NOTE: The given views/statistics are indicative. Opinions and experiences may vary from person-to-person.
Done with your GRE? Grabbed a seat in your dream university? Getting ready for visa interview, right? If yes, then this mini guidance is for you. Generally, student visa interviews are not much difficult, but maximum rejections are due to some silly but unavoidable reasons. We can overcome them by taking simple measures before the interview. It’s not a job interview, so stay cool. Basic questions like your study plans, university choice, academic capability, financial status and further PG plans if any, are asked. Especially for the US, they ask simple ones like what is your intention to go? How shall it help? Why not in India? and so on. Don’t over prepare. Honest answers help.
The visa officer would dwell on three major areas:-
Course of study: Details on your UG, relevance of your higher studies, University details, Subjects etc.
Financial ability: This includes your family financial background, income details, liquid assets (bank balance to cover first year of study) etc
Immigration intent: That you have no intentions to immigrate to their country. You need to provide evidence of strong ties with your home country, that you will come back after studies and take care of parents, property etc.
They want decent people to enter their country. So, your dress code and manner of approach matters a lot, as first impression definitely counts. And don’t try to do anything unusual to impress the interviewer; it may look a bit odd. Maintain a neat and decent body language throughout the interview.
Prepare your answers in advanced to the ones listed in the 1st and 2nd paragraphs and some basic questions like tell me about yourself? Don’t tell anything negative about yourself in the interview. Even when they ask you what is your weakness? , say something which will not come in the way of your visa. 100% sincerity may become a minus too, so be tactful!
I would like to share something. My senior told me this, “While I was waiting for my turn, saw a person being grilled for backlogs and break during his studies. Guess his visa status: Approved!! A proper reason and good explanation is enough for such things”, and don’t lie in such cases, Even if they don’t understand a shit about the subject, they can easily catch inconsistencies in your answers. Be honest but not fully, be confident and be you!
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