My experience of procuring an F1 Visa for studying MBA at the College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia.
The experience has been divided into two parts, the first when I was denied and the second when I was issued a visa.
Part 1: The not so successful one
Date: 22nd April 2014
Time: 10:30 AM
Place: The US Consulate, Chennai, India
After a long wait outside the consulate under the scorching Chennai sun, I finally faced the visa officer. This is how my interview went:
Me: Good Morning
VO: Good morning sir
VO: Please pass me your passport and I-20 (I did)
VO: When did you pass out?
Me: 2011, sir
VO: What have you been doing since?
Me: I have been working at abc at Bangalore
VO: What is your salary at abc?
Me: My salary is xyz in INR
VO: Why MBA?
Me: Gave him an answer (which I myself believe wasn't so convincing)
VO: Did you get admits from any other schools?
Me: Yes sir, I got admit from pqr university as well
VO: So, why William and Mary?
Me: Again a not so convincing answer
VO: I am sorry sir, cannot issue you a visa today (and hands me a blue paper describing 214-b)
Part 2: The successful one
Date: 13th May 2014
Time: 12:30 PM
Place: The US Consulate, Chennai, India
This time I had to wait for even longer before I finally faced the visa officer. Initially I was sent to the same officer who interviewed me the last time, after a couple of questions, he realized that he had denied me a visa on the last occasion. He then asked me to visit another counter and told me which one.
VO: Good afternoon, were you asked to come to this counter?
Me: Good afternoon sir, yes, I was sent here from the gentleman at the xy counter.
VO: Okay, that is fine, can I have your passport please?
Me: Hand him the passport, he goes to the other officer perhaps to ask why he sent me there.
VO: Okay, can I have your I-20, SEVIS receipt and GRE/GMAT score please.
Me: Hand him all of those
VO: Inspects my GMAT scorecard for about a minutes and then asks me the same first few questions which I was asked on the previous occasion.
VO: So, why do you want to do an MBA at this point in your career.
Me: I give him an answer which convinces him. I tell about my goals and how an MBA is the best way to fulfill my goals. I also tell him, how I intend to use the knowledge gathered in my post MBA life. In the same go, I also tell him about my ties in India (I did not want to take any chances as the last time, I did not get an opportunity to tell the officer about my ties back home). The officer was convinced by my responses.
VO: Did you get admits from any other schools?
Me: Yes, from pqr university
VO: So, why William and Mary?
Me: I gave him a detailed response, how W&M MBA is going to help build my career, its salient features and why I am confident that it is the best university for me to visit. The officer is convinced.
VO: Tell me about the school, is it good?
Me: Yes sir, it is one of the highest ranked business schools in the US and is most known for its faculty and rich history. Again, the officer is convinced.
VO: Ok, I am issuing your visa, take back these (hands me the I-20 and other papers and keeps my passport). Have a happy journey!
Me: Thank you sir, thank you very much!
So, what I take out from my two VISA experiences, you have to be clear about the two basic things, why this course and why this college. Other than that, a little preparation on the basic reasons of rejections will surely help enlighten the mind (mine was 214-b and is the most common one as well).
Cheers,
Sid
The experience has been divided into two parts, the first when I was denied and the second when I was issued a visa.
Part 1: The not so successful one
Date: 22nd April 2014
Time: 10:30 AM
Place: The US Consulate, Chennai, India
After a long wait outside the consulate under the scorching Chennai sun, I finally faced the visa officer. This is how my interview went:
Me: Good Morning
VO: Good morning sir
VO: Please pass me your passport and I-20 (I did)
VO: When did you pass out?
Me: 2011, sir
VO: What have you been doing since?
Me: I have been working at abc at Bangalore
VO: What is your salary at abc?
Me: My salary is xyz in INR
VO: Why MBA?
Me: Gave him an answer (which I myself believe wasn't so convincing)
VO: Did you get admits from any other schools?
Me: Yes sir, I got admit from pqr university as well
VO: So, why William and Mary?
Me: Again a not so convincing answer
VO: I am sorry sir, cannot issue you a visa today (and hands me a blue paper describing 214-b)
Part 2: The successful one
Date: 13th May 2014
Time: 12:30 PM
Place: The US Consulate, Chennai, India
This time I had to wait for even longer before I finally faced the visa officer. Initially I was sent to the same officer who interviewed me the last time, after a couple of questions, he realized that he had denied me a visa on the last occasion. He then asked me to visit another counter and told me which one.
VO: Good afternoon, were you asked to come to this counter?
Me: Good afternoon sir, yes, I was sent here from the gentleman at the xy counter.
VO: Okay, that is fine, can I have your passport please?
Me: Hand him the passport, he goes to the other officer perhaps to ask why he sent me there.
VO: Okay, can I have your I-20, SEVIS receipt and GRE/GMAT score please.
Me: Hand him all of those
VO: Inspects my GMAT scorecard for about a minutes and then asks me the same first few questions which I was asked on the previous occasion.
VO: So, why do you want to do an MBA at this point in your career.
Me: I give him an answer which convinces him. I tell about my goals and how an MBA is the best way to fulfill my goals. I also tell him, how I intend to use the knowledge gathered in my post MBA life. In the same go, I also tell him about my ties in India (I did not want to take any chances as the last time, I did not get an opportunity to tell the officer about my ties back home). The officer was convinced by my responses.
VO: Did you get admits from any other schools?
Me: Yes, from pqr university
VO: So, why William and Mary?
Me: I gave him a detailed response, how W&M MBA is going to help build my career, its salient features and why I am confident that it is the best university for me to visit. The officer is convinced.
VO: Tell me about the school, is it good?
Me: Yes sir, it is one of the highest ranked business schools in the US and is most known for its faculty and rich history. Again, the officer is convinced.
VO: Ok, I am issuing your visa, take back these (hands me the I-20 and other papers and keeps my passport). Have a happy journey!
Me: Thank you sir, thank you very much!
So, what I take out from my two VISA experiences, you have to be clear about the two basic things, why this course and why this college. Other than that, a little preparation on the basic reasons of rejections will surely help enlighten the mind (mine was 214-b and is the most common one as well).
Cheers,
Sid
