r/visainterviews

For context, I was going to pursue MSCS at UMass Amherst.

VO: Good morning
Me: Good morning officer  

VO: Pass me your passport and I-20
Me: Sure, here it is. (I gave my SEVIS receipt along with the I-20 as well by mistake)

VO: So amherst yeah?

Me: yep

VO: why amherst?
Me: (I got nervous and took a couple of seconds, also probably sounded nervous/befuddled ) Well, I’ve done my bachelor’s in CS and I want to further continue to gain advanced knowledge. Also, I worked on reinforcement learning and UMass is a pioneer of RL, and I am also interested in some professor’s work.  

VO: Like who?
Me: (I fumbled a lot here pronouncing the name) [Name of the professor]. His work in meta reinforcement learning, which is something I’m interested in.  

VO: What about funding?
Me: We have family savings. My parents are going to fund it. They have savings of about $X and we’ve taken a loan of about $X. The remaining can easily be covered as my dad has a steady income source.  (total was about $130k)

VO: What was your gpa?
Me: Until 7th semester, 8.3/10.

I had planned proper answers, however, seeing the previous rejection made me nervous and I ended up giving a general answers and probably sounded nervous as well.

Been reading a lot of interview experiences lately, and one thing keeps surprising me. People show up with folders full of proof, bank statements, employment letters, property deeds, invitations and the officer doesn't even glance at them. Just asks two questions and makes a decision.

I get that they're busy, but how are you supposed to prove ties to your home country if they never ask to see anything?
One person I saw online brought a whole business registration document. Officer didn't look at it, denied them, and handed them a paper saying prove family ties.
What's the strategy here? Do you just verbally list everything without being asked? Or do you wait for them to ask and risk them never asking?

Trying to understand how to actually get documents in front of an officer instead of just holding them in silence.

📍 Location: Delhi

🧾 Visa Type: B1/B2 (Tourist)

✅ Result: Approved

👤 Profile

Country of residence: India

Occupation: Employed in fintech (A++ brand)

Travel history: 7 countries (none in last 5 years)

Family in the US: Sister on H1B (Solutions Architect)

Notes: 35F, unmarried, first-time applicant

🎯 Interview Questions

VO: What’s the purpose of your visit?

Me: Tourism. It’s my birthday and I will be road-tripping with my sister and returning June 28 after a 14-day visit

VO: What does your sister do?

Me: She is an H1B holder and a solutions architect

VO: Have you travelled anywhere before?

Me: Yes, 7 countries (cut off before listing them)

VO: What is your salary?

Me: XX lakhs

VO: When are you returning?

Me: June 28, as my campaigns start

📄 Documents Requested:

Passport

DS-160 confirmation

Biometrics completed in Chennai

🔥 Officer Demeanor:

Friendly, smiled, straightforward

💡 What Helped:

Sticking to DS-160 answers

Clear travel plan

Early morning slot (faster process)

⚠️ What Hurt:

Nervousness

🙏 Final Thoughts:

Entire process took under 1 hour

Security checks and document verification before interview

Lockers available outside for electronics

Interviews in Delhi seemed question-heavy

Approval felt partly like luck

🔗 Source:

https://www.reddit.com/r/usvisascheduling/s/uaiisz03rU

Note: Original post is from r/usvisascheduling and is not mine. This has been shared + structured for clarity.

📍 Location: Mumbai

🧾 Visa Type: B1/B2 (Business)

❌ Result: Denied (214b)

👤 Profile

Country of residence: India

Occupation: Solution Architect (Data Analytics Company)

Travel history: Seychelles (honeymoon, recent)

Notes: Invited for 2-day event at company headquarters in Boston

🎯 Interview Questions

VO: What is your job title?

Me: Solution Architect

VO: What do you do?

Me: My company is a data analytics company and I work with different enterprises to help them setup the data platform for their company.

VO: Any past travel history out of India?

Me: Yes, Seychelles. For honeymoon this new year

VO: Why do you have to travel?

Me: I have business meetings scheduled with clients to define the product roadmap and build a repo that is required for my role

📄 Documents Requested:

None

🙏 Final Thoughts:

Visa was refused under section 214(b) after a short interview

Looking for possible reasons and better ways to answer

🔗 Source:

https://www.reddit.com/r/usvisascheduling/s/mNKgdNeI8G

Note: original post is from r/usvisascheduling and is not mine. This is being shared and structured for clarity.

📍 Location: Delhi

🧾 Visa Type: B2 (Tourist)

✅ Result: Approved

🔁 Previous denial: None mentioned

👤 Profile

Country of residence: India (Bangalore)

Occupation: Father – Retired | Mother – Housewife

Travel history: Previously visited USA

Family in the US: Daughter and son-in-law

Notes: 3 other children and their families in India | Strong ties in Bangalore

🎯 Interview Questions

VO: What’s the purpose of visit?

Me: Visiting daughter and son-in-law

VO: Who stays in USA?

Me: Daughter and son-in-law

VO: Their name, date of birth, work details?

Me: Answered

VO: When did you go to USA and how long were you there? What is your status?

Me:Answered

VO: What do you do in Bangalore?

Me: Father is retired | Mother is housewife

📄 Documents Requested:

None

🔥 Officer Demeanor:

Not mentioned

💡 What Helped:

Telugu interpreter available (smooth communication)

Strong family ties in India

Clear travel purpose

⚠️ What Hurt:

Not mentioned

🙏 Final Thoughts:

Biometrics was quick (~10 minutes)

Security + check-in took ~30 minutes

Entire process took about 2 hours

Visa approved without document request

🔗 Source:

https://www.reddit.com/r/usvisascheduling/s/z6P44RpKWP

Note: The original post is from r/usvisascheduling and is not mine. This has been shared + structured for clarity.

Wanted to know what happened at visa interviews of people in the past one week. Been hearing a lot of rejection in the last week as compared to last month.

Many of my friends faced no difficulty who applied before 21st. But after 21st april i have been hearing a lot of them are being rejected!