How to pass your visa interview?

The answer to that question is incredibly valuable to millions of people around the world.

But, the truth is, there is no one set answer that will help you pass your U.S. visa interview.

Each visa type is going to have different requirements, then within those requirements there are many different situations and applications of that visa, and then there are thousands of unique applicants who will apply for that visa, so there truly is no one size fits all answer. While it can be frustrating to hear, don’t worry, we do have some overarching tips that can help you prepare for your U.S. visa interview.

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1. Be confident when you speak! While Visa Officers know that you will be nervous for your interview and there are sometimes language barriers, a lack of confidence may signal red flags for the visa officer. Extreme nerves may present themselves as suspicious because it could appear you have something to hide or don’t want to address. So, do you best to prepare a lot before your interview to help minimize some of your nervousness. On the other hand, if you act arrogantly towards the visa officer, they will not respond well to that either. You need to find the balance between confidently portraying your answers and not being arrogant.
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2. Don’t give one word answers! The point of the U.S. Visa interview is for the Visa Officer to understand your case and get further information that will help them make a decision on whether or not to approve you for a visa. If you give one word answers, that gives the visa officer little to work from and they will likely either get frustrated or suspicious.
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3. Don’t ramble on about irrelevant information! While you should not give one word answers, you should also be conscious to provide only relevant information to the Visa Officer. For example, if you are telling the Officer about the University you have chosen, mentioning that you toured the campus last year is valuable to explaining your story but giving many details about everything you did on your tour is not necessary for a visa officer to know in order to make a decision on your case.
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4. Do not lie! Absolutely DO NOT lie during your visa interview. This will ultimately come back to bite you. Visa Officers are very good at telling when you are lying during the interview, that is part of the reason why the U.S. visa process relies so strongly on an interview rather than just forms and documents. If you do lie, this will jeopardize your entire future of visa applications.
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5. Understand the key factors of your case! Every case and application is going to have key factors that play a large role into the decision a visa officer makes. Understanding your key factors, how they relate to the visa you are applying for, and positive and negative of your key factors is integral to preparing for and succeeding at your visa interview.
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Every case is going to have key factors, some good and some bad, so determining and evaluating those is crucial for your visa interview