Consular Interview Questions

Whether applying for student or marriage-based visa, you will be expected to attend the consular interview. Before scheduling the consular interview, you’re required to complete your medical examination and any required vaccinations.

The consular officer will greet you. Then place you under oath and begin reviewing your forms and documents. For a complete list of documents and forms required for your consular interview, go to the Travel.State.Gov U.S. Department of State – Bureau of Consular Affairs, and click on your country. Because you will have reviewed your documents several times before the consular interview, this is probably the easiest part of the interview. Still, if you’re asked a question to which you don’t know the answer, don’t guess. Just say, “I can’t recall.”
The questions the consular officer will ask depends on the type of visa you’re seeking. If seeking a student visa, you’re likely to be asked to articulate the reasons you’re wanting to study in a particular program in the United States. You’ll need to explain how it will help you professionally in your future career back in your home country. He’ll want to know when you plan to return home, and that you are not planning to stay in the USA. He’ll ask questions like the following:
“Once you get back to you home country, what do you plan to do with yourself?”
“Is there a job waiting for you?”
“Are you a homeowner in your country? If so, where’s it located?”
“How close or far do your closest family members live from that home?”

If you’re applying for a fiancé or marriage-based visa, you’re going to receive a few questions designed to test the validity of your engagement or marriage. You’ll get questions like:
“Did you correspond before meeting?”
“How long did you correspond before meeting?”
“Where did you meet?”
“How long did you date”
“Where was your wedding ceremony?”
“Who attended your wedding?”
“Since the wedding, have you lived apart?”
“If you’ve lived apart from one another, how have and how often have you kept in contact with one another?
“Any children from your marriage? How many? What are their names? How old are they?”

Other questions the consular officer is likely ask will cover you and your fiancé/spouse’s: initial meeting, biographical information, residence, educational and employment status, language and religious background, common interests, previous marriages, spouse’s family, current and future plans for children, childcare plans, and criminal histories of spouses and family members. Be concise and tell the truth.
Generally, during the consular interview, provide complete and truthful answers. Bring all the proper documentation keeping it organized. Answer only the questions being asked. If you’re not answering a question, don’t talk. Your answers to the consular officer’s questions need to match the information in your documents; therefore, know your documents. Don’t argue with officer or anybody you bring to the interview. Your granddad was right. The only way to win an argument is to avoid it! Admittedly, tough advice for this lawyer! Be polite and respectful. If you have trouble speaking English, bring an interpreter.

Most importantly, the consular officer will be basing his judgment on the way you react to his questions, your body language and the truthfulness of your answers. Nonverbal communication experts hold that when the words spoken contradict the body language of the speaker, it’s the body language telling the truth. Don’t be nervous. Project a confident, relaxed disposition. Your odds of success increase with your level of preparation. Now, go out there and win one for the team!

JHL
John H. Lester
Attorney at Law
The Morley Law Firm
Office: (713) 839-9955
Fax: (713) 758-0281
jlester@morleylaw.com