United States Visa Interview Questions: Here’s What to Expect

Before being issued an immigrant visa or a non-immigrant visa for entry to the United States, you will be required to attend a visa interview at a U.S. Consulate. The purpose of the interview is to determine whether you are eligible for the visa for which you have applied, and to make sure all of the required documents are in order. In addition, your US visa interview will also involve answering questions as a participant.

It is important to answer all questions truthfully, and in as much detail as possible, as incomplete or untruthful answers can result in your visa being denied.

Types of US Visa Interview Questions:

The questions you will be asked may vary according to the type of visa for which you have applied, but there are general questions that you should expect to answer in any visa interview. These might include:

• What is your full name and address?
• Have you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime?
• Have you ever traveled to the United States?
• Have you ever been deported from the United States?
• Have you ever been denied entry to the United States, or denied a U.S. visa?
• Do you have relatives in the United States?
• Do you intend to work in the United States?

US Visitor Visa Questions

If you are applying for a visitor visa, you may expect questions about how long you will be visiting, where you will be staying, and how you will be supporting yourself during your trip. You may also expect questions about your home, family, and work in your home country. The purpose of these questions is to determine whether you have sufficient ties to your country, and that you do intend to return to your home country after your visit. The consular official may ask for documents showing property you own, proof of employment or enrollment in school, statements showing bank accounts and other assets, and the names and addresses of family members in your home country.

US Fiancé Visa Questions

If you are applying for a fiancé visa, or for an immigrant visa based on marriage to a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, you will be asked about your relationship with your fiancé or spouse. The purpose of these questions is to determine whether your relationship is a bona fide relationship, and not a relationship entered into solely for the purpose of immigration. These questions might include:

• When and where did you meet?
• How did you meet?
• If you are married, when and where did you get married? Who attended the wedding?
• Where does your spouse/fiancé live?

You should also expect questions about your spouse/fiancé, such as names and ages of their children, names of siblings, names of their parents, where your spouse/fiancé works, and their date of birth. If you know very little about your spouse/fiancé or their family, the consular official may suspect that your relationship is not bona fide, and your visa application may be denied.
You may also be asked health questions, such as whether you have been exposed to Covid or other communicable diseases.

Answers all questions truthfully and completely, and if you are uncertain or do not know an answer, just tell the interviewer that you do not know the answer or cannot remember. It is better to say you do not know than to give an incorrect answer.

How to Get a Work Visa for the United States

A common misconception about immigrating to the United States is that anyone with a degree or job skills may apply for a US work visa. Unfortunately, this is not the case. U.S. immigration policy since the 1960s has been focused primarily on family reunification, making work-related visas a second priority. Nevertheless, if you want to know how to work in the United States on a work visa, there are definitive steps you can take to increase your chances.

Labor Certification

The permanent labor certification program, also known as PERM, is a means by which an immigrant with a job offer from a U.S. company can come to the country as a permanent resident. The process is long and complex but can result in permanent residence for the worker and their immediate family. The immigrant must have a U.S. employer as a sponsor, and the employer must go through a certification process in which they must advertise the job opening and prove that there are not enough qualified U.S. workers to fill the position. After the labor certification process is complete, the employer will file a Petition for Immigrant Worker with USCIS.

National Interest Waiver

Immigrants who have achieved national or international recognition in their fields, have won prestigious awards or prizes, or who have in other ways demonstrated a high level of achievement, can apply for permission to immigrate to the United States without having a job offer.

Temporary Work Visas

Temporary work visas to the United States are available to workers of all skill and education levels. These include:

H1B visas

The H1B visa is available to workers who have the equivalent of a U.S. Bachelor’s degree or higher. The H1B program requires a U.S. sponsor, but does not require that the employer prove that there are no qualified U.S. workers. The employer must be offering a position that requires at least a bachelor’s degree and must be willing to pay the prevailing wage for the offered position. An H1B visa is good for up to six years, during which the worker may apply for a permanent visa through the labor certification process.

H2A and H2B visas

The H2A and H2B visas are available for temporary or seasonal positions. Some examples are:

• Hotel, restaurant, and resort jobs
• Agricultural jobs
• Seasonal retail jobs

J Visas

Exchange visitor visas, or “J” visas are available to students, scholars, interns, researchers, and others. Many students come to the United States to work temporarily and then travel. Categories of J visas include:

• Au Pairs
• Camp Counselors
• Physicians
• Researchers
• Summer work/travel

A list of all temporary US work visas and their requirements can be found on the U.S. Department of State website.

Why is Immigrating to the United States So Hard?

Navigating the U.S. immigration system is an often difficult process, with numerous forms, eligibility requirements, and long waiting times for visas.

It may appear to potential immigrants that the United States does not want them, and that the cumbersome immigration process is designed to keep people out. While it may sometimes appear that way, in reality, the United States still leads the rest of the world in the number of immigrants admitted each year, both in real numbers and as a percentage of the overall population.

Why, then, is it so difficult to immigrate to the United States? A short lesson on immigration history may help answer this question.

US Immigration Difficulties: A Short History

While U.S. citizenship has been regulated since the late 1700’s, the U.S. Congress did not pass laws restricting immigration until the end of the 19th Century, after the U.S. Civil War. The first immigration law was passed in 1882, in response to a large influx of Chinese immigrants to the country. The United States and many other countries’ immigration laws continued to be focused on balancing the numbers of immigrants by country or region until after World War II.

The Immigration and Nationality Act, which governs all immigration to the United States, was passed in 1965, and significantly changed U.S. immigration policy. National quotas were abolished, and the focus of U.S. immigration policy changed from national quotas to family reunification. More visa numbers were allocated to relatives of citizens and permanent residents, while immigration for employment was given lower priority. At the time, the focus on family reunification was seen as a positive humanitarian measure, allowing families long separated to reunite.

Many other countries have updated their immigration policies to recognize the fluidity of business and employment in the 20th and 21st centuries.

Canada, for example, has a points-based immigration system in which a person with no family ties and no concrete job offer can still obtain an immigrant visa by demonstrating language proficiency, job skills, education, and other attributes that are considered positive. United States immigration policy, however, remains focused on family reunification. This is good news for people who have family members in the country, but bad news for young college graduates and entrepreneurs who want to pursue employment and business opportunities in the United States.

Even for those with family members in the United States, immigrating can be difficult. While national quotas no longer exist, the United States issues a finite number of visas each year in each visa category. In order to make the system fair for immigration throughout the world, the number of visas issued to citizens of each country is limited to no more than 7 percent of the total number of visas issued. That means that, for citizens of some countries, there will be long waiting lists for visas, as there are usually more applicants than there are visas available.

Many politicians and political analysts in the United States believe that a complete overhaul of the immigration system is needed, and President Biden has promised that immigration reform would be a priority of his administration, but when a change might happen and the form it might take is still unknown.