Rain_Maker

Hi awhig, Good to know that you made it.Congratulations and Celebrations!!:tup::grad: All the very best to you. Enjoy![clap] Regards.

Hi mz3, Congratulations on your TOEFL score!! Universities normally receive the scores in 3-4 weeks. I think your score is about to reach them. Relax:). Regards.

Hi Ikhlas, Well, what I meant was that the Visa Officers are really impressed when they come to know that the aplicant has a tuition waiver. I saw them grilling students without any financial aid for upto 10 minutes! My interview took less than a minute. Are you through with your interview? Do you get to know the result there and then or are you supposed to wait for a few days before they let you know?? Regards.

200 bucks?????? Can you elaborate a bit?

Hi Ikhlas, An I 20 is issued to full time students. DS 2019 is for exchange visitors. Regards.

Dear Ram, If you have plans to take the GMAT, why don't you try Canada, UK or France? After reading your story, I think you should look at other countries for an MBA. This is just an opinion. Regards.

Hi Nomika, Of course, that's understandable. Well, I think the fact that you have been granted J1 twice is another plus point( I had a B1/B2 too and that guy probably thought that since I came back the last time when I went, I would come back this time around too!). To answer your question...No, they did not ask me anything about my plans after I finish my studies.. My questions were pretty simple... What does your father do, where did you undergraduate from, why did you chose this university, where were you working, why did you quit your job.... Regards. Oh tuesday....All the very best to you!!:) Best Regards, Rain_Maker

Kewl! All the Best!! Regards.

Hi Nomika, Well, suit yourself. Write what you feel is best:)! I am done with my interview. My visa has been issued. I would like to tell you a few things..... A TA/RA/GA offer is a huge advantage. They are really impressed when you tell them that you a have a full tuition waiver and a monthly stipend. When I was being interviewed, he asked me if I received any financial aid.I told him I have a full tuition waiver. He looked impressed! Answer them confidently. Give them an answer the moment they finish their questions. Don't let them think too much. I saw students being grilled for around 10 minutes! Some of them even got rejected because they could not convince the visa officer. Don't be nervous. A candidate with a GA offer is interviewed for hardly a minute or two! Please let me know if you have more questions. Regards.

Dear awhig, Write N.A. Regards.

Hi Nomika, Working on campus with a TA offer is a part of a student's life. That I think is not considered full time employment. You can always write "No" as an answer to that question. BTW, I have a GA offer too and I wrote "NO". Please revert back if you have more queries. Regards.

Hi the 13thseeker, Glad to know things worked out for you! You can get very convenient dates in the emergency slots. I hope you have paid your SEVIS fee too on http://www.fmjfee.com. I am going to Illinois State University. Best Regards.

Hi Plucie, All the best for your visa interview! I am sure you'll crack it!!:) Regards.

Hi the13thseeker, your appointment(normal/emergency) with the embassy has no connection with your visa interview. You need one just to enter the embassy so that you could be interviewed:). The visa officer would not even look at your web appointment receipt. And he/she would only ask general questions. But make sure you take an appointment within 90 days of your start of classes(not before that). As a matter of fact, the website itself mentions that a student is eligible for an emergency visa appointment if his classes are starting within the next 90 days. I took an emergency appointment myself. When I logged in to the website for taking an appointment, I got 31st August in the normal slot. So I took an emergency appointment(3rd June) and got done with it. Please revert back if you have more questions. Regards.

Hi the13thSeeker, Taking an emergency appointment would do you no harm! An emergency appointment can be taken within 90 days of your start of classes. If you have your I 20, take one. Regards.

Kewl! Way to go Archillies! All the Best!!! Regards.

Hi Diablo, Visa appointments cannot be exchanged. Take an emergency appointment after your I 20 arrives(once you have paid your sevis fee and all on fmjfee.com). That should not be a problem. Regards.

Hi Aussieash, You can provide the address of any of their hostels or even a hotel for that matter. Regards.

Hi, Check out http://www.ttsvisas.com. Regards.

Hi Arpit, My friend's dad finally got his visa yesterday after a month long wait! I am sure you will be called again. Keep your fingers crossed! Regards.

Dear Arpit, Please don't panic! I will share a similar experience with you. My friend's father was a green card holder in the United States 10 years ago. Due to certain circumstances he had to come back to India. He came back in '97 but forgot (or whatever) to surrender his green card. This year, he decided to go to the US to meet his sister. He went to the consulate with his visa application. The officer immediately came to know that my friend's dad came back without surrendering the green card. She first asked him to surrender the GC. Then she told him that his visa is on "HOLD" and that he should expect a telephone call from the consulate within 3 weeks. She also said that his visa would be issued after some scrutinization(Washington theory, guess). Exactly after a month(yesterday), my friend's dad received a phone call from the consulate. They have asked him to come on any working day to get his visa. Btw, he also got 221(q) during his visa interview. I am assuming that they would try to scrutinize your (family) records when you were in Libya. It's just a wild guess. I can't be sure. My gut feeling says that you will get visa this time, just like my friend's dad. Let's hope for the best! Regards.

Hi, Notorious is right. I think they want to verify certain documents. If they don't want to issue visa, they will tell you right away. Notorious, did you apply for visa in New Delhi by any chance? Regards.

Hi Notorious, I think that's a good sign. My friend applied for Canada too. He was told there and then that his Visa cannot be issued. Keep your fingers crossed! Regards.

Hi Imtuan, Maybe this will help you : http://hochiminh.usconsulate.gov/wwwhnoniappt.html Regards, Rain_Maker

Hi Archillies, Yes, I-20 mentions fundings for first year. But if you notice there's another clause that probably says normal length of study. The officer would be interested in seeing funds for the duration mentioned in this clause. Even I have a graduate assistantship offer. My I-20 also mentions that I have funds from the University for the first year. It's just a matter of chance that the visa officer did not ask me anything about funds for the subsequent years, and I got through. Your senior might have been in the same situation where the officer felt that there is no need to check for documents. Visa officers are very unpredictable. Expect the unexpected from them. Please get back if you have further queries, and All the Very Best for your interview!! Regards.