L1, L2 Visa

Hi all,

My L1B got rejected. I have 3 years of work experience and my salary in the US is around 70k. The VO asked me my salary in India and US and what my company does. He asked me where in the US I will be staying and straight away rejected my application. I suspect this may be due to my less work experience and salary in the US. Is it possible that he thought a special skill might draw more money than that? Or do you think it may be because my experience is less? He didn't even look at my petition or ask me to talk about my specialized skills.
Please advise as I'm planning to reapply and I'll with on these if I can.

Thanks

Hi,
I have an interview scheduled at the Chennai Consulate. I was wondering if US Currencies are accepted to pay the fraud detection fee of $500?

Hi everyone, first of all thanks for all the feedback and sharing your experiences. This is helping me a lot.

I just wanted to know what is mode of payment do people prefer for paying the fraud protection fee.
Is credit card alright?

First of all, thank you everyone in this forum. It has helped me greatly in my preparation.

I have my interview at 10 and I reached around 9. They did not allow us inside and with 1.5y old kid. It was very inconvenient to wait on the road. My advice is that please be on time that is more than enough.

We went inside and we have escaped most of the Qs since we are carrying an infant. I was so nervous after seeing the crowd.

You will get enough help in arranging the documents before you enter the main office. So don’t worry, you will have time for this. Just carry the I797, I129s, DS160 and your passports. Thats all you need actually.

After paying the fraud fee, The lady managing the queue told us to go to counter XX and we went there.

The VO was so cheerful and started the conversation very well. Below are the questions he asked.

1 Where are you going in US?
2 What is your salary?
3 How many years with current company? Were you going to work on internal projects?
4 What are going to work in US?
5 Followup question on how my work is different from competitors (ex google, facebook etc.) (This is a very tricky question and in my guess this was the deciding factor in the interview. It could have gone in any way but I kept my cool and answered the question without fumbling. He looked so convinced with my answer that he did not have any questions on technical side after this.)
6 Are you travelling with family (wife and kid)? Don’t really know whether carrying the kid has helped but the discussion was so cheerful from this question onwards.
7 How old is the little girl? then went on asking few questions about my kid.

Throughout the discussion he was continuously typing something and after the last question he started stamping something. Then finally he said Your visa is approved and gave me 2 sets of documents. Remaining one set of documents along with passport he retained and said take care of those documents.

I wished him good day and came out.

Below are my tips to whoever attending the interview.
1. Be confident.
2. Prepare your answers well. I have listed down all the questions in this link and wrote my answers a week before and practiced multiple times in front of mirror. believe me this will really boost your confidence. Even if you face any unprepared question this will really help you not to fumble.
(https://www.immihelp.com/l1-visa-stamping-interview-questions/)
3. Do not carry any electronic items. Strictly No mobile, Not even smart watch. We carried a digital thermometer in diaper bag unknowingly and they asked us to go back and deposit while security check.
4. One minor detail, when you are in front of VO, actually you can see your reflection in the glass between you and VO. So you can have an idea on how confident you are looking.
5. Do not fumble -- Most important thing I have learnt.
6. Maintain smile and eye contact. I know its not easy in that nervousness but at least try.
7. Do not get panic at any cost. Take a deep breath and answer the questions.
8. Do not engage in any discussions with other applicants. It is really unnecessary and waste of time. Just use that time to be focused on your interview.
9. People say dress in formals but I would say dress neatly. I went in a jeans and sneakers.

All the best for the fellow applicants. Thank you.

I work for a small US-based software services company and am currently in a managerial position. I have received a lot of guidance and help from Immihelp and would like to share my experience with others.

Timeline
* Started Visa Process with Attorney: Oct 2018
* Petition Submitted to USCIS under Premum Processing: early Jan 2019
* Received RFE: mid-Jan 2019 (about 9 days after submission)
* RFE response submitted: early Apr 2019 (on attorney's advice we decided to take time and prepare a detailed response)
* Petition Approved: late Apr 2019 (9 days after RFE received by USCIS)
* Visa Biometrics: mid-May 2019 (I was asked to undergo biometrics even though I'd done them previously for my B1 visa)
* Visa Interview: early June

Interview:
I selected Mumbai as my interview location as it was the most convenient to me (note that Mumbai only handles L1A Individual petitions, for L1B and blanket petitions, the center is Chennai). My visa appointment was at 10.45am and by 9.30am, they started letting in people for the 10.45 am time slot.

After the usual wait, I arrived at the visa counter where the Visa Officer was waiting. The only documents requested were my passport and I-797.
VO: How long have you been working with [Petitioner]?
Me: Just over 5 years

VO: How many reportees do you have?
Me: There have been some changes since I filed my petition, but at present I have 7 direct reportees and 14 indirect reportees.

VO: Do you work for a client project?
Me: Not directly. I oversee other employees who work for client projects, but rarely work on client projects myself. I do work on internal projects.

VO: What is your salary
Me: My salary here in India is ...
(here the VO interrupted me)
VO:No. I meant what is your salary in the US?
Me: 1XXk per year + bonuses + benefits

VO: Are you married?
Me: Yes. I have a young child too.

VO: Didn't you bring them with you?
Me: They will join me later and will apply separately.

VO: Your visa is approved. You will get an SMS when your visa is ready.
Me: Thank you!

Tips
* Greet the VO when you meet them
* Speak confidently.
* Maintain eye contact
* Not all VOs will be able to understand your accent, so speak slowly and clearly.
* Dress well. You are representing yourself as a professional, so dress appropriately. A formal shirt (no patterns), pants and shoes are a must. You can wear a tie and/or suit if you prefer. I wore a business suit but skipped the tie (due to the heat).

My interview was scheduled today at 9:30 am and I was there at 8:30. Bad decision because they won’t even stand you in a line until 15 minutes earlier than the appointment. I was sweating profusely for 45 minutes

Finally my turn came and then I had to first deposit the drafts then finger printing again and then long line for visa interview

I was watching all the officers and trying to see who is the best and when my turn came I asked the person who was sending to officers if I can go to counter 24 l, she laughed and said No. I went to counter 19 and trust me that person looked strict

I greeted the officer and he started with question

1. Where you will be travelling to US
2. What are your roles and responsibilities
3. What does my Indian company do
4. What does my client do
5 how many reporters in us
6. Do any of reportees is a supervisor
7. What’s my salary in US
8. How much is my experience in Indian company

He started giving me a bad impression when I fumbled for answer 4. And he continued to do that. I was nervous and fumbled in few answers because I forgot few sentences. Was totally confident that he will reject my visa but that didn’t happen

His last question was how much experience and I answered 16 years

Appreciate all the help from this Forum.

We stayed in Tijuana Downtown which was walking distance from the Biometric Center for USCIS. Biometric is quick in and out done within 15 mins.

Our Consulate Interview was scheduled at a later date.

We arrived around an hour early which was not a bad idea although they let you in only 15 mins in advance. The Consulate is located on a hill top which is quite serene , coudnt ask for a better 20 min ride before an important interview.

We did not carry cell phones or wallet , just the basic essentials. There is a shop which keeps phone's and other items for a fee of 40 to 60 pesos. We took an Uber from the Hotel and came back in a Libre Taxi.

When started in the line we had to pass through 3 different windows before you get to the actual Interview. 1st Windows checked my doc's and asked me to pay the fee , same counter validated the fee and then asked to move to another counter where they match your finger prints. Then finally we were asked to wait for the actual Interview. So basically keep calm all counters look the same.

Questions:

1st : Are you still with the same company?
Ans: Yes (Major pause while she worked on her system probably 1-2 mins)

2nd : What do you do ?
Ans : I manage YYYY Function , have following responsibility (Stopped in the middle just tell me what is your designation : Ans : Manager)

3rd : Will you work for your Parent Company or the Client?
Ans : Client (Asked the Name , and I answered)

4th : How many People Report to you ?

Ans: I have XX reports who are spread across in x countries

Major pause after this , Officer went stepped away for 2-3 mins

5th : How many of the XX resources are in the US and directly report to you?

Ans : This was tricky for me as I am Functional Manager with large span Offshore.
 I explained the Client and Business I run for them. Its Important to understand the Category you apply hence mention your role as Functional Manager managing the Specific Function for the Client or the Parent Company. (This could have gone either way)

6th : Where are you currently located?
Ans : Mentioned Client Location and where I am living in US

7th : How long have you worked for the Client?

Ans : X yrs

8th : Whom do you report ?

Ans : AVP (follow up : Client or Parent Company? Ans : Parent)

Finally asked for our Marriage Cert and it was approved no questions for my Family.

My Take : Be Confident and understand the Category you have applied for.
If you are a Functional Manager , know the function you work for and how important its to the Organization.

Dress Appropriately , Suit Up.

Hi,

Me and my family attended our visa interview on 22nd May for my L1A and dependents L2A. Interview went well with same standard questions to me like my current designation and designation to be in US, my job profile etc and my wife was asked about her education which is the only question for her. At the end the VO gave us a green slip mentioning administrative processing for my wife's application, mentioning that this is standard nowadays and we dont need to do anything other than to wait.

Within 2 days mine and my 2 kids passport was delivered with visa stamped. Its more than 10 days now and still my wife application is under administrative processing. Does anyone have similar experience? What are the chances of L2A getting rejected while L1A has been approved?
My wife happens to be dentist. Can that be a reason for this delay?
Any suggestion/experiences would be helpful.

Thanks

Joseph

Does anyone have any clue about this one ? is this in effect now ? if so how do we submit that information ?

Hello folks

I am planning to schedule my L1 extension appointment in Chennai. I have a couple of queries.

1. The cgifederal website says "First Available Appointment Is Tuesday August 6, 2019." Is this the biometrics appointment date or the consular interview date. If it is the biometrics date how can I get to know the interview date availability? I checked here: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-information-resources/wait-times.html but that doesn't give the exact availability. I want to know the availability before paying the fees as I need to decide whether I should go for a Blanket petition in Chennai or an individual petition from US itself.

2. Do I need to give the biometrics again for the L1 extension as I had already done the same when I got the L1?

3. If I get the visa stamped in Chennai, would exactly 3 months after the stamping be sufficient for getting the L2 EAD extension?

My attorney has suggested to go with the blanket petition as the individual petitions are getting scrutinized by USCIS and some of them getting RFEs as well.

Really appreciate some help and guidance here.

Thanks
Abhishek