Important stept to be taken for H1b Interview

 

Chennai Process - Part 1

Hi Guys,

 

This is as of 9th Aug.
Walk up to the entrance 15 - 30 minutes before your appt.

Pre-requisites...
Keep all your docs in a plastic bag. No other bags are allowed. Do not take your cellphones, lip balms, vicks etc. You may have to throw them out on the street. There is no facility to safe keep them.

Dress sharp. Presentation matters.. since they will judge you in the first 20 seconds.

Preferrably organize ur docs in 3 folders/envelopes.. makes life easy... I have seen people search for the documents when the VO asks for it.. and that is a -ve point for them when they decide to issue a Visa or not.

1. Contains passport, hdfc receipt, invitation letter, DS 156, DS 157, 1797, 1-129 and related suppliment docs, DOL application, Letter from the employer to the Consulate General in Chennai (or where ever).
2. All your certificates, appt letters, experience letters, conduct certificates, accolades, etc.. in original... properly organized for speedy presentation
3. copies (xerox) all the contents of 2nd folder + copy of your passport.. properly organized for speedy presentation

Keep all the 3 folders in a plastic bag.

 

Chennai Process - Part 2

Here is the process
1. Show your passport, receipt & interview letter at the gate (for all applicants)
2. Step inside
3. Show your plastic bag containing the docs to the security. He will ask you if you are carrying any sealed envelopes. If yes, he will ask you to open them in front of him (anthrax threat).
4. Metal detector
5. You enter a room with 10 counters. People sitting in chairs all over.
6. Walk up to any counter that is empty and has a person sitting on the other side.
7. Give him the folder 1 mnentioned above.
8. He will arrange all the docs, scan them for mistakes and put them all in one of their plastic folders and give them to you.
9. You go and then sit in an empty chair.
10 There will be VFS employees who periodically call out the appt. time. Note that the people sitting with you in the lobby may be form previous appt slots.
11. when its turn for your appt time, he will call out the time...
12. All of you in that slot are guided to the next building, where you wait outside.
13. Then when the Visa Interview lobby empties out.. you are called in.
14. The VFS guys will guide you thru the fingerprint and then you go and sit in the chair again.
15 People who have appt thru' lunch, will have chance to buy refreshments. The refreshments guy will close shop at 2:00PM.
16. Another vfs employee will call out your appt time again. Now you go and stand in line in front of the counters. You may end up standing for around 30 -60 minutes depending on the complexity of the cases in front of you.

If you are a family with a small kid, you do not have to wait in line anywhere. You skip steps 9-13. Once your fingerprinting is over, you will be inserted into the beginning of a existing queue. If there are a few more families with kids, then a new ewindow is opened.

 

 

Chennai Process - Part 3

Here are some tips and suggestions based on the guyys standing in front of me. Also the chief VO will come out once in 2 hours & spell some advice to the applicants

1. Be confident, but dont be arrogant.
2. Listen carefully, the speakers & microphones may distort their voice,. Also, there are multiple windows and you tend to hear what's happening in the next window instead of yours. For first timers, their accent might be hard to catch. Ask the VO to repeat a question, if you dont understand. Do not give wrong answer.
3. Do not contradict yourself... like for example.. you cannot be a SAP consultant working on an inhouse project.. a consultant means you will be hired out to clients for solving their problems.
4. Answer to the point. Do not volunteer any extra information.
5. If they ask for information, they are trying to understand and assess you. Do not think that asking questions is a -ve & you may be rejected. you will only end up getting tensed.
6. Be properly organized with your documents (foplder 2 mentioned above). Then you will not start sweating when you do not find that small certificate..
7. When you approach the window, a simpe "hello" or "Good Morning" should be enough. they will not have time for any more pleasentries. Its all about statictics. 6 - 10 VOs' interview about 1000 candidates a day. The average time per candidate is 3 minutes. they claim to start making their judgement in the first 20 seconds.
8. Make sure that the picture you have taken resembles you, not the picture on the passport. What I mean to say is that the picture for Visa should be as recent as possible. There will be touts standing outside saying that your picture is wrong and they will take the correct picture for you. Ignore them. VFS will give you 1 hour time to take a correct picture, if yours is wrong.
9. If you have made some mistake (like some typing mistake or something like hat) talk to the VFS employee standing there. he will help you make the required changes. Don't panic.