Thanks for being interested.
After working with people from all over the world I know everyone is nervous about the interview.
Read about the F1 Interview Psychology.
I'll help you overcome these feelings.
They are normal and real.
Visa Officials are judging you.
It is a very stressful and difficult thing.
In addition some parts of you want to be an immigrant but can't say this. You also have trouble lying.
every applicant must by law be considered a potential immigrant.
Anything you say wrong will cause you to get a 214b rejection.
It is your first interview and you think it is your only chance.
It is expensive, there is family pressure, and you are so nervous.
How to Answer F1 Visa Interview Questions:
Here is information that you need to know and understand.
There are also very important things not to say or talk about.
Lastly, the perfect formats for answers and wha to include.
Links for F1 Visa Topics Below
How long should my answers be?
What is the best format for answers?
The Truth about Second Maters Degrees
The truth about American Schools
Admissions Nightmares
Weak I20s
Strong Ties Past, Present and Future
What not to sy about studying in the USA
What not to say about your school
Majors and Your I-20 Forms
Potential Fatal Error in being honest
Financial: How important is this?
Gap Years and Instant Failure
What if you really want to be an immigrant?
Characteristics of Visa Officers.
Your Attitude!
They must provide the information they request.
Personal and exact information for your case. Clear and Short
Don't try to convince them, argue, or present your story. They want to know if you and your school are what they know are successful.
If you fit into a student category or you want to be an immigrant.
The more you talk, the more likely they will find an immigrant status desire in your words. Be very careful.
Trying to convince them will not work.
The Visa Officers are well trained and know everything about you, your school, jobs in the USA, and salaries in your home country,
Answers should each try and say three things:
- You are a real student with a specific purpose for spending all the money to study in the USA.
- You will be able to do _________ by studying in the USA that you wouldn't at home.
- You will return home after to do this specific plan ______________________.
The answers should be this long and follow this pattern.
I am going to study at Info on I20 in order to ____________________which will help me do ________________ when I return home.
Answers should each try and say three things:
- You are continuing education in fields you already have studied.
- You will be able to do _________ by studying in the USA that you can't at home.
- You want a second masters because_________________________?
The answers should be this long and follow this pattern.
I am going to study at Info on I20 in order to ____________________which will help me do ________________ when I return home.
Students are having more difficulties if:
- It is a second masters.
- The masters is not in line with their background.
- They can not prove a use.
- They state a different study than on their I-20.
- The university did not require a GRE or GMAT.
- The university is famous for placing students into working positions.
American Schools are both Great and Businesses'
- You must understand your school and how it is considered by the Visa Officer.
- You must clearly identify why it is better than studying at home for much less.
- You want to study in the USA but do not want to work or live there? Why Not?
The truth is that most schools want International Students because they pay much ore money.
Some schools (which is great) are focused on helping students transition into a job.
That is not the purpose of your F1 Visa.
Facts about your school regarding:
Open and closed enrollment
Required test scores
Percentage of International Students
Percentage of successful graduates.
The Visa Officer will know all about these yet many of the students I talk to have no idea or do not have the correct information.
Strong Ties are becoming every more important.
It is not only the property and assets you have. Students haven't usually got a lot.
- Your [past connection to your hone country.
- your current strong ties.
- Your future strong ties may be the most important that people don;t think about.
The truth is that strong ties are not always proven with money and assets.
Your story and how you tell it is your proof of strong ties.
Common Mistakes: These lead to rejections:
I will return home and get a better job. ( statistics do not prove this)
I need to take care of my parents. (you are going away because they need help?)
I love my home country (why do so many people want to leave it?)
Spending $100,000 or more is necessary to advance my career. (investing in real estate is a better investment)
Getting a 2nd masters is required ( at times yes but 95% of applicants can not prove this)
Majors are more important now than ever before.
Make sure you say exactly what is on your I20.
It is what Homeland Security and the School allow.
Example: The I20 allows you to study engineering. You will specialize in supply chain engineering. Talk about supply chain later in the interview if asked. At first state engineering ir exactly what is on the I-20.
The Visa Officer will know the pay rate for every job in your home country and in the USA.
It is not only the major you choose, but how it relates to what you have done and
~~~ what you intend to do when you return home.
- If you study nursing, most nursing graduates do not return home.
- Studying accounting in USA usually will not lead to jobs at home.
- Jobs that pay $84,000 a year in the USA compared to $24,000 in your home country?
- You are studying a major at a school that leads to working, not academics.
The truth is that most people would choose to work in better conditions for higher pay.
Your aunt is a nurse and you are going to live with her and study nursing but say you will return home?
Again:
I will return home and get a better job. (statistics do not prove this)
Spending $100,000 or more in order to accept a lower paying job does not make sense.
Financial aspects are either not as important as before or much more important.
Make sure you have a simple and normal ways to pay for school.
This usually means parents.
The Visa Officer wants to know the government will not have to take care of you.
It is not only the money to pay for school but also spending money, living expenses, travel home....
~~~ act like you have money and it isn't a problem.
Don't have complicated payment methods.
Make the Visa Officer feels like your family has the money.
Land is great however not a great way to pay for school.
Gap Years are frowned upon.
Make sure you state productivity or a plan involving gap years.
This usually means getting money to pay for school, experience, or advancement.
The Visa Officer wants to know you are moving forward.
It is not only the gap year, but why you are not following the "normal" timeline.
Don't have complicated stories.
Make the Visa Officer feels like you have a plan that includes gap years.
Gap years can be a very good thing.
What if you really want to be an immigrant?
The law states all applicants want to be an immigrant.
Most people really want to live in the USA, or at least consider it as a possibility.
For the interview it is very important that you act like you do not want to be an immigrant.
Be careful about choosing high paying professions in the USA, living with family in those professions, saying negative things about your home country, looking desperate, not being excited and wanting to study in the USA and returning home......
Visa Officers are people just like you and me.
Have good days and bad. Each has their own personality and mannerisms.
They are professionally trained and employees of USA Government.
They are not there to help you or harm you. They protect the USA from people trying to be immigrants by posing as students. The USA law states every students is to be first considered an immigrant.
They may be strict with one applicant and kind to another depending on the applicant.
However, all are mandated to consider each applicant an immigrant.
Visa Officers all are:
Experienced and interview hundreds or thousands of people like you.
Have massive amounts of information about your schools, home countries, and majors.
Know schools that are just for students to come to America.
Trained to identify fake stories,
Trained to see if a person is not confident or lying.
Can identify something unusual.
Must relay on their feelings about your story and then identify fatal errors to fail you.
Have information about your past Visa Applications and a lot about your family.
Have access to everything you submitted to the schools and Homeland Security.
Can have different qualifying questions in different countries but are looking for the same thing, are you an immigrant or a real student?
Visa Officers are very interested in Your Attitude!
Have you enthusiasm? Confidence? Pride? A Plan? Goals? Clear answers.
Normal Answers that successful students use.
or
Memorized answers that are not personal you read on the internet or someone told you?
Are you desperately trying to convince them of some story they do not believe, do not want to hear, and have heard a thousand times before?
Can you answer simply and directly?
Think back to when you were a kid.
Your mom was asking you about something serious.
Did she want a simple honest answer? Yes
What happened when you began a long story trying to convince her of something?
What happened when your story was not normal or believable?
What happened when you did not answer the question but talked about something else?
Many students fail because they do not understand this.
You can not fool or game a trained official who has way more experience than you.