A former visa officer shares the do’s and don’ts of visa interviews.
Obtaining a US visa has gradually become a fluke due to the high rejection rate. Sometimes there are legitimate reasons, sometimes visa officers suspect that the applicant may not return to their home country, and sometimes, it’s just a bad day.
While most people focus on documents and literal answers to potential questions, visa officers are trained to read subtle impressions, said Christa Baker, a former visa official. They can pick up subtle signals like confidence, consistency, and authenticity.“In those first few seconds, before you even finish your first sentence, the officer is already starting to form a perception,” Baker said.
5 things visa officials notice
- How to walk to the counter
- Eye contact (natural, not forced)
- Tone of voice – calm/natural/practiced confident/shy tones
- Listen fully before answering
- Keep answers strategic, logical and honest
3 things never to say in a visa interview
Baker said she chose three phrases she had heard repeatedly in interviews that, in her mind, presented an element of negativity and doubt.
- “My application was weak”
- “I was very nervous and disorganized, so I couldn’t express X.”
- “I took a gap year because my profile wasn’t strong enough yet.”
What to say instead:
- “Today I would like to demonstrate the strength of my claim by demonstrating X.”
- “At my last interview, there seemed to be a misunderstanding about my father’s financial situation. He is a very capable businessman with a long history of travel. Can you take a second look?”
- “I took a year off to prepare for exams, invest in myself and explore what I want out of life. Now I’m ready to study a degree that I’m passionate about.”
If your visa officer is rude and you are rejected
Baker said it often happens that a visa application is rejected due to the bias of a visa officer when the case itself has no flaw. The best thing in such a scenario is to apply again. “This brazen officer probably has a bad reputation among his colleagues. If they see this person’s name on previous dismissal warrants, that could be a signal for them to really reconsider the case,” Baker said.