How important is the first visa interview question?

The first question at the U.S. visa interview is extremely important – this sets the tone and direction for the entire visa interview.

As an applicant, you are not able to pick or control what that first question is, but you are able to decide how you will answer it. Your answer to the first question, specifically, is critical to guiding the rest of the questions the visa officer will ask you throughout the interview.

What will your first question be? How can you be an active interviewee? What information is a Visa Officer looking for in order to make a decision on your case? Well, that is all personal and on a case by case basis, but we provide some tips below on how to address the first question.

1. Know the ins-and-outs of your case. Looking up visa interview questions will not help you answer the first question because if the answer to your first question is bad, then the Visa Officer may never get to all those other supposed questions. What is important is knowing all the details of your case and preparing how you will present each detail in your case. That way, when the Visa Officer asks their first question, you can answer that question and be prepared for any question they may ask. While technically a Visa Officer could ask you what you had for breakfast, their goal is to understand your intentions, situation, and qualifications so the questions will almost certainly fall under the realm of your visa case.
   ‍
2. Don’t annoy the visa officer. If you answer the first question with a one word answer or an answer that provides no new information to the visa officer, they may start to get frustrated. You don’t want to start the visa interview off on this foot.
   ‍
3. Start off confidently. If you can start the first question off on a confident note, this will inform the rest of your interview. If you start the first question off barely able to answer the question, it will only make each question more and more intimidating to answer.

We know, and Visa Officers know, that applicants are nervous, and that is OKAY! But, extreme nerves can come off the wrong way to a Visa Officer, so do what you can to quell your nerves.

If you are interested in a one-on-one strategy session to help you prepare how to answer the first question at the Visa interview, then book a consultation with one of the Ex-Visa Officers at Argo. They will give you a personalized visa interview strategy, conduct mock interviews, and go over any other questions you may have.