F1 Visa Interview Experiences

F1 Visa Interview Fall 2012 – USA Embassy Delhi

First F1 Via Interview Experience for Fall 2012. Shared by Vishal.

I gave my F-1 visa interview at the New Delhi Consulate on 16th April 2012 and got a 221g (Administrative Processing).

On the whole, the interview was really cool and the lady consular officer was really nice and friendly.

F1 Interview experience Delhi Fall

VO: Good Morning!
Me: Good Afternoon Ma’am! How are you doing? (I said this coz while I was in the line waiting for my turn, I had a look at my watch and it showed 12:20 pm)
VO: I’m good.
(Scans my CEAC barcode letter, goes through my I-20 and looks on the computer screen for about 10-15 seconds)

VO: So, you’re going to the University of Wyoming?
Me: That’s right Ma’am!

VO: What will you be studying?
Me: PhD in Civil Engineering.

VO: How did you find out about this university?
Me: Ma’am, actually during my final semester of Masters Thesis Project (which was of 3 months duration at my undergraduate institution), after the first month of my internship I got really interested in this project and wanted to continue research in this area for my PhD as well. So, I started looking for universities offering research in this area and got to know of the University of Wyoming. I got in touch with a Professor there in Civil Engg. dept. who agreed to accept me into his research team as a PhD candidate.

VO: What is your research interest related to?
Me: Blah Blah…..

VO: What is your previous degree?
Me: Ma’am, I have a Bachelors and Masters both in Biotechnology.

VO: How will you be funding your studies?
Me: Ma’am, I have a Full GA from the dept. (comprising of a stipend, full tuition waiver and health insurance).

VO: Ok, we need to process your application further so please report to counter number 30.
Me: Thank you Ma’am!

Went to counter # 30 and I was given a pink sheet of paper and asked to submit the list of documents (checked on the paper) via email.

*****

I have requested Vishal to share scanned copy of the 221(g) Pink Sheet.  If he send the scanned copy, I will post in the blog.

Update – Sample 221g Pink Form from Delhi Embassy.

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65 Comments

  1. I HAD MY INTERVIEW AT NEW DELHI ON 18 NOVEMBER AND MY INTERVIEW WENT SMOOTH BUT MY VISA OFFICER TOLD ME THAT HE HAD NO INFORMATION REGARDING MY SEVIS FEE AND TOLD ME THAT I HAVE NOT PAID MY SEVIS FEE , I SHOWED MY CONFIRMATION LETTER OF PAYMENT , HOWEVER HE TOOK MY PASSPORT AND REPLIED THAT HE WILL CHECK THIS FEE AGAIN AND IF HE IS GOING TO FIND THAT FEE IS UNPAID HE WILL REJECT MY VISA , ITS BEEN 3 DAYS AND COUNTING , MY STATUS IS ADMINISTRATIVE PROCESSING . HOW MUCH TIME IT WOULD TAKE TO VERIFY MY FEE , AM I UNDER ANY 221(G) OR ANY OTHER CASE .MY VISA OFFICER DID NOT HAND ME ANY SLIP?
    I HAVE TO START MY CLASSES ON 28 DECEMBER ? THIS THING IS KILLING ME .I HAVE SEEN MANY CASES WHERE ADMINISTRATIVE PROCESSING TOOK AROUND 60 DAYS ?
    ANY ADVICE FROM YOU GUYS ?
    THANK YOU IN ADVANCE.

  2. i got 221g on october 3 for an m1 visa(flight training in phoenix)..my VO said that my visa is approve(and also said that have a nice stay in phoenix) and sends me to the other counter where the lady kept my passport,i20,ds160.
    its been 2 weeks and there is no response. and when i put my case no.on US embassy new delhi website,it shows invalid case number.
    i am quite worried as my batchs gonna start on 3rd of november.
    what should i do?

  3. I work in the US and am a part time PhD student also at the University of Illinois at Chicago. I had my H1 renewal visa interview on Oct 10th 2012 and got a 221g pink slip. The VO asked me about my thesis where I used the word “combustion” as my research and work both are in designing engines. She asked me a few more question on what is combustion and all. I sent in my documents in today. I just hope I get my visa. I had my return flight scheduled for Oct 30 3am, not sure if I will be able to make it.

    1. got my visa in 4 days after sending in the documents… i sent “ceand”(google it) an email expressing the urgency to process my case, and I would like to believe that it worked.

      best of luck to all.

  4. Hi Vishal,
    I applied for B1 Visa with BEP letter.
    I got a pink slip221g in Delhi embassy on 31 July. My passport is retained by embassy and they have not asked for any docs. My training plan in US exactly after 60 days.
    How long will it take.?
    Shall I get it before my travel plan?
    Please reply

      1. Hi Suraj,

        Exactly the similar case happened with me today. I was sent to counter no. 30 in delhi Embassy where the lady handed me a photo-copy of 22ig where she crossed all the items. But do you think..i should at least e-mail them?
        I am very skeptical about this letter…what do you think? Please advise.

  5. I had my visa interview on 3rd july.The VO just asked me two questions wat course for MS(I said nutrition and food science) she then asked undergraduation in which course to which i replied biotechnology.She then said “okay m approving ur visa but we need more documents so plz proceed to counter no:30”. I was handed a pink slip at counter 30 and my passport plus I 20 was kept. Its been 20 days n stille theres no change in the status of my case. I had sent all my documents on 4th july. Hopefully I get my case cleared on 21 st day. ( as said by vishal he also got his case cleared on 21 st day).. I m going to utah state university n my orientation is on 20th august…

  6. Hey all…
    I got a admit in San Diego state university , California for masters in computer science. I had my Visa interview on 5th July. I already have a B1/B2 Visa and I have been twice to U.S before to visit my brother. Visa interview was going ok with the lady VO but when she was going through my passport, she saw my earlier visa and immigration stamps and visa interview was suddenly over and she smiled and said, just go to window no. 30 and you are done .

    There they kept my passport and documents and then I was issued a 221g(pink slip) and I was required to send some documents. I did that in 1-2 days. Now its been 17 days and am a bit scared. What is the approximate time for processing . My classes are starting on 21st August. so will they consider giving the visa before that too??
    This waiting period sucks :-/

  7. I’m going for my student visa interview in a couple weeks but I was denied a tourist visa last year. Will that affect whether or not they give me my student visa? What can I do to combat this? Also, how do I show strong ties to my home country when I’m only 18 and won’t inherit a family business or own a home or car?? Help please guys 🙂

  8. Hey guys,
    I also got 221 (g) on 15th june at Delhi Consulate.
    I got admit from Campbell University for MS in Pharmaceutical Sciences with Pharmacology as Track curriculum for Fall 2012.
    My VI went smooth and final words of VO were- I am approving your visa but we have to go through administrative processing, so go to counter no. 30
    There i was issued a 221 (g) pink slip. And they withheld my passport, DS 160, I-20 and univ admission letter.
    This I got possibly because Pharmacology falls under TAL.
    Fingers crossed. Just hoping that i get my PP stamped…!

  9. I had my interview on the june,12 and VO just asked me some question about the university, where i got admission, He asked why this university? Afterward, he asked about the other universities where i also applied.He also asked about my sponsor and my father occupation but surprisingly, he didnt ask about any of my documents. At the end, he wrote about a minute on his computer and then said that they have a routine administrative processing and handed me 221(g) form and told me that they take about 60 days on this processing and if i didnt get any response in this period then i can contact with them on the email address mention on the 221(g) form.Now it has been 13 days and i didnt get any response, i am bit worried about all this process, what do i do? can anyone help me out?

    1. Hi Ahmed!

      Were you asked to submit any documents from the list in the 221g pink coloured form? Were your passport, I-20 form and DS-160 confirmation slip also retained by U.S. Embassy-New Delhi? I would suggest that you keep tracking your passport on the VFS website as any updates to your case status will be posted there and not on the website of U.S. Embassy-New Delhi.

      Good Luck! 🙂

  10. hiii… i want to go us to pursue bachelor in business adminstration but i have 3 year gap in study is it possible?????

  11. @Vishal I too got a pink 221 (g) slip. I had my Visa interview yesterday in New Delhi. I have accepted the PhD offer in Polymer Science and Engineering in University of Southern Mississippi. I had sent the documents by yesterday night. So what is your status of visa application now ? Did they give you any intimation regarding the documents u sent ? if so after how many days did u get the intimation ? I haven’t got any till now….

    1. Hi Ramesh! My visa was approved on May 9 and I received it by courier on May 10. Did you get a confirmation email from US Embassy-Delhi acknowledging receipt of your documents? You should get it soon after you sent that email. Keep tracking your passport number on the VFS website as it is updated frequently instead of tracking your case number on the US Embassy-Delhi website. If all your documents are fine, then your visa will be approved on the 21st day from the date you sent all the additional documents through email. As I said, keep tracking your passport number on the VFS website regularly for the most up-to-date information.

      1. Hi,

        I am going for MS in Electrical Engineering.
        I had my interview on 25th May,2012.
        I havent done ant research yet…
        So what should I mention in research section?
        I havent yet submitted my documents.

      2. hi vishal

        i got 221g on 17th may

        in online status today it is case processed on 8th june

        what this means

        have i got visa

        1. @ Chetan

          Hi… Where did you check the status ? in the new delhi embassy site using your case number or the vfs site using your passport number ? Coz, for me the case number they gave didn’t work in the embassy status check link… there its showin invalid case number…

          1. Hi Vishal, Congrats.
            I was also issued 221(g) green form in US consulate Mumbai. I have a doubt regarding Invitation letter. In the form it is mentioned that we should submit an invitation letter from the sponsoring organisation in the US and the letter should contain the name of supervisor and details about our work. But I did not get any such invitation letter form the university.I got Admission letter from Graduate school and an Offer letter for Teaching Assistant position from Chemistry department. Any of these letters do not contain the name of supervisor and details about the work. Moreover for PhD students, we will chose the supervisor officially after joining the university. so please guide me in this regard. Which letter do I need to submit.

          2. no u shouls submit your i20 form i ve got 221g on may 17th in hyd consul got case proceesed on 6th june and on 11th june i got passport with visa

            which university u r going

            do you have masters

          3. I too got 221g green at Mumbai on 7th June. When was your interview and what is color of your 221g slip. Did you get any email form Mumbai consulate regarding this? I had submitted my document through email on 11th May. When did you have submitted your documents through email?

      3. My visa was approved on june 18 n i got it on june 19. To all who got 221`(g) in New Delhi, there is nothing to worry. You will get the visa in about three weeks as Vishal said. Check the status in VFS or Embassy website. In my case, the embassy link was showing my case number as invalid, but VFS one was working.

  12. Hi guys Can you guys help me out with something. Is there any difference between consulates. I mean like some approve visa easily and some are strict?

    1. Hi Fazal,

      There is nothing like one consulate is better than the other for visa approvals. Approval of your visa depends on the way one presents himself/herself before the visa officer and the answers to the questions put forth by the visa officer.

  13. hi… dis is raj. i have taken gre twice and toefl twice. In gre for the first attempt i got 298 and in the second attempt i secured 303. In toefl in first attempt i got 78 and in 2nd attempt i secured 79. Will there be any problem in visa interview for taking the xam twice and not without much improvement? In gre atleast there is an improvement of 5 marks but in toefl there is only 1 mark of improvement, will he get to know that i have taken the exam twice? if he doesnt know is it better to tell the truth?will be there any problem? plz anyone plz suggest me, i m planning to go for visa interview in june 1st week. plz……plz………

  14. hi sir my b.tech percentage is 60 with 15 backlogs i have applied for nyit,texas a&m carbandale,university of illinois etc. do i have good chances in getting i20

  15. HI Everyone,

    I have got admission in Masters in Market Analytics in Bentley University, Massachusetts. I got rejected once last year but that was the Tourist Visa as i wanted to visit a relative. Is it a negative point in my Visa application? If yes then what all should i make a note of in my upcoming Student Visa interview?
    Please help me in this. I have read a lot of negative blogs because of which it is getting difficult for me to even sleep.

    Thanks And Regards
    Anuj

  16. hi

    Thanks raghav !!

    I was just wondering for one question that they might ask me this time ” what was the reason for your rejection or why are applying to USA again and again if you have got rejected thrice??”

    Thanks,

    Ragu

  17. Hello,
    My gre score is 299 and ielts score is 6 bands and my academics percentage is 72 with no backlogs.And I have got admit to UMASS-BOston.what are the chances of getting my visa.Plese suggest me

  18. Hi,

    I got rejected thrice for f-1 visa in fall spring 2011 and fall 2011. I applied for UT Arlington all three time. Now I have admits from Texas A & M and UT Austin. So, I just want to know which university should I go for this time and what are the possibilities for both of them ?

    Please help me out……..

    1. Why did you apply to UT Arlington if your profile can get you admits from UT Austin and TAMU? Well, both of the above two schools are world class and if you have secured admission in them then I don’t feel there would be any problem in obtaining a VISA as you would be considered a sincere student. Just make sure you have done all the paperwork and are ready for questions like what do you plan to do after graduation and general university questions.

      You’ll be fine. All the best.

      1. hi

        Thanks raghav !!
        I was wondering for one question that they might ask me this time ” what was the reason for your rejection or why are applying to USA again and again if you have got rejected thrice??”

        Thanks,

        Ragu

  19. hi vishal & all those gng for US with FULL FUNDING
    I just came across a blog named EDULIX on which I saw that taking more than 1 I20 can be problematic. It shows that for MS or unfunded I20’s can be taken more than 1 but for PhD’s or funded admission if we select one university and ask i20 from them then we wont be legally able to accept the offer from other universities as the university might hav reserved some funding for us (according to COUNCIL OF GRADUATE STUDIES) and so they won’t allow me to go anywhere else. If I want to join other university than I have to take the permission from the 1st university that they are fine with it. Can you please tell me if you had asked for more than 1 I20’s while your admission process all of which provided full funding? I have 2 I20’s at present. Is it gone affect my visa process? Please comment over it.
    I am NOT trying to misguide any1, i myself is bemused. I thing people going for PhD like me can comment over this quite well.
    thnk you!

  20. @Thomas, just press right arrow above the comments. You will find scan copy of 221g form.
    I think this assist you lot.
    Thanks

    1. Dear All,
      Pls can anyone tell me between UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO and VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY.which one is ranked the best.thanks

  21. dear srinjoy ,
    i am admitted to the university of california , merced this fall and got full assistantship. i have applied to only this university. my gre score is 306 and toefl 89 with acad 71.3 %. will there be any problem for me to get the visa ???? i have completed my bachelor in mechanical engineering from nepal, n i am admitted to uc merced for phd level.

    1. @ sudeep : no should not be, though you might be caught up in 221(g) if your subject is on the TAL list (refer to Vishal’s reply to me). In fact you can make a good case saying that you just don’t want to come here but only to work in a sp. uni under a sp. prof. who interests you . I can’t comment about your acads bcoz i do not know that field and esp abt your GRE as we had it on I think 1600 and they have changed it since …but UC is a good school so you must be good ….adn I’m guessing you asked me the ques bcoz of my comment on vishal;s experience but his scenario is diff…so tht was my initial reaction, though upon hearing details there is no doubt that he will get his visa too…learn how to cook……u don;t know how fast you start craving tht bad mess food …. enjoy and congrats …and good luck …

  22. Hello dude don’t worry your visa will be issued. I have seen my friend’s case last year was same but later given visa.
    Anyway best of luck.

  23. Vishal, Congratulations. Your visa is just delayed but not denied.
    Almost all people (or I can say majority) under 221(g) in F1 visas were issued their visas.
    Most of the times it takes 21 days in general but rarely 8 weeks delay to complete the process.
    It’s time to understand the sweetness of waiting for something very important.
    Hope you learn to enjoy the waiting.

    All the best !

    1. Forgot to mention First 21 days count down starts from the date of submission of details you are asked to submit but not from the date of Interview.

  24. @ Vishal : Thanks for the TAL link…..
    and about the civil engg., yeah I guess, when you mention Civil Engg…to a VO it raises suspicion, but since your research will be related to Biotech so in the 221(g) essay you will be able to easily get the idea across ….

    All the best ….

  25. Hmm…..well 221(g) in this case could have been due to 2 possible reasons:
    a) NBC – they check everyone with a background in nuclear, biological and chemical sciences to prevent attacks

    and

    b)which in my case looks more likely, is that you said you had bachelor’s and master’s degrees in biotech and yet want to do Ph.D in Civil Engg. While it is understandable that you’ve had a change of heart, it is nonetheless very very rare and frankly a little suspicious. Of course, kudos to you for convincing the University that you will be able to study something entirely new from scratch and get a Ph.D in the subject, you are obviously very very smart. However, it does raise the question whether you just want to get to the US and the degree is a means of getting a visa….

    At any rate all the best and I wish you luck !!!

    1. Thanks Srinjoy! Yes, you’re right that all applicants whose area of study falls under the TAL (Technical Alert List) are subject to additional screening (and not just ones with NBC background).

      Here’s the link to TAL:

      https://www.google.co.in/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CCUQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bu.edu%2Fisso%2Fforms%2Ftal.pdf&ei=iyaQT9vSB4rQrQfAy-H1BA&usg=AFQjCNE9Ij5Sqpwu-dVO0QGwXwxMNV0x3g&sig2=s-skew4plrDXALaNPwkKEw

      And you’re absolutely right that a change of my major undoubtedly raises a suspicion. But frankly speaking, my area of research will be having a lot of applications from the field of biotechnology (concentration area of research is environmental engineering). The only reason my major is civil engineering is that my research project is conducted in this department and my professor belongs there. It’s more difficult to convince the embassy of this change as compared to the university and given the short span of the visa interview time (2-3 mins), that makes it impossible to get an approval in the first go.

      1. dear vishal ,
        i am admitted to the university of california , merced this fall and got full assistantship. i have applied to only this university. my gre score is 306 and toefl 89 with acad 71.3 %. will there be any problem for me to get the visa ???? i have completed my bachelor in mechanical engineering from nepal, n i am admitted to uc merced for phd level.

        1. Hi Sudeep! The success of your visa interview depends directly on the way you convince the visa officer on the day of your interview. Just prepare well and be confident about yourself. I’m sure you’ll ROCK!!!

          Good Luck! 🙂

      2. Hi vishal
        I have an admit from Brown university I have a publication ” malware attacks in smatrphones”.I am working in a chip manufacturing company .I have got 221g on 12 june .Will i get my visa?.
        Please guide
        spandan

        I

        1. Hi Spandan! Did you appear for your interview at the Delhi consulate? If yes, were you asked to submit any documents (mentioned in the 221g pink sheet) via email to the embassy? Keep tracking your passport on the VFS website as updates to your case will be posted there. Don’t worry man! You will definitely get your visa.

          Good Luck! 🙂

          1. Dear vishal
            Yes i have submitted my resume research and sop as asked by email.

            what actually the will do with these documents?
            Still waiting.
            Thanks
            spandan

      1. Hey Vishal,
        Congrats :). I am gonna be having my VI sometime early next month. Since I’m going for aero, I’m almost sure to get a 221(g). But I don’t have any prior research experience in this field either.

        What all things do we have to email ?

        1. @ Thomas: Dude, kindly refer to the scanned copy of the 221(g) pink sheet uploaded by HSB. It contains all the list of documents to be submitted over email.

          I hope this helps…

          1. Dear Vishal,
            I got a pink slip221g in Delhi embassy on 12 June .I submitted the documents by email on 14 June .I have not heard any thing from them My case status is showing RESPONSE
            N/A I an finding it very difficult waiting . What to do next.?
            Please reply
            Spandan

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