USA Visa

Applicants can ace F1 visa interviews by incorporating the following key pointers:

• Regularly practising common interview questions can boost the applicant's confidence and help them give clear and concise answers.
• Applicants must understand the US visa process. By familiarising oneself with the F1 visa requirements and timeline, applicants will be able to give clear cut answers.
• Being honest is the key to successfully complete the F1 visa interview process. The reason being, that the interviewers can easily sense insincerity of the applicants and may penalise them for the same.
• Until and unless you are enthusiastic about your studies in the US, there is no point in describing why is it important for you to study there. Thus, you should be able to convey genuine interest in the programme of study during F1 visa interview.

By following the above mentioned pointers, applicants will be able to ace their F1 visa interview. 

You must always appear for an interview in formal clothes. However, do not choose garish outfits or outfits that don't match the weather. Men can wear formal shirts and trousers. Whereas girls can go for some formal Indian Attire which could be a simple sari or a salwar kameez. When it comes to the color scheme, go for basic, neutral, solid colors. Strictly avoid fluorescent colors. Instead, choose pastels when the interview is in summer or solid colors when the interview is in winter. One thing you should keep in mind is to avoid shaded garments as they tend to distract.

Ensure that your accessories are minimal. Women must not wear heavy danglers, long necklaces and bangles that jingle. If you must accessorize due to religious beliefs, please keep it to the bare minimum – anklets, for instance, that do not make noise are advised if you simply must wear them. Men should also avoid wearing heavy bracelets or chains that jingle.

You must make sure that your clothes are clean and well-ironed. Do not wear clothes that wrinkle easily.

In order to pass the F1 visa interview, you must be well-prepared, wear that confidence and stay calm. We have listed some tips below to tackle the USA interview questions and some other best practices:

• You must be well prepared with your portfolio containing all the documents, even though the Visa officer may not ask for it;
• Thoroughly check out the Admission Essay or SOP you have submitted, the complete list of Universities and courses you had applied to;
• You must be thorough with the course you have enrolled for, the kind of credit systems it has, the tenure, the faculty and the course highlights – basically why you chose that particular university;
• Do your research about the state you would be visiting, the University's history and the nearby location; and
• Go through your Financial Documents to clearly understand how you would be paying for your education in the USA.

Other tips and tricks:

• Wear formal clothes in basic/solid colours;
• Practice minimal accessorizing;
• Make sure your clothes are clean and well-ironed;
• Ensure that you don't smell funky, nor use too much fragrance as it may irritate the interviewer; and
• If your passport has a picture with glasses, make sure to wear them.