Seven tips to prepare for your visa interview at the embassy
At the American Immigration Lawyers conference held in San Francisco last month, I attended a session about non-immigrant applications in Mexico and Canada. One of the speakers, Sylvia Johnson, Consular chief of the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City, Mexico, gave seven tips on preparing for a consular interview. As she was speaking, I immediately thought about placing her tips in my blog because I thought they were useful and of course, direct from the source. Here they are along with my own comments:
1. Complete the visa application forms as much as possible. This should go without saying but since Ms. Johnson said it, people must do it often enough such that it becomes an issue for them.
2. Bring current passports and expired passports.
3. Be prepared for the interview. You should review the application ahead of time. Understand what you are applying for and be familiar with the documentation in your case. Be relaxed and forthcoming during the interview.
4. Disclose all arrests. As Ms. Johnson stated, "nothing is ancient history any more." If a question asks about arrests, you must disclose them even if they happened a long time ago.
5. If you are entering the United States as part of an entertainment group, do not add friends or relatives to your group just so they can come to the United States. Group petitions are meant only for those members of the group. The government will find out eventually that someone is not really part of the group.
6. Be patient.
7. If you have recently naturalized, apply for a U.S. passport in the United States. It is easier and faster to obtain a passport in the United States. Do not apply for it abroad unless you have to. The embassy is overwhelmed.
