
2.Your Designation and Role.
3.What will you do in US
4.Will you work for client or your own organization.
5.Have you applied for US visa before.

Answered all in one word or one liners with a smile :) and that was good enough for the VO to say "Am Approving your VISA" :)

Eye contact wasn't applicable as VO was looking at his screen all the time.

I guess for L1B individual the interview is not as tough as L1B Blanket just go through your petition , if your petition was approved and you explain your role in the interview same as mentioned in the Petition , VO wont have any strong case to reject your Visa.

All the Best Guys.

Keep following this page for more updates.

Hello Everyone, Firstly a huge Thanks to this forum - this forum has been really helpful on the process and in preparing for the Visa interview. As most people on this forum have mentioned - being confident and answering to the point is the most important thing.
My suggestion, read through the experiences shared by ppl in this forum and prepare yourself on the q's and how wld you answer it for your specialization.

OFC : Date 7-Aug-2013
My appointment was as 3:30pm. Only the DS-160, Appointment letter and passport are required here. No other documents are asked for. The entire process took about 10-15 mins. The officer scan's your finger-print's, take's your photo and your done.

Visa Interview : Date 8-Aug-2013
My appointment was at 9am, reached the consulate around 8:30am. Entered the building around 9:15.
First, your documents are verified and then your passport, DS-160 and 3 copies of I-129S are bundled together and handed over to you.
On entering the Visa Interview building, first pay the DD's for L1-Blanket and then wait for your turn.

I paid my DD around 10:00am and I was called for an interview @ 11:45am. There were many people on this day, so had to wait for a pretty long time for my interview. Finally my number was displayed and here is the question's asked by the VO -

ME : Hello Officer, Good Morning
VO : Hello Sir, Could you tell me about your role in the US
ME : Explained about my roles and also about the specialization skill
VO : (Looks through the I-129S document) Do you have the Justification letter mentioned on your I-129S
ME : Yes, I do have (handed the document)
VO : (Looks through the justification letter) Who owns this product.
ME : YYYY X has been developed by YYYY X Company and YYYY X Company owns it.
VO : How many people in your company are specialized in this Product
ME : Around 10-15 ppl
VO : And why have you been selected of the 10-15 ppl for your role in US
ME : I have been working on this Product for more than a year and have used this product in a project for my client
VO : How many years have you been working for this client.
ME : 1 year
VO : Have you travelled to the US before
ME : Yes, I have
VO : Who was your client is US, when you travelled earlier
Me : YYYY X
VO : Where were you staying in the US on your previous travel
ME : In YYYY X
VO : What is your salary going to be in US
ME : $ YYYY X per annum
VO : Wil you be working at client place in the US
ME : Yes, I will be working out of client place in the US
VO : Who is your client
ME : It is YYYYY
VO : This Tool, YYYY X - can you tell about it again.
ME : (Explained about the product again)
VO : What technologies have been used to build this tool.
ME : Mentioned the technologies used to develop this product.
VO : What is your Salary in India
ME : My salary in India is INR YYYY XX per annum
VO : Which city are you travelling to in the US
ME : (Mentioned the city name)
VO : Congrats, your Visa has been approved. Enjoy your stay in the US

(VO hands over two stamped copies of I-129S and keeps one copy along with the passport.)

The entire interview time was a little more than 5 mins. I tried to be as confident as possible and pulled it through.
Post the interview, filled the courier form for my passport to be delivered to Bangalore - they charge Rs300/- per passport.

I received my passport on 13-Aug.

Good Luck Guys !!!

Hi,

This site helps a lot. I would recommend go through the at least the first 4-5 pages of this site to get a good understanding of the types of questions asked.
I was a bit skeptical at the start since I was seeing only people with spouse/kids sharing their experiences here, made me think if I should have listened to my parents and get married. Anyways all’s well that ends well. Here goes my experience:

OFC Interview 14th Aug, Chennai:

1. The interview was at 2.00 pm and I reached at 1.30. I was given an immediate entry inside, I believe that there was no rush and hence I was given the royalty.
2. My DS160, Passport and Appointment confirmation letters all had different names on them (messed up with the Surname in the passport). I had called the helpline and they told me to either cancel the appointment and re-schedule it or fill up a new DS160 with the correct details and take it to the OFC.
3. Most of us would have gone for the option 1 but I went with option 2. Filled up a new DS160 and took it along with me to the OFC.
4. The person sitting outside the OFC asked for my DS160, appointment and passport. I showed him the documents and my old DS160. He immediately pointed out the mistake in the names. I said to him that I have the corrected DS160 too. He happy, I happy and he allowed me inside with the new DS160.
5. I also asked this person at the entrance that my appointment letter had a different name too, he said doesn’t matters. Conclusion: All is well if your details on passport and DS160 match. Disclaimer: For me it did, not sure if it’s the case with everyone.
6. Tell the people inside who scan your passport that you have a new DS160, they would stick the bar code accordingly.
7. Got my biometrics and photograph done.

Tip: Carry an umbrella with you. It’s raining heavily in Chennai. Also, in case of any confusion, call the help lines; they are your best guides.

VISA Interview, 16th Aug, Chennai:

1. The interview was at 7.30 am and I reached at 6.45 am. Surprised to see already around 100 people in front of me. Security guards pitched in and made a separate line for 7.30 folks. So if you are running short on time and have just reached on time for the interview, don’t just blindly go and stand in the line, talk to the security guys. You might not need to stand in the waiting queue.
2. After passing the initial check, stand in the queue where you will get the token numbers on your passport. This token number will be your only buddy for the rest of the journey at the consulate.
3. A security check would now be done and you would be allowed into a hall which somewhat resembles a railways reservation counter. There you would be called with your token number to produce the documents which would be tied together and given to you. Documents taken from me were : i-129s, i-797, Passport, DD of $500.
4. After this you will have to stand in the queue to get your biometrics done. This step is to ensure that you are the same person who had come in for the OFC.
5. Then I moved into another building where the actual interview takes place. Huge line and a lot of people waiting.
6. After a wait of around 1 hour, my token number flashed. Stood in the queue and could see the person in front of me blabbering out everything he knew, well he got his visa approved. Seeing the person in front of you succeed is a good enough morale booster. I went to the window and following were the questions:

Me: Good Morning. How are you doing?
VO: Good Morning. I am good. How about you?
Me: I am doing good too. Thanks

VO: Which category of visa have you applied for L1A orL1B?
Me: L1B

VO: Which company you work for?
Me: XYZ

VO: Which client you will work for?
Me: Working for the parent company.

VO: What is your specialization?
Me: Answered in one line

VO: What does this product do?
ME: Again answered in one line

VO: Which client uses this product?
Me: Answered

The VO took a long pause and started typing something in the computer. I was also determined that this is where my answer completed and would not start blabbering anything and everything. He then started signing and stamping the i-129s. And there came the golden words:

VO: I am approving your visa. Have a nice stay in US.
Me: Thank you. Have a nice day.

Tips: Just be confident. Prepare short and crisp answers and let the details be said only if asked for. Carry all the documents and arrange them properly.

All the Best to all!!

Hi,
My L1-B blanket visa got approved on 14th-August at Chennai. Thanks to this forum for helping me preparing for the interview. Following questions were asked.
1. Who is your current employer ?
2. What is your current salary in India ?
3. What will be your salary in US ?
4. What is your specialization ?
5. Did you develop the product ?
6. How much time did it take for developing this product ?
7. How many team members were there ?
8. If there are other team members , Why has your company chosen you for L-1 ?
9. Where will you be working in US ?.

Based on my experience , the visa officer checks how confident you are & he/she will not grill you to validate your answers. And I saw lot of visas getting approved that day.
Good Luck to all going for the interview.

Regards,

Thanks to all of them who have posted their exp, it really helped to prepare.

My exp is as follows:

ME: HI Good morning, How are you doing today?
VO: Good morning, and thanks. How are you?
ME: I'm fine thanks .
VO: Looking at my Kid , how old is she ?
ME: 2 and half year
VO: She is doing grt.
VO: Can you handover your passport and application?
ME: I gave him the folder
VO: So how long you have been working with ABC
ME: Answered
VO: What is ur Spel?
ME: answered the same
VO: HE said oh XYZ is a critical for any organization.
ME: Yes
VO: Which CLient you will be working for
ME: LKL
VO: Good to know that. HE said you mentioned that this has been implemented for other client as well can you explain me that.
ME: I explained it.
VO: Give me two min as I need to verify this

and he went inside to check with another VO

HE came back after 2 min and then started typing in the computer.

VO: What was your designation when you joined ur company
ME: I explained the same.

VO: There is no issue with your Visa, its just that my computer is taking more time.
ME: I got what he meant and just kelp smiling.

VO: handed over 2 copies approved I129 and said I will received the passport in weeks time.

I thanked him and headed towards the courier counter.

Over all it was a very good, we need to be sure what we enter in our documentation. If we are good in documentation VO's are their to approve it.

Thanks for all and good luck too,,,,