One of the blog members asked for a page solely for people to post their interview experiences. So this is it – with some rules!!!
First – NO questions on this page. Let’s keep it for interview experiences only – good and bad. I will probably delete questions to try and keep the page focused on interview experiences
Please at least mention your embassy (city and country, like Accra, Ghana) and brief details about what questions you were asked and any interesting points about documents you were asked for and any tips you can give others. This will be useful to others who have not yet had their interviews. People could use the search function to look for their embassy.
February 9, 2023 at 05:42
Hi everyone! Hope some of you will find my experience useful. However when reading my interview experience take into account that me, my husband and our daughter have been to the US many many times on B1/B2, each time have spent at least a month but never overstayed, never had issues with law inforcesment, and I have immediate and extended family living in the US. With that said here is my experience.
Case no.: 2023EU11k
Country: Armenia
Interview at Islamabad Embassy
DS260 submitted May 10
Case unlocked May 13 to add high school
Case unlocked Sept 8 to add newborn
Current: January
2NL: December 21
Interview date: Feb 1st
Status: Issued
Our interview was scheduled at 9am we were at the bus terminal to the diplomatic enclavement at 7am but they didn’t let us in till 8.30. The bus takes you directly to the US embassy where you will be guided from the entrance to security. I was allowed to bring baby bottle with pre made milk for my 7 month old. You can carry diapers and necessities for your baby in a clear shopper bag. However best to call them beforehand and ask if a certain item is allowed. In the waiting/interview hall there are drinking fountains and washrooms so no worries.
1st window I submitted our 2NL and 2 photos for each applicant and received a token number. After a while our number was called out for the 2nd window. There I submitted all the documents that were required and COPIES for everything! Take copies and extra photos! Cuz here they asked for another set of photos which I had. Take as many supporting documents as you can even if you think you don’t need them Take them. Make sure you carry translations and copies for everything you have. I am an armenian citizen, my husband and kids are Pakistani citizens so the papers vary. We had to submit fingerprints here too after that was asked to be seated and wait for the CO to call us.
We waited for about an hour till our turn came. The greeting and how are you part was very casual. He asked couple of questions about my birth certificate and if I had transferred from yerevan I said no I live in Pakistan I didn’t transfer. They were having technical issues after they fixed it he called me again.
Him: before we begin you have to take an oath
Me: yes but before we do so I would like to inform you that the kids’ passport numbers have changed after submitting DS260 and I would like to correct
Him: oh thank you for letting me know. The rest is current and correct?
Me: yes
Him: okay we’ll take your fingerprints and begin. So tell me how did you and your husband meet?
Me: we met in Canada in college
Him: okay and you have 2 kids. Tell me about your travel history
I told him
Him: have you or your husband ever had any issues with law
Me: no sir
Him: as I understand you have valid US visas do you remember when do they expire?
I actually had the old passports with visas in them so I gave them to him cuz he said they have to cancel those visas. After this he gave me an information paper about domestic abuse and how to go on about it in the US (it’s a standard procedure)
Him: so I’m going to refer your application for approval congratulations. You can collect your passports within 2 weeks
He handed me over the instructions how to register to pick up the passports and the interview was over
Right after the interview for couple of days ceac was showing Administrative Processing after which it changed to Issued. I received an email that the passports are being processed for delivery and went to pick up from Karachi pick up point exactly a week after the interview.
The embassy staff was very friendly and helpful. If you have any questions before or during the interview don’t hesitate to ask/clarify
February 9, 2023 at 23:46
Thank you very much!
February 23, 2023 at 15:18
Mr Simon, not enough words can be used to express my profound gratitude and thanks for all the help your blog, live video sessions and patiently taking time to answer our questions no matter how repetitive they were. Haha.
I entered the 2023 DV Lottery draw whilst already in Hungary and it was no brainer for me to select Budapest as my interview location since I was going to be here for more than a year.
I originally come from Ghana and with case no. AF22671 I wasn’t really worried about getting an interview date. Fortunately for me, when coming to Hungary, I came along with ALL documents bearing my name. From birth certificate to all academic certificate, I carried everything along. Haha.
I received my 2NL on 20th December 2022 with my interview scheduled for February 1st at 1:30 PM. Prior to getting my 2NL, I had already applied for and received Police certificates from both Ghana and Hungary. Getting them wasn’t difficult. They all arrived in less than two weeks.
On February 1st, I arranged all the requested documents in two separate envelopes. One containing Originals and the other, copies. At, 1PM I arrived at the embassy and was allowed in at exactly 1:25PM.
I was ushered to the first windows where the lady took my biometrics and documents. She put the documents into folders and requested for the medical report which I gave to her.
She then said the Hungarian Police certificate was the wrong one and I needed to submit a corrected version. She then asked me to go pay the fee.
I run into some problems paying the fee. For some reason, my bank kept declining the transaction, but I was allowed to go out of the embassy, withdraw some cash from the nearest ATM, then back into the embassy. My advice, ALWAYS SEND CASH.
After paying the fee, I was told to wait, and the CO will call me shortly. At this point, I was really prepared for every possible question I would be asked. I had read extensively from your blog and was well prepared or so I thought.
I WAS SHOCKED AT HOW THE WHOLE THING WENT. Nothing could have prepared me for that.
The CO calls me, makes me swear the oath and I was ready for the questions, but she rather looks looking through my documents again and says
CO: I see you are a student here in Budapest. You arrived in 2021 and studying Public Policy. You are not married and erm……everything looks great. (not even looking at me at this point……just focused on the documents)
ME: The other lady said something about the Hungarian PC.
CO: Yes, I will show you how to get the corrected version. (still looking down at the documents)
ME: OK.
When taking the documents to the embassy, I decided to include what we Ghanaians call a National service Certificate. It is a document you get after serving your country for a mandatory period of 1 year upon completion of a tertiary institution.
CO: I see you’ve served your country already. I know your scholarship demands you go back to your country to serve, but I see your service certificate. That’s fine.
ME: (I was quiet, cos it wasn’t really a question, right?) lol
CO: Alright, I have just one question for you. Do you have any plans of becoming a diplomat?
ME: Yes. It is actually my dream.
CO: Great. Maybe you can work for the foreign service someday. Congrats. I will approve your visa when you submit the new PC.
ME: Thank you!
Right after I exit, I go straight to the post office and apply for a new PC. I take my time to follow every instruction. It takes only than usually to arrive.
February 16th. New PC arrives. Submitted at embassy same day,
February 17th. AP
February 23rd. ISSUED.
I didn’t expect the whole interview process to go as smoothly as I experienced with just one question asked.
February 24, 2023 at 00:04
That’s awesome. Congratulations!!