Getting a US Visa appointment was hard enough but sitting through the 30 minute visa interview is sometimes nerve-wracking. Being well prepared for the visa interview will help you feel more relaxed and confident about your chances of getting a US visa.

Questions revolve around several topics and vary between immigration officers. In each case you should try to bring documentary evidence to support your answers. Most interviewing officers start off by asking questions about your reasons for travelling to the United States.

1. Why do you want to visit the US?
2. How long do you intend to stay?
3. Have you visited America before?
4. Where are you going to stay in the US?

The interviewing officer will also ask questions to determine how you will afford to live in the USA during your stay:

1. Who is sponsoring you?
2. How much pension do you get?
3. What is your annual income?
4. Do you have a credit card?

US Immigration officers also want to check your ties to the United States and will ask questions about relationships you have there to determine if your ties are strong enough to make you stay in the country once your visa expires. You must answer truthfully. Many non-immigrant visas are granted to people who go to visit their family in the US, admitting that you have family there will not jeopardize your chances as long as you can adequately prove that you have sufficient ties to the place you live when applying (e.g. this may be your country of birth or another country where you are registered as a permanent resident.)

1. Who are you visiting in the USA?
2. Do you have relatives in the US?
3. What does your relative do?
4. How long has your relative been living in USA?
5. What does your relative do for work in the USA?
6. Where does your relative work?
7. How much does your relative earn?
8. What would you do if someone offered you a high paid job in the US?
9. What would you do if you won the jackpot in a casino in the US?

Applicants for non-immigrant visas must prove that they have sufficient ties to their home country or their place of permanent residence in order to get a US visa. These are the most important questions of all of those asked at the visa interview and you must be very clear about why you will return home. Documentary evidence like rental contracts, employer’s letters,your  children’s wedding or graduation  invitations prove you will be returning.

1. What do you do?
2. Has your employer granted you leave?
3. When did you retire?
4. Who is going to manage your business in your absence?
5. How many children do you have?
6. Where do your children live?
7. What do your kids do for a living?
8. How can you reassure me that you will leave the US at the end of your stay?

If you are applying to study in the US be prepared for lots of questions about the institution you chose to study in along with your reasons for doing so in the US and the choice of course. If you are hoping to work on an H1b Visa you will be asked about the US company who is hiring you, right down to details like how many US candidates they interviewed before you were offered the job, how you will survive financially for the first month in the US, where the company is located, how you found the job, and more about your work experience and educational qualifications. Anyone applying on a fiance or spouse visa will need to prove that a strong relationship exists between them and their US spouse. Questions will revolve around when you met, where you married, questions about your family and your fiancés family.

Questions about US Visa Appointments? Read our US Visa FAQ`s