Phew !! Totally relieved after a month long preparation towards my visa interview. Faced problems right from a spelling mistake in my name in the ration card to the exaggerated i20 amount towards availing a bank loan. The required paper work took me 1 month to complete with me shunting between the banks, auditor's office and now I am almost thorough with all government documentation procedure :P.
(I never find a relevant job a engineer holds in this real world - everything is filled by accountants, bankers, etc .. :-/ )
And unanimously its been decided that Applying for the US visa and getting the docs ready is the best way to lose weight, closely followed by traveling in a PTC bus between T.nagar and Vadapalani at 7PM.. :P .. you lose your hair too .. ;-s
Now, coming to MY interview - the following happened :-
I was scheduled for 0945 hours. I reached the venue by 0900 hours (my mom accompanied me - deposit your cell phone and other electronic items at the oxford univ press gate or you can leave them to the person who accompanies you)
At the screening process, I went to a counter where a young pretty Indian lady was there - (I was all tensed until then)..She said "Prasaanth sweety, give me your docs..thank you sweety.." - that was the MAGIC.. LOL .. I started to relax :P.
The person who interviewed me was a middle aged guy with black rimmed glasses - he gave a Pink slip to the person in front of me (started sweating profusely) [VO - Visa Officer]
me : Good morning [remember to maintain Eye contact]
VO : Good morning Prasaanth [types something]
VO : So, Georgia Tech? [smiles]
me : Yes sir.
VO : What is your area of specialization?
me : Wireless communication
VO : VLSI?
me : No, No .. Wireless communication
VO : Oh, what are its applications?
me : Its anything that involves wireless transfer of data For eg. Mob phones.
VO : How are you gonna fund yourself?
me : I am taking a loan for 58000 dollars and the rest is being funded by my parents
VO : Are you taking the loan in American Dollars? [smiling]
me : No sir, I converted it for your convenience
VO : how much in INR?
me : 25 lacs rupees
Kept typing for some 30 seconds or so..
VO : I am approving your visa, @#@$#$#%#%
I was too excited to hear those words that I didn't listen to what he was saying and left my bag there itself and came out - the officials called me and asked me to take it along :D..
Not even a single document was asked - but it is all about the confidence that you exude. I was dressed in a complete formal sense (Full arm shirt and all ..) but it is not mandatory.. dress comfortably so that it boosts your confidence.
Check out this blog link for the necessary documents and VISA interview tips (Terror boy sanath kumar's).
Make sure that you arrange your documents properly in a plastic folder - harmonium folders are preferable, and they look like this -
In case of a pink slip : Do not worry about this guys - I heard these words straight from the Visa Officer. There will not be any problem with your VISA approval, it just requires some administrative processing, fill in the questionnaire and you should get your visa in 3 weeks
TIPS :
1. As far as possible, try to avoid words in the Technology Alert List (TAL).
2. My dad works in a company that consults and does projects for chemical plants - had I been asked bout my dad's profession - I'd have just said "He works in an engineering consulting company" - avoiding the word "Chemical" which is present in the TAL.
3. Do not LIE, unless you are good at it.
4. When you lie, make sure your documents corroborate that, for eg. I know a person who was rejected a Visa just because he told his area of interest was Computer systems when his resume said it was Information Security. If your specialization falls under TAL, do not hesitate to tell that - a little bit of processing time is all that will take and you will get your visa unless you are a distant cousin of Osama.
5. When asked for your academic scores - tell them that you have got a 1st Class with Distinction (in case its above 75.. i am not sure bout the exact mark that classifies it) - but the word "distinction" does make a difference
6. Commute to the Visa venue by an auto/car - avoiding Bus will save you from gasping for breath and panting during the visa process.
7. I came to know this from a guy who attended a VISA counseling session - seems that the officers are least interested about the auditor's statement as they feel it is always possible to get the required statement by paying them. So, in addition to whatever auditor statement that you take, make sure that you take the Fixed Deposit (FD) original slips, bank passbooks, statement of accounts, etc.
8. Prepare your answers in case your GRE/TOEFL scores are low.
9. Check out this link for standard questions and answers - was quite helpful.
Hope I've covered almost all the points that would be of some use to people who are applying for F1 visa.
P.S : I sincerly thank Sanath, Naveen, Gopi, Padu, Mithun, Deepan, Harish, Srikrishna, for their timely help and patience, most importantly, for answering all of my stupid questions :) :) :) ..
Atlanta, here I come !! :):)
