Quote: (06-28-2011 05:25 PM)oldnemesis Wrote:
Therefore the Consulate adopted different strategy. They do not really look at documents, they look at YOU. Your behavior before (!) and during the interview is the major - if not critical - factor in determining whether you get a visa. They are trained to watch your body language, face expression and other things which are much harder to fake comparing to your bank statement. If you're nervous, over-excited or faking the confidence, it is unlikely you'd get a visa.
This most probably is the reason you got rejected.
I hear/have heard a lot of people complaining about getting rejected, but they never pay attention to what they might have done wrong. And I have seen people doing some retarded stuff at the visa interview personally. I am not saying that you did anything of that sort, but in general in a country like India where a massive amount of people apply for the US visa the Consulate personnel are more stringent and have no option but to reject many people.
So your best bet is to not give them a reason to reject you. A few things I have always told people:
- Dress well. This generally means no funny t-shirts, torn jeans or anything else you think projects you as a cool person. It might work for a EU citizen at a visa interview, but you can be sure that it won't do you any favors unless you are a celebrity/well-known person of some sort in a country like India. So many people underestimate the power of dressing well nowadays it is amazing.
- Do not act eager. They will ask you if they want to know something. There is absolutely no necessity for you to spill your guts out the minute you are at the counter.
- Provide the documents they have asked for. Don't thrust documents you feel they should see just because you think or someone told you that it will increase the chances of you getting a visa
- Speak clearly and slowly. Don't rush through sentences or try to speak with any sort of western accent etc. You are in a conversation, so if you rattle off sentences without the appropriate breaks and pauses it will reek of memorized lines.
- Have a clear explanation as to why you are going there within the visa category you applied for. This is very important. If you have a well defined itinerary, tell them about it. If not, give them an overview of your trip. A lot of people try to sneak in through a visa category, but are actually going for other purposes. These sort of things will get you rejected off the bat if they even smell funny on you.
- Do not argue with them under any cost!!
The bottom line is they base their judgement on you, not on the documents you supplied. The documents are more or less just a matter of administrative issue and confirmation for a few things.
Best of luck when you apply again!