Visa Interview Experience at Hyderabad

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Consulate: Hyderabad Consulate
‍Course: MSE in Biomedical Engineering - University: Johns Hopkins University (JHU)

Date: May 2019

Status: Approved

I reached the consulate by 9:30 AM. I was in formals (Not the typical white and black combination). After the security check, I had to wait around 40 minutes before the allotment of a counter. The VO was a male in his mid-30s. He was some 6 foot 2+ inches, with full-bald head and a French beard. His voice was very intimidating but maintained a subtle expression on his face while asking questions.

Minutes before the interview:

I met with another F1 VISA applicant and had a fun talk in the queue. That same person's VISA was approved in the same counter (before me), and I was staring at the VO's reactions to all the answers.

My interview experience:

VO: Signalled me to come forward

(The security guard had already passed my I-20 and passport to the VO)

Me: Good Morning, Sir! (In a louder tone with a big smile to convey him that I am not terrified by his appearance or the interview)

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VO: Wow, So loud. Good morning.

(He intensely looked at my I-20 for about 20 seconds)

Tell me something about JHU!

Me: Precisely explained how JHU continued to be the world's best (Ranked 1st by various reputed organisations) school for Biomedical Engineering, etc.

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VO: What's your area of interest?

Me: Told him and he asked me further to explain to him about my area of interest. I elaborated on it (precisely upto four sentences)

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VO: When did graduate with a bachelor's degree?

Me: Sir, I graduated in June 2018.

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VO: What have you been doing since then?

Me: Sir, Immediately after my bachelor’s degree, I had undergone training on the calibration of medical equipment. As a calibration trainee, I had hands-on experiences with sophisticated medical equipment at local hospitals.

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VO: Any Backlogs?

Me: Absolutely no backlogs sir.

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VO: How will you manage your funds?

Me: Sir, I have a personal savings of ** Lakhs (he interrupted me and asked me whether it is my personal account). I clarified him that it is our family personal savings account and continued further to tell him about the loan amount and my father's annual income.

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VO: What does your father do?

Me: Told him

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VO: Congratulations! I am approving your VISA.

Me: Thank you! You made my day, sir.

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Tips for preparation:

1. Always answer in a complete sentence, do not respond in just words or phrases.
2. Just being confident can never lead you to approvals. You need to prepare and possibly know everything about your university, course, department, career options, etc.
3. A professional look will add a few brownie points. Impression matters a lot.
4. Do not emphasize on correcting a mistake when you have better things to prove your credibility.
5. Remember your SEVIS ID, Passport number and University's point of contact

You can be confident only if you think you're well prepared for the big day. But don't let that be on your face, fear is healthy. Act humble even if you are not. Best of luck!

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