Kochi

Key to US Visa Interview

Do not get nervous. Be confident. You will be more confident if you have prepared thoroughly. Smile when you meet the visa officer even if he is not looking at you. Don’t show signs of nervousness such as flickering of eyes, trembling of fingers as that could go against you. Look into the eyes of the officer when you are speaking.
Be there little early.
Wear formal clothes as if for a formal business meeting. If possible, men should wear ties. A neatly starched cotton / silk salwar would do for women. Western formals are also fine.
Strictly follow the directions of the staff at the embassy.
When you are in the queue, do not go to the interview booth as soon as the candidate before you leaves. Wait till the interview officer says “next”.
Greet the officer with a smile and a “Good Morning” as soon as you enter the interview booth.
Have a confident posture and look at the interviewing officer straight in the eyes throughout the interview.
Be confident in your answers, whatever you say. Make short, clear, to-the-point replies, in loud and clear voice. Do not tell anything that is irrelevant or not asked.
Be polite, do not argue and do not ask unnecessary or unrelated questions. Do not unnecessarily elaborate your responses as this may not work in your favor.
If you do not understand their questions because of their accent, do not feel afraid to say, “Beg your pardon, I did not understand you”. If he/she repeats the question and you still do not understand, that is not a problem, do not panic. Calmly and confidently say, “Sorry, I still did not understand you. Could you kindly repeat what you said?”
Go through the invitation letter and your CV thoroughly and be sure about the nature of your visit. Your answers should correspond to what is mentioned in the Invitation letter.
You must be prepared to answer questions regarding basic information about the trip, duration of employment with…. and your qualifications.
The first question normally would be “Why do you want to go to US?” You should start answering in a confident manner “..”
The next question could probably be “Why are you selected for this” or “What your area of expertise in this is?” The answer could be,” I have been handling General Accounting function for another client of for the past …..Years/months. Both the clients are working on the same ERP. Since I have already been working this, and based on my past performance in the company, I have been selected for this transition”.
A few other possible questions and answers are :
§ When do you plan to go to US?

o The client wants me to be there by 14th July

§ “How long do you intend to stay in US”

“Understanding the process, discussions with Subject Matter Experts and Documentation is expected to take 6-8 weeks, so I would expect to be back by 15th of September”

§ Where do you plan to stay in US?

o The client office is located at and they are arranging accommodation for us at …….(if the info is available, you can give this”

The key is, be confident, act as though you are least bothered about getting a visa, and be very thorough in your answers. They can repeat the question in a different manner and your answers should be the same.

Travel and shopping tips-USA

If this is your first trip to USA it will be helpful for you to learn as much as you can about USA and the State you are going to be in.

In Texas, there are Indian communities that you would never feel you are not in India. You also get most of the Indian stuff like lentils, vegetables and cooking spices in the various Indian stores here.

We shall provide a list of things below which in our opinion is necessary for your stay here.

1. First and foremost you must have with you your passport with the visa, your H-1 /B1-/ J-1/ L1 Visa papers, all your education certificates and experience letters, your Tax returns paper and some passport size photographs of yours. These you should keep in your hand luggage. NEVER LET ANYONE GET HOLD OF YOUR PASSPORT. It is the most important document for you once you have left Indian soil.

2. You will be allowed to bring a total of 64 kg(varies slightly with the airlines) in Two bags and about 5kg (also varies) in your hand luggage. Buy two soft bags (these will have less weight on their own unlike hard bags. That will increase your loading capacity). Divide your luggage into 32-32kg and distribute in the two bags. Inside and outside the bags put on big labels of identification (Cases of luggage arriving late are not unheard of). Tie the luggage with plastic ropes so that it will not come open on transit (It happens sometimes even with all the locks you put). Be prepared though to open the luggage for customs check if asked. After packing your bags try weighing them at home so that you can avoid discarding items at the airport if your luggage is over weight.

3. Have money exchanged into US dollars in your hand luggage or in a hip-pouch when exchanging money try to get dollars in denominations. You need to spend $3 for Trolley Services to carry your luggages.Try getting some Quarters nickels, dimes etc.1 dollar=100cents.quarter is 25 cent, dime is 10 cents, Nickel is 5 cents...) Local telephone Booths require 35 cents, correct change is required in the following denomination.(25cents, 10 cents)

4. Get some good ties, which can be bright colors, in fact they should be. Get some plain shirts, color - light blue, off white, white, really light Grey, light cream - all full sleeves preferred (no dark colors, stripes are out of fashion here). You also need some business casuals, get small checked shirts, T-Shirts, all light colors- get a bunch of white colors as well, all of them should have a collar, light dull khaki pants is very much in fashion here, in fact everybody wears that as business casual. Also, note you will do laundry once a week.. Jeans are not allowed at work.

5. After the Sept 11 Terrorist attacks on USA they are not allowing any spices or powders or homemade food to be brought everything like that is being thrown out by the customs. However, it is purely luck. However, if you wish to bring MTR Powders and all cooking seasoning items, a few plastic storage containers will help.

6. You could also get some toothbrushes, paste and some soap, (they are really cheap over here but a new comer might find it a little expensive to start with), get a very good hair cut before you come down and get enough shaving equipments so that you don't have to go out shopping as soon as you come in. Make sure you bring moisturising lotion, especially if you are here in Winter. Swin shots, Gym clothes is advisable.

7. Cooking vessels - we would carrying pressure cooker, some spare gaskets. Roti Rolling stick, few plastic closed storage boxes (will serve for lunch purposes also)

8. Try getting a pair of gloves as well. Or you may get one after arriving here. Get a couple of good sweaters.

9. Get your technical books.

10. You have to have to get a very good perfume. You can get it there or over here. It would cost around 30-60 dollars in US.

11. Get extra pairs of your prescription glasses, replacing prescription glasses in US is very expensive. Before coming here get your eyesight and teeth checked even if you are not having any problem now. Both these treatments are wildly costly here and many health insurances do not cover them.

12. Get a thorough medical exam done in India before you embark on your journey to the USA.

13. Get a thorough dental exam done in India, make sure all cavity fillings if any are intact. Dental care is extremely expensive in US. Many of the medical insurance plans do not include dental coverage.

14. If you own a camera, please do bring to take pictures.

Arunoday: The Chicago Visit….

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