Tips For A Successful Visa Interview In The United States

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If you are applying for any type of visa in the United States, one step of the process will be attending an interview. The answers you give in this interview—and how you deliver them—can have a huge impact on whether or not your visa application is approved. Here are some tips to help ensure you have a successful visa interview.

1. Be ready to explain your ties to your home country.

One of the biggest things that immigration interviewers are worried about is the prospect of people over-staying their visa and attempting to remain in the US illegally. As such, they will ask you a lot of questions about your ties to your home country. They reason that if you have strong ties to your home country, you are more likely to return, as planned, when your visa expires.

As the questions regarding your ties to your home country can be quite open-ended, you will want to spend time rehearsing your answers beforehand. Ties you could mention include family relationships, friends who depend on you, hobbies you are really dedicated to, investments you have in the home country, property you will inherit, and so forth.

2. Practice your English.

Your visa interview will typically be conducted in English. If you are not overly proficient in English, it's to your benefit to practice as much as possible before your interview. Meet up with anyone you know who speaks English, and have them ask you practice interview questions. If one of your goals in coming to the US is to improve your English, make sure you explain this—it can help you get your visa approved with less fluency.

3. Meet with your lawyer to gather supplemental documentation beforehand.

If you need some supplemental documents for your application, such as bank statements or written letters of reference, make sure you meet with your immigration lawyer to get these documents organized in advance of your interview. If you bring them with you to the interview, this gives the interviewer a chance to ask any questions they have about the documents. On the other hand, if you turn them in after the interview, the customs agents might not ask questions—they might just deny your application if something is not clear.

4. If you have dependents, figure out how they will support themselves without you there.

If you are leaving behind a spouse and other family members in your home country, the immigration interviewers may ask you questions about how these people will pay the bills and support themselves without you around. They will want to know your family won't be suffering financial hardship as a result of you leaving the country. They'll also want to ensure that your family won't be tempted to enter the US illegally to join you due to financial hardship. 

If you have not yet made plans for your family to support themselves in your absence, make sure to solidify concrete plans in this regard before the interview.

5. Stay positive and cheerful.

The interviewers may have a stern attitude. This reflects the seriousness of their job, and it does not say anything about the status of your visa. Try to remain calm and positive even if you find the interviewer intimidating. This demonstrates that you are being honest and that you're confident you are deserving of the visa. 

The interview is definitely one of the more intimidating aspects of the visa application process. If you have any lingering concerns, talk to your immigration lawyer. They can guide you through the process and give you a better idea of which questions might be asked.

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28 December 2018

help for families going through immigration issues

My son has been best friends with a little boy from up the street for about two years. When his family came to me and told me that they may be leaving because of immigration issues, my heart broke. Those two boys spend so much time together and I knew that my son and his friend would be scarred for life if they were separated like that. I told the family that I would do some digging and talk with an immigration attorney friend of mine and see what I could find out. This blog was created to help this family as well as any others going through immigration struggles.