How Not to Prepare for F1 Visa Interview and a Mini Story [Video]

I was reading an F1 Visa interview experience, and it stuck to me that someone applying for Graduate School in the America doesn’t have the skills to answer some basic questions during the Student Visa Interview. As this Visa Officer put’s it nicely – Here’s why Indian students get the 214b rejection.

So, I created this video ( and I got emotionally and pumped with this one).

• F1 Visa Interview Tips
• How not to prepare for your F-1 Visa Interview
• How blogs and forums can hurt your F1 Visa interview

F1 Visa Interview Tips and Strategy

Resources:

• F1 Visa Approval Chance and Answer Strenght Analysis
• F1 Visa Interview Experiences

Here’s a sample interview with 214(b) Rejection:

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I haven’t blocked my slot for the second interview. Pls help me out, as soon as possible. Here’s my first visa experience:

VO: How do you know about this university?
Me: One of my senior suggested and also gone through some sites.
VO: Have you meet him before?
Me: Yes sir. He is my senior.
VO: What his name?
Me: Vinay Kumar
VO: Is he studying in this university?
Me: No sir. He is studying in UCM.
VO: Then how could he suggest you?
Me: It is the near university to him. And also one of his friends is studying there.
VO: How many universities did you apply and how many admits?
Me: I applied for four and got all admits.
VO: Why SEMO? Why not TAMUK?
Me: SEMO has good course curriculum. And also in TAMUK electives are concentrated on computers whereas in SEMO they are related to my area of interest.
VO: What are the subjects you are going to take?
Me: Told few subjects
VO: When did you graduate?
Me: April 2016
VO:  What is your academic percentage?
Me: 8.4 cgpa
VO: Sorry you are not qualified for visa this time under 214b better luck next time.
Me: Thank you.

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This the perfect example of an incompetent student. I think the visa officer did his best to qualify this student, but the answers were not to the expectation of the visa officer.

• This student did not have skills to research the university on his own.
• This university was suggested by his friend.  This is not a valid answer.
• Why not TAMUK? This student goofed up the answer to this question as well.

Analogy:

You are standing in the middle of this road.  You look lost.

You have a piece of paper.

There are few folks standing nearby.

They can clearly see that you are lost, and they assume that you are trying to find an address.

You walk to them slowly, and one person asks you, “Can I help you with the directions?”.

You respond “Yes, please.” You look lost.

He looks at the paper you are holding.  That person was expecting to see an address of some sorts.

It’s BLANK!

There is no address on the paper.  He’s clueless. He’s lost. The person who offered to help is confused.

Don’t walk into F-1 Visa interview feeling lost. 

If you are going to confuse the visa officer, you are not going to get the visa.

A stranger on the road who is offering help, don’t need to know why you are going to a destination, but he needs to know where you are going, so he can assist you with the directions.

Stranger can only show the direction, but you have to walk the path.

And, you have to be certain of where you want to study, why you want to study and why you want to study in a particular university.