F1 Visa Interview Experience
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F1 Visa Interview Questions – If you are going for your F1 visa interview soon, then you can go through some of the real F1 visa interviews from this article. This will help you understand what to say and what not to say and how to tackle certain types of questions.
Candidates who are looking to pursue higher education in the United States of America (USA) are required to successfully apply for their F1 Visa. The USA has been a popular study-abroad destination for students from India and globally due to its state-of-the-art infrastructure, world-class faculty and a student-friendly post-study stay period. All undergraduate and graduate programs such as MS, MBA, and B.Tech which require more than 18 hours of study in a week are required to apply for an F1 Student Visa in the US.
One of the major steps to effectively acquiring an F1 Student Visa is to have successfully cleared your F1 Visa interview. The US Student Visa Interview is an integral part of the US Student Visa Application and can last up to several minutes. Candidates looking to ace their US Student Visa interview can check our guide to be able to excel on their interview day. US VISA Appointment in India Step-by-Step Guide is another comprehensive article that speaks about the step-by-step guide to the US Visa process in India.
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Do's & Don'ts of F-1 Visa Interviews
Before checking out the real F-1 visa interviews, check out the following video to understand the do's and don'ts of F-1 visa interviews:
Real F-1 Visa Interview Experiences
Our Shiksha Study Abroad counselling team has prepared hundreds of applicants for their student visa interviews. Often, we tend to learn from our experiences, provided below are conversation snippets between candidates and visa officers’ (Visa Officers) for the benefit of first-time F1 Visa aspirants.
Case Study 1
Date: 2nd Aug
Status: Approved
Consulate: Delhi
Slot: 11:15 AM
Counter: 18
Course: MS in CS
Candidate: Good morning mam.
Visa Officer: Can I see your passport, please?
Candidate: Sure. (I gave her my passport)
Visa Officer: Can I see your i-20?
Candidate: (I nodded with a smile and passed the i-20)
Visa Officer: So, you did B.Tech?
Candidate: Yes.
Visa Officer: How was it?
Candidate: It went great. I just finished it in electronics and communication majors.
Visa Officer: In how many schools have you applied?
Candidate: I have applied to 4 universities. (named all 4)
Visa Officer: How many acceptances?
Candidate: Actually I got accepted in NYIT even before submitting all the required documents and it was my priority so I aborted the admission process in other universities.
Visa Officer: Oh…You got early acceptance.
Candidate: yes ma’am.
(while typing she asked me are you okay coz I was injured.)
Visa Officer: How are you going to manage your finances?
Candidate: My father is sponsoring me and I have also taken an educational loan.
Visa Officer: What does he do?
Candidate: He is an agriculturalist and farms approx 35 acres of land.
Visa Officer: what’s the loan amount?
Candidate: 3 sorry Rs 30 Lacs.
Visa Officer: Ok approved
Candidate: Thank you
Case Study 2
First Visa Experience
Status: Rejected
Consulate: Chennai
Visa Officer: Please come over
Candidate: (Entered and wished him) Good Morning
Visa Officer: Good morning pass me your i20 form
(Passed on the i20)
Visa Officer: So the University of South Florida is it?
Candidate: Yes sir
Visa Officer: So tell me about your funding
Candidate: Sir I have a savings of Rs 11 lakhs, and Rs 24 lakhs are in the form of fixed deposits and in addition to that I have a bank loan of 20 lakhs.
Visa Officer: Are you taking the loan from three different places?
Candidate: No sir the loan is only 20 lakhs.
Visa Officer: What does your mother do?
Candidate: She is a central government employee and works for LIC of India.
Visa Officer: What is her annual income?
Candidate: 12 lakhs per annum sir.
(He typed the information onto the computer and told me to hand over the passport. Later he looked at me and told me that he would not be able to issue a visa and handed me the 214(b) denial form.)
Candidate: Sir is there anything I’m missing from my end or I have not answered the questions properly?
(He smiled back at me and told me to re-apply later.)
Check out the reasons for US visa rejections
Second Visa Experience
Status: Reject
Appointment time: 10
Consulate: Hyderabad
Visa Officer: Please come over
Candidate: Good Morning
Visa Officer: Good Morning (with a smile. Then she took my i20 and looked at the screen for 20 seconds and then she looked at me).
Visa Officer: What is your Graduate percentage?
Candidate: I have got 76.9%
Visa Officer: What is your GRE score?
Candidate: I scored 296 in the GRE.
Visa Officer: Which stream you will be doing your masters in and what specialization you will be doing?
Candidate: I’ll be doing a master's in electrical and electronics engineering and will be specializing in Nano Technology.
Visa Officer: What is Nano Technology?
Candidate: Nano Technology is nothing but a technology that deals with nanoparticles and integrating any technology into small-sized particles and Nanotechnology is the future.
Visa Officer: Alright but what is the mathematical value for Nano?
Candidate: It is 9
Visa Officer: Impressive. (then she asked when did you graduate)
Candidate: In 2016 from GITAM University.
Visa Officer: What have you been doing since then?
Candidate: I was working with Tech Mahindra Limited as a network admin—(I was about to complete my answer when she interrupted me.)
Visa Officer: You were working with them till 2017 right?
Candidate: yes
Visa Officer: What was the latest novel or a book you have read?
Candidate: I am really sorry ma’am I do not have the habit of reading novels.
Visa Officer: What was the latest movie you've watched?
Candidate: Mission Impossible Fall Out.
Visa Officer: Can you briefly describe the movie?
Candidate: The movie is the continuation of Ghost Protocol and Tom Cruise defies all odds and ends up saving the world and restoring the plutonium bombs.
(The Visa Officer gave a smile handed me the rejection form 214(b) and told me to apply later)
Candidate: Thank You, Ma’am. Have a wonderful day ahead.
Download this guide to read it offline
Case Study 3
Status: Approved
Consulate: Hyderabad
Time: 9:30 AM
Candidate: Good Morning
Visa Officer: Good Morning. What is you’re under graduation course?
Candidate: Computer Science
Visa Officer: How many universities did you apply?
Candidate: 3
Visa Officer: What are they?
Candidate: (named all three)
Visa Officer: Who is sponsoring you?
Candidate: My parents are sponsoring me.
Visa Officer: What do they do?
Candidate: (just told about their occupation)
Visa Officer: Your visa is approved and you can collect it in 2 days.
Candidate: Thanks, ma’am.
Case Study 4
Visa Officer: Good Morning
Candidate: A very Good Morning madam. (I was searching for the mike. Then the Visa Officer said its placed above me, so no need to search)
Visa Officer: Pass me your I20, Passport, SEVIS fee
Candidate: (passed them)
Visa Officer: (was typing something) Why CLU?
Candidate: CLU provides a flexible course curriculum as they offer two major specializations, Data Analytics, and Information Technology Management apart from that they also offer courses on Information Security. I would be grateful to work under Dr. Paul D Witman. He is an expert in Information Security and Information Management. At present, he is researching on Social Networks.
Visa Officer: Who is funding you?
Candidate: My parents are funding me. We have savings of Rs 30 lacs, a secured loan of 18 lacs and immovable assets worth 4 crores—(interrupted)
Visa Officer: What does your father do?
Candidate: My father is a businessman, his business is related to the construction field in which we buy and sell lands, and construction materials and in addition to that we provide hand loans.
Visa Officer: What is your father's annual income?
Candidate: 7 lakhs per annum.
Visa Officer: (was typing for five minutes, and enquired about my finances again)
Visa Officer: which specialization u want to go with and what plans?
Candidate: I want to start a company in India. It’s related to antivirus for personal computers and mobiles, I will go with information security and as I mentioned before Paul D Witman is an expert in Information Security. It will be helpful to me.
Visa Officer: How did you know about the University?
Candidate: I have my super seniors living in California and they suggested me this university.
Visa Officer: How many universities have you applied to?
Visa Officer: Four universities. They are Pace University, California Lutheran University, Dakota State University and Gannon University.
Visa Officer: How many admits?
Candidate: I have 3 admits and 1 reject. (Named the three universities I got selected in and mentioned Dakota State University where I was rejected)
Visa Officer: What is your UG stream?
Candidate: It's electronics and communication.
Visa Officer: Do you have any relatives in the US?
Candidate: No.
Visa Officer: (was typing for 2 minutes again) Why only the USA?
Candidate: The USA is a perfect combination of theory and practical knowledge which gives perfection in students—
Visa Officer: I'm approving your visa.
No document was asked, except for SEVIS, i20, and passport.
F-1 Visa Interview Experience Leading to Rejection
Following are some of the F-1 visa interview experiences that have led to the rejection of USA visas for international students, check them out below:
Visa Officer What is your major in undergrad
Candidate: I've completed my bachelor's in electronics and communication stream
Visa Officer What have you done after that?
Candidate: I got campus placement in a company called Gridlex as a full stack developer where my role includes in creating and designing websites according to client requirements and managing their data, generating reports
Visa Officer What are the other universities you applied
Candidate: I have applied to the following universities:
Visa Officer: Why this University?
Candidate: The course curriculum officer, which includes subjects in various fields like coding, business analytics and UX..
Visa Officer: (interrupted and said) I'm sorry!
Read:
- Nikul talks about how staying confident during a student visa interview is key
- Tips to Ace US Visa Interview
F1 Visa Interview Experience FAQs
Q. Is rejection rate higher for F1 visa applicants?
A. It cannot be generalised if F1 visa rejection rate is higher. But since a lot of applicants apply for F1 visa in USA for studying, the chances can be high. Even if there is a small scope for rejection, either based on application, overall demeanour, contradictory talks in interview or other reasons, chances are that the application will be rejected.
Q. How can I pass my F1 visa interview?
A. Passing an F1 visa interview can be challenging, but by following these tips, you can aim to ace your F1 visa interview:
- Be well prepared
- Be very confident and do not fake it
- Answer as honestly as possible
- Avoid showing interest in staying back in the country for jobs/PR
- Ensure you are well dressed and have a pleasant demeanour
- Also keep all your documents in order
- Answer straightforwardly and avoid beating around the bush
Q. What to expect at US F1 visa interview?
A. Applicants going for their F1 visa interview to study in USA can be expected to be asked about their - future study plans in or out of USA, choice of university, assess applicant's academic capability to pursue and complete the course, understand their financial status and how they plan to finance their education and understand about the applicants' post-graduation plans if any.
Q: What GPA is required for the University of South Dakota?
The University of South Dakota expects a GPA score of 2.5 from undergraduates and 3 from postgraduates on the 4-pointer scale. Along with the GPA scores, undergraduates must meet the basic eligibility and submit an ACT score of 21 or higher and an SAT score of 1070 or higher. In addition, they must submit the required documents, such as academic history, transcripts, letters of recommendation, English language scores, and more.
Q: What GPA is needed to go to Ohio State?
There is no minimum GPA score for UG admission at Ohio State. However, International students must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale or equivalent) for graduate admission. Applicants may submit a standardized test score (GRE or GMAT) if their cumulative GPA is below 3.0 for the last degree.
Q: Is MIT costly for Indians?
MIT is not costly for Indian students. Applicants can study BTech program at affordable tuition fees as compared to other BTech colleges in the USA. The MIT BTech fees is around INR 50 L to INR 52 L.
Q: Is Texas Wesleyan hard to get into?
As per the US News and World Report, Texas Wesleyan University acceptance rate is 58%. This shows that the university's admission process is relatively selective. Therefore, some students may find it harder to get into the university. Also, international students are advised to check the minimum eligibility for their courses before applying. Please note that the data on the acceptance rate given above is taken from an unofficial source, therefore, it is subject to vary.
Q: Can I get into Oregon State with a 3.5 GPA?
International students must have at least a GPA between 2.5 and 3.0 on a scale of 4.0 for UG and PG admission at Oregon State. Therefore, candidates are eligible to get admission to the university with a 3.5 GPA in their academics. Oregon State University GPA requirements are different for undergraduate and graduate admission. Mentioned below is the range of GPA required for Oregon State University admissions:
| Program | Minimum GPA Required (on a scale of 4.0) |
|---|---|
| Undergraduate | 2.5 - 3.0 |
| Graduate | 2.5 - 3.0 |
Read about the Grading System in the USA
Q: How much is the application fee for Alabama University?
The Alabama University application fee for International students vary by application type. Mentioned below are the application fee for UG and PG applications at Alabama:
- UG: USD 40 or INR 3,342.14
- MBA: USD 80 or INR 6,684.28
Q: What is the decent score required on the ACT test to get a good university in the USA?
The definition of a good ACT score varies from university to country. However, to get into the top 100 universities, you must aim for a score higher than 31 on the ACT.
Q: Can the ACT test taken outside of the USA?
Yes, considering the different goals of its test takers, ACT Inc. conducts the ACT test in the popular cities of as many countries as it can.
Aishwarya is a professional Writer currently working as a Study Abroad Expert in the Editorial Team at Shiksha. She has over 5 years of experience and is skilled at creating Online Content with leveraged knowledge i... Read Full Bio
A postgraduate in English Literature from Jamia Milla Islamia, Niha has been associated with the education industry as a student counsellor for the past eight years now. Her expertise in customer service, communicat... Read Full Bio
- Universities in USA1036 Universities
- Universities in Canada174 Universities
- Universities in Australia122 Universities
- Universities in UK175 Universities
- Universities in Ireland33 Universities
- Universities in New Zealand70 Universities
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Hello aspirant. Yes, your profile is evaluated before your F1 Visa Interview. You can get in touch with our Shiksha counsellors for more information on the same: https://studyabroad.shiksha.com/apply
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