Copied From Birat Saha’s Post.

FB link (​ Birat Saha | Facebook​) 1

Visa Experience
By Birat Saha

I am writing about my f1 VISA interview preparation and experience. I

applied for a Master degree. So, this writing would be helpful for the
MS/PhD F1 VISA candidates with or without deficit/scholarship.

MY F1 VISA EXPERIENCE AND PREPARATION -

Slot scheduled on 17 NOV
Interview on 25 NOV
CEAC Status Updated “issued ” on 25 NOV
Weekend : 27,28 NOV
Got a passport receiving mail and passport received on 2 DEC.

I completed my Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Engineering

from East West University.
Intended Degree: MS in Computer Science
University : LAMAR UNIVERSITY (deficit 19k after getting Scholarship,
Waiver)

Got offer letter from :

Wright state university (21k$ i20 amount)
Texas A&M College Station (32$)
UHCL (34k$)
Kent State University (32k$)
UT Dallas Pending
Ut Arlington Rejected
Etc…………….. Pending
 Copied From Birat Saha’s Post. FB link (​ Birat Saha | Facebook​) 2

Document Listing:
● Passport
● Photo 2inch * 2 inch (2 copy, recently taken)
● VISA appointment confirmation letter
● DS-160 Official form
● I-20 (If You have TA/RA, take those documents)
● SEVIS payment receipt
● VISA appointment payment EBL receipt
● Sponsor financial document (Solvency certificate / Certificate,
statement
optional : Tax form, proof of his/her occupation)
● Test report copy (GRE / TOEFL/ IELTS)
● Job experiment documents / salary clearance etc
● Other universities offer letters (i20, offer letter, scholarship paper)
● NID, SSC,HSC,UNIVERSITY CERTIFICATE (orginal and printed copy)
 Copied From Birat Saha’s Post. FB link (​ Birat Saha | Facebook​) 3

INTERVIEW on 25 NOV,2020
Embassy front entrance to Interview Room (Procedures 3-5 min.)
In the ​first entrance​,​ the ​Security Guard​ a​ sked for ​appointment
confirmation letter and passport​.

In the​ Second​ entrance,​ the ​Security guard​ ​ ​checks bags and belongings​.

In ​the ​third entrance,​ ​a bd official ​ a​ sked for ​DS-160 and passport​. He

attached a sticker on the back side of the passport. Then a ​Security guard
took me to the main interview room. Waiting for his next direction.

He (​Security guard​) will take you to a counter, where an​ US official​ (take me
on Counter: 4) will ask you for the ​passport​. He/ she will check the passport.
He/she will ask to remove the ​mask​. Then, You have to wait there until the
official says you “ please have a seat there on the bench and wait. We will
call you ,............. s​ omething like that​ ”. The official​ ​will keep your passport​. So,
don’t ask for passport
● At counter 4 they check my Passport. Counter 5,6,8 was opened for
the interview. Counter 7 was sealed. Counter 8 is a separate interview
counter and this counter is different from other counters (counter 8 is
covered from all sides and counters 4,5,6,7 are open like bank cash
counters without any barrier). I think counter :8 has a little bit of
advantage of being separate. Still, It doesn’t matter what the counter
number you got.
 Copied From Birat Saha’s Post. FB link (​ Birat Saha | Facebook​) 4

* within a few minutes they will announce your name and counter number.

While sitting on the bench, I heard someone (candidate) loudly thanking the
VO on Counter 8 , because she got VISA approval and expressing her
boundless happiness.

===>​ Heard an announcement - “ Birat Saha , Please come to Counter

number 8” ……... “ Birat Saha , Please come to Counter number 8”

Counter - 8. 55+ white men maybe, 6ft in height, wearing mask. In between,
Counter 4 officials passed my passport to counter 8 VO.
I have to put on my mask too.
Interview duration : 5-8 minutes (started around 1:30 )

INTERVIEW CONVERSATION
Me: Hello Sir.
VO​: Hello Birat Saha. Can you please pass your I20.
Me: yes, sure. ……………….Here it is.
VO​: Thank you. I have to take your finger print. Please put your finger on
that machine. {first, ​LEFT hand ​four finger, then ​RIGHT hand ​four finger
Then, both ​thumb​}
ME: ……….
VO: ​Thank you. …………………..{​Said something, I didn’t hear the question.
Because he moved his head from Microphone to check on computer screen
and ask that question. ​}
ME: Sorry Sir. I didn’t hear you.
VO​: why MS in the USA, not Bangladesh?
ME: It was my dream to complete my master degree in the USA. I have been
planning for it For last 3 years.​ ​Bangladeshi organizations, IT companies​ also
 Copied From Birat Saha’s Post. FB link (​ Birat Saha | Facebook​) 5

value a lot the US university degrees. I think it will be fruitful for my

upcoming career. ………………………….
VO​: ok. Why Lamar university?
ME: I applied for MS in CS. I found its course structure interesting. They offer
advanced courses of software engineering and data science track,​ That is
what I am looking for. Most important thing is, the total expense at Lamar is
in my budget range than,​ ​Other universities I got acceptance and
scholarship​. ​ Also, there are lots of Bangladeshi Students in LAMAR . So, I
thought I would find my second home at LAMAR.
VO​: Where did you complete undergrad?
ME: EAST WEST UNIVERSITY
VO​: Do you have any job experience?
ME: After graduation I worked as a trainee at BJET program. Bjet is a joint
program of ​Japan govt and Bangladesh Computer Council​. ……….. Then I
started to work for a​ j​ apanese software company as a software
developer… ​ ………………….
VO ​: Have you ever been in JAPAN ?
ME: No sir.​ B​ ut​, ​I went to INDIA twice last year.
​VO​: who is in your family?
ME: (told………)
VO​: What is your parent's occupation?
ME: Father is a businessman and mother is Housewife.
VO​: what kind of business?
ME: (told [​................throw next question hints regarding scholarship,
financial aid ................​]……….. ​He is typing some cipher texts)​
VO​: how do you manage scholarship?
ME: department offers me scholarships depending on …………….. ​Not only
from Lamar, I got scholarship offer from other universities too
VO​: What is your plan after MS?
 Copied From Birat Saha’s Post. FB link (​ Birat Saha | Facebook​) 6

ME: (told ……………​again keep throwing ​stress ​to my strong

points​………...)
VO​: I am approving your VISA. We will keep your passport. Please take it
from the VFS center, we will notify you via mail when to collect it.
ME: OK.
VO​: please keep the leaflet. Have a safe journey. And, Please don’t forget to
take the i20 with you during flight.
ME: Thank you very much.
VO​: Bye, bye. Have a good day.
ME: Having one, Sir. Thank you.

*****************​Interview done​******************
I left the counter with my documents. After getting out of the interview
room with another accepted candidate and closed the door slowly in
silence, I took a deep breath and said to myself “​ have nothing to lose at this
level, except myself​”.

*Above Blue lines​ : I am giving the VO his next questions hint. {indirectly,
please ask me that question. Put ​stress o
​ n those words/points,
sometimes I intentionally repeat those words}

-----------------------------​PREPARATION
PHASE-​--------------------------------------------- First, I differentiate my strengths
and weaknesses.

Strength Weakness
 Copied From Birat Saha’s Post. FB link (​ Birat Saha | Facebook​) 7

CGPA GRE : not Inspiring. (below 300)

IELTS

verbal

Professional certificates No publications or journals.

Job experience

Went ​abroad ​twice (INDIA) huge ​deficit ​around 19k $. Showed

24k $.

Lots of ​pass and fail experience on
job interviews.
My sibling is in the USA on h1B visa.
I don’t have a proper explanation
why he didn't come back. Because,
they (US authority ) expect you
should come back to your country
after graduation. (Praying : Please
do not ask about it on interview)

I ​got offer letters / rejection from 5 Lamar University is not a High

universities​.​ Some of them with ranked university
scholarship and financial aid.

may be I know my Weakness

My Perception about Interview:

1. You should have proof in documents what you are saying.
2. Candidate should fit into one of this three category:
Good GRE (305+) + Good University + PHD (Full fund + TA/RA) +luck
Avg. GRE (300-305) + At least partial fund (MS/PHD) + good communication skill + luck
Low GRE + At least partial fund (MS/PHD) + good to express + right attitude + luck
 Copied From Birat Saha’s Post. FB link (​ Birat Saha | Facebook​) 8

N.B. your GRE, IELTS, CGPA, how many LOR you have, doesn’t count
on VISA interview. They start with I-20 information (like : scholarship,
university, deficit amount, sponsor, research interest). So, don’t feel
low if your previous scores aren’t so good.
3. VO will ask question depending on your last response
4. Everyone has their own strong and weak point, so work on your weak
points. prepare every answer with your strong point and try to give
him those points as hints for the next question.

5. Don’t think , questions will be asked from your practice list. So, be
prepared for uncommon questions. Don’t panic, take you time.
6. They may ask you 5 questions or 25 questions. Don’t panic. Go with
the flow.
7. One of my seniors told me: ​Foreign tour, teaching or job experience,
research experience, formal dressing added extra values on the
interview spot. You also can feel it after Interview. Yes,​ I experienced
it.

Not to do:
1. Do not focus on the counter number or VO profile. Because, they call
candidates randomly.
2. Fingerprint will taken in front of VO officer. He may ask for any help or
query. Keep Open your ears.
3. Don’t show any childish act in the main interview room. Because, it
may interrupt another candidate's interview in another counter.
4. Show modesty even if they reject your visa. Because, they record their
(VO ) and candidate experience in writing for the next interview of the
same candidate.
 Copied From Birat Saha’s Post. FB link (​ Birat Saha | Facebook​) 9

5. Any false documents, it can badly affect your next interview.

6. Sometimes you will not hear clearly the VO’s question, so ask for that
again (sorry sir, I couldn’t hear you………./ pardon me ……….)
7. Do not peep on any other candidate’s interview.
8. Don’t talk with another candidate in the interview main room .
9. Don’t give any proofless information in DS-160 during application
registration.
10. Don’t focus “does anybody get rejected in front of you or not”. It
only makes your mind either blank or reckless.
11. Don’t think the VISA acceptance ratio is higher than before.
12. Go at least 40 minutes before the interview. Don’t be late.
13. Wear Formal dress, wear mask. Don’t bring any bag or devices.
14. Don’t say - you will do a part-time job or any kind of job to pay
your expenses in the USA. And, make a structured plan of - “you will
come back to your country after study and why you will do it”.

Reality​:
1. I think the VISA interview is 20 times easier than the GRE stressful 4
hour exam, and 10 times easier than the IELTS speaking test.
Managing funding, professors from university are also on the list. Rest
of it God Knows better.
2. It’s really hard to choose the right candidate for VO within 5 minutes.
Also, it is hard for candidates to change VO’s mind.
3. Don’t try to compare your record or experience with any other.​ ​It only
gives you depression or anxiety at this level. Prepare your interview ,
plan your interview by yourself.
4. Your speaking communication skill can be the only weapon that might
help you to crack the interview. Not talking about barron’s 888 words
or 2x speed fluency or american accent. You have to go with your own
 Copied From Birat Saha’s Post. FB link (​ Birat Saha | Facebook​) 10

flow. ​Your visa interview is a clear reflection of your mistakes you

made in your practice​. ​Don’t keep it in your mind. Try loudly in front of
a mirror or family member or friend. You should try it if your voice is
low or like to talk less. - ​Senior Suggested.
5. It’s normal to get nervous​, doing “um im m “ , stammering, and taking
a pause. You can overcome it if you do practice a lot.
6. Whatever we write on paper during practice, It doesn’t mean we will
do the same in interview viva. Sometimes you have to add new lines
on viva and sometimes you will forget lines. ​Writing something and
speaking the same, are two different things​.
7. There are lots of PHD candidates with high profile backgrounds, Good
Scores and Top tier universities (full funded) than MS candidates. The
ratio is PHD : MS = 7:2. Candidate number is low, and those candidates
have high profile status. Still, there are rejections. So, Only ​do focus
on your interview, not on the number​. I hope you understand what I
mean…
8. Look………., we are at this stage that will change our upcoming days,
it will let us move another step towards our dreams. It’s not too easy,
neither too hard. Keep faith in your potential and show the VO that “
you are eager to pursue your study for your career, I am not too
emotional nor begging for it ”. If you got r​ ejected​, you still have
thousands of chances to apply for this visa.

Few advantages due to Covid situation:

1. There are less number of candidates. So, you will feel hassle free just
before the interview. (pre-processing took 3 minutes. Ex: checking,
passport & appointment confirmation...)
2. You have to put on Mask. So, you can hide anxiety or other kind of feelings
3. You will get more time to say the VO about your information in detail.

Disadvantage due to Covid situation:

 Copied From Birat Saha’s Post. FB link (​ Birat Saha | Facebook​) 11

● VO will get more time to know about your information in detail.

The things I don’t know about VISA interview:
1. What type of question they ask if your​ sponsor is not your First blood
(parents , siblings)?
2. Do not have experience on ​petition standing?
3. Do not have any experience on other VISA interviews like (​f2, j1 ​……….)
4. Why they accept or, reject VISA
5. I really don’t know why they still keep hanging ​Donald Trump’s​ photo on
the top of the VISA office wall.
INTERVIEW QUESTIONS (Practice)
1. Why USA , not Bangladesh ? (​don’t say anything bad about your
country​)
Ex. ​There are lots of Bangladeshi top rated universities where I
can pursue my MS but I want to fulfil my higher study dream in the US. And
also, Bangladeshi companies and organizations value the US degree. So, I
think It will be fruitful for my upcoming career.
2. Where did you complete your undergrad? Why this degree (cse or
physics)?
3. What you are doing now or your job experience /why did you leave
your job?
4. Who is in your family? parent's occupation? Monthly or yearly income
in US dollars?
5. If you go, will it be a problem for your family?
6. Who will finance your education and how? (​mention sponsor income
and scholaship/fundings​)
7. Why this university or, this course?
8. Why MS ? Why not phd?
9. Tell me about your research topic or lab (if you have )? (​please read up
on that , because VO wants to know about your research topic, if you
go for any lab or research work. Try to use scientific high volume
 Copied From Birat Saha’s Post. FB link (​ Birat Saha | Facebook​) 12

words. They appreciate PhD students and like to hear about it from
them.​)
10. How many universities did you applied to?
11. What is your plan after MS?​ (You should mention you will get back
in BD. obviously, give an appropriate reason / plan what will you do
after coming to BD)
12. Where did you hear about this university ? / did you know about
anyone who studied there?
13. How did you manage scholarship or financial help? (​try to mention
about other university admission, scholarship if you have​)
14. Do you have any relatives or first blood in the USA? What is his/her
status? What are they doing (visa status etc.)?

For more questions , This link I found resourceful, You Should read it:
https://www.stilt.com/blog/2018/01/prepared-f1-visa-interview-65-questio
ns/
Check your visa status on :
https://ceac.state.gov/CEACStatTracker/Status.aspx

 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THANKS GIVING NOTE : L​ ots of seniors help me to gather those important
information throughout the preparation phase from EXAM to VISA
INTERVIEW. I have fullest gratitude to those who helped me to find out the
map of this journey. Thanks to FALL 20-BROS and Nextop-usa (higher study
in usa) facebook groups for gathering lots of information, which let us
inform each and every individual's information and experiences for free of
cost. Thanks to all of the altruists who didn’t hesitate to share their personal
information on public space. Sorry 2020, I don’t have any words left for you.
Copied From Birat Saha’s Post. FB link (​ Birat Saha | Facebook​) 13

Happy ​Journey​.