US B1/B2 Visa Interview Experience | Mumbai Consulate | Approved
Hey everyone! Just wanted to share my B1/B2 visa interview experience at the Mumbai consulate in India since I spent quite a bit of time going through posts here before my own interview.
My appointment was at 7:40 AM and I reached around 7:30-ish. Since it was pretty early, the whole process was fairly straightforward. We were taken inside, fingerprints were collected, and then we were directed to the interview counters based on our preferred language.
I did see a few people getting rejected while I was waiting. From what I could overhear, some of them seemed to have trouble establishing their finances or explaining how they’d fund their trip.
Anyway, here’s how my interview went.
VO: What’s the purpose of your visit?
Me: I want to visit a friend who recently got married. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to attend her wedding.
VO: Where do you plan on visiting?
Me: I’m planning to visit LA for around 20 days. I gave her the exact dates I had tentatively planned and explained that I’d be spending the first 10 days by myself and the next 10 days with my friend.
VO: What do you do for work?
I told her about my job and what I do.
She actually came back to this question later and asked me to explain my role in more detail. The way she framed some of the follow-up questions made me feel like she was checking how consistent my answers were, rather than just asking about my job.
VO: What do you plan on doing for the first 10 days if you’re travelling alone?
Me: Mostly shopping! (With a smile.)
VO: What’s your annual salary?
Me: Around 20 lakhs per annum.
VO: Who’s funding your trip?
Me: I am.
VO: What ties do you have to India?
I told her that I take care of my elderly parents, that they live with me, and that I would be returning to India to continue taking care of them.
VO: Do you face any harm or threats if you return to your home country?
Me: No.
And that was pretty much it. My visa was approved!
A couple of things I noticed: The questions weren’t particularly complicated, but she did seem to pay attention to the details. Especially when it came to my employment, she asked about the same thing in slightly different ways.
I also wasn’t asked to show any supporting financial documents during the interview, although finances definitely came up.
My biggest takeaway would be to know your travel plans, be clear about how you’re funding the trip, and be comfortable explaining what you do for work. I didn’t have a rehearsed script, just answered the questions as they came.
Hope this helps anyone preparing for their interview at Mumbai! Happy to answer questions.