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L1 visa is the United States visa issued to professionals employed in a company and is relocating to the American office. To get approval for this visa, you need to go through an L1 interview process. Applicants must belong to managerial, executive, or an employee with specialised knowledge.

What is the L1 Visa?

The L1 Visa is a non-immigrant visa which allows foreign companies to transfer a manager, executive, or person with specialized knowledge to a U.S company. The U.S company must be a branch office, parent, subsidiary, or affiliate of the foreign company.

The L1 visa allows you to live and work in the United States for extended periods of time and also provides immigration benefits for your spouse and children.

The L1 visa is not a eligible for self-petition. The U.S company must file the petition on the employees behalf. Therefore, the US company is considered the petitioner, and the L1 visa recipient, is considered the beneficiary.

In this guide we will learn when you can apply for an L1 visa, interview questions and answers and tips to prepare for this interview.

Types of L-1 visa

Two types of L1 visa exist based on the type of work –

• L-1A – This visa is issued exclusively to executives and managers.
• L-1B – Employees with specialised knowledge get this visa. Applicants with specialised knowledge mean that he/she possesses an advanced understanding over an organisation, its product and other details.

Take a look at the questions of L1A and L1B.

When Can You Apply for an L1 Visa Interview?

Before moving ahead with L1 interview questions and answers, take a look at the following circumstances on when you can apply for an L1 visa –

• You are working in an organisation in your native country and joining its parent or subsidiary in the United States.
• You are joining a company’s headquarter for whom you are currently working.

Furthermore, an organisation can transfer a large number of employees under L1 blanket approval. It eliminates the requirement of getting individual approval for an L1 visa. An organisation can qualify for L1 blanket approval under the following circumstances:

• The organisation’s original location is in the United States. The total employee strength is over 1000.
• Annual sales of this organisation must be $25 million.
• It has received L1 visa approval for at least 10 employees in the last 12 months.

Additionally, flexible eligibility criteria and minimal educational qualification compared to other work visas make it an ideal choice.

What Are the L1 Visa Interview Questions and Answers?

Below are what this guide will cover:

• 7 general L1 visa interview questions
• 6 common L1 interview questions and answers about your current Job
• 6 common L1 interview questions about your work in the United States
• 5 frequently asked L1A visa interview questions
• 3 frequently asked L1B visa interview questions

7 General L1 Visa Interview Questions

1. For which visa are you applying?

Hint: Answer that you are applying for an L1 visa.

2. Can you confirm your name and contact details?

Hint: Answer this question appropriately.

3. Can you provide your valid passport, visa fee receipt, and forms I-797, I-128 and DS-160?

Hint: Carry the documents mentioned above and submit the same when necessary.

4. Have you visited the United States?

Hint: Provide a direct answer, that is, either yes or no.

5. If you had visited the United States, then when did you return?

Hint: Provide him/her with the actual arrival date, month and year to India from the United States.

6. Have you worked in foreign countries before?

Hint: Provide an honest answer to this question.

7. Have you worked in the United States before?

Hint: If yes, provide him/her with a document proof as well.

6 Common L1 Visa Interview Questions About Your Current Job

Here, an immigration officer will check your current and past job experience. You may expect questions like:

1. What is your work experience?

Hint: Provide a brief detail about your professional experience. Include your past and current job description in your answer.

2. In which organisation are you currently working? For how many years have you been employed by this organisation?

Hint: Mention the name of your current employer and the number of years you have been working here.

3. What is your employment type?

Hint: Answer accordingly.

4. What are the duties of your present job position?

Hint: Provide the details of your daily job roles and responsibilities in the current organisation.

5. Who was your past employer before this current organisation?

Hint: Mention the name of the organisation where you worked before. Furnish the details with document proof.

6. What is your annual or monthly salary?

Hint: You may need to submit your bank statement as a document to prove the monthly or annual salary you receive at present.

7. How many people are currently working under your supervision?

Hint: Mention the number and details of the people who are working under your supervision in your current organisation.

8. What type of training did you receive?

Hint: Provide an answer according to the training you received.

6 Common L1 Interview Questions About Your Work in the United States

Below are some L1 visa interview questions and answers for the USA:

1. Can you brief me about your job offer? What type of work does your organisation deal with?

Hint: An immigration officer demands an answer that includes details of the new position you have been offered. For the second question, provide details of the organisation’s work.

2. What will be your salary in the United States? Will you be paid in dollars or other currency? Will you receive any allowances?

Hint: Answer this question with correct details. Mention if you will receive your salary in foreign currency. Also, if you receive any allowances, answer honestly to the immigration officer.

3. Why do you need to transfer to the United States for your current role?

Hint: Provide a legitimate reason why you need to relocate to the United States to convince the immigration officer.

4. Whom will you report to in the US? Mention the location

Hint: Provide the details of the organisation or people to whom you will report. Also, mention the location by providing exact details of the city or town in the United States.

5. Where will you stay in the United States? How long will you stay?

Hint: Mention the city or town of the country where you will live. Also, answer the second question based on the requirement.

6. What is your plan of action if your current employer terminates you from the job?

Hint: Provide an appropriate answer. This question demands actionable steps if you become unemployed during your stay in the United States.

5 Frequently Asked L1A Visa Interview Questions

1. Can you dismiss and recruit employees in your upcoming job position?

Hint: Provide details about your authority in the company.

2. When did you last terminate an employee from his/her job position?

Hint: Answer appropriately.

3. Will you hold any control over the company’s budget?

Hint: If your answer is yes, provide details about the extent of your control and other crucial information.

4. How many people will directly report to you?

Hint: Mention the number and details of the people who will report to you for their work.

5. What will be your daily duties in your new job in the US?

Hint: Mention the details about what your job demands and what you are expected to perform.

3 Frequently Asked L1B Visa Interview Questions

1. Can you mention the professional skills required for this US role?

Hint: Mention your skill sets to convince the immigration officer on why you fit this job role.

2. What is your working experience in this profession?

Hint: Provide an answer with relevant information.

3. Why do you think that a US citizen cannot perform this job?

Hint: This is a crucial question. Therefore, provide legitimate reasons to support your answer.

3 L1 Visa Interview Tips to Prepare Yourself

Below are some of the right preparation can help you to crack the L1 interview:

1. Focus on Your Action

First, must sure you reach the venue at least 15 minutes earlier than the scheduled interview time. Opt for formal clothes. Stay confident while answering the questions. Remember to maintain eye contact with the immigration officer. Listen to questions carefully and respond accordingly and patiently to improve the chances of visa approval. At the end of the interview, express your gratitude by thanking the immigration officer.

2. Honest Answers Are Must

Avoid skipping or providing false information to any L1 interview. The immigration officer verifies every answer. Any incorrect information will create a negative impression and eliminate your chances to crack this interview.

3. Provide Simple Answers

Most of the questions are related to work. Hence avoid using technical terms and simple language to make it easier for an immigration officer to understand every answer.

Proper preparation and correct knowledge about the L1 interview process can help you land your dream job in the United States. Also, make sure to keep yourself updated with changes in eligibility parameters to avoid last-minute inconvenience.

Note: L1 visa interview takes place in the U.S Embassy or Consulate. The standard processing time of L1 visa applications is 6 to 12 months. However, if you apply under the L1 Blanket, the application takes approximately 1 to 3 weeks.

Credit to: godigit

DISCLAIMER: This post/guide and content is designed for general information only and is NOT legal advice. This site is not offering any legal advice, not offering any visa too. If you need legal advice, you should seek the advice of an attorney in your jurisdiction before taking any legal action.

The information presented in this post/guide should not be construed to be formal legal advice.

In this guide, you will learn some possible H4 visa interview questions and example answers to help you pass this test.

What is H4 Visa?

H4 Visa is a United States (U.S) visa. It is issued to a dependent family member of H1B, H1B1, H2A, H2B, H3 visa holders. It allows you to travel to the USA with the primary visa holder. A dependent must be a spouse or children below 21 years.

To get an H4 visa, you need to pass an interview test. Accordingly, schedule an appointment for biometrics and visa interviews.

The H4 visa interview takes place at the US Embassy or Consulate. The interview takes place to evaluate the credibility of your marriage since H4 is a marriage-based visa.

Types of H4 Visa Interview Questions

The H4 visa interview questions and answers are divided into 4 categories. These include questions and answers about –

• You
• Your marriage
• H4 visa
• Your spouse

H4 Visa Interview Questions and Answers

Below are common H4 dependent visa interview questions under these categories listed.

Questions and Answers About You

1. Where will you live in America?

Hint: Provide the name of the town or city you will be residing in the US

2. What are your plans to do in the USA?

Hint: Here, an immigration officer seeks an honest answer. Hence, provide a short yet truthful answer.

3. Do you have family members besides your spouse in America?

Hint: If yes, provide a detailed brief about your family members.

4. Do you wish to work in America?

Hint: The U.S administration withdrew the restriction on the work permit of the H4 visa holder. It means that individuals can work against meeting prescribed eligibility criteria. Therefore, answer this accordingly.

5. Whom do you live with presently?

Hint: Answer honestly. For instance, you live with your in-laws or parents.

6. What is your residential town or city in your native country?

Hint: Mention your current residential city or town.

7. With whom will you reside in the United States?

Hint: Mention that you will be living with your spouse.

8. Who is going to support you financially in the United States?

Hint: State that your spouse will be supporting you financially to stay in the United States.

Questions and Answers About Your Marriage

9. Is there any photograph or legal document proof of your marriage?

Hint: Carry important documents like a marriage certificate and a wedding photograph as document proof of your marriage.

10. What was the date of your marriage? For how many years have you been married to your spouse?

Hint: Answer this question directly and appropriately.

11. Was your marriage arranged or love? If arranged, who arranged it?

Hint: If anyone arranged your marriage, provide his or her details. It can be your parents, cousins or friends.

12. What was the location of your marriage?

Hint: Here you need to provide a detailed answer, stating the city, state and country’s name.

13. Was there any engagement before you got married to your spouse?

Hint: In case of engagement before marriage, you need to showcase proof of the same.

14. What was the total expenditure of your marriage? Who financed it?

Hint: Furnish the details with relevant information or documents, if any.

15. When and where did you meet your spouse for the first time?

Hint: If you cannot remember the exact date, mention the year or month.

Questions and Answers About H4 Visa

16. Which visa are you applying for?

Hint: Provide a direct answer that you are applying for an H4 visa.

17. Why do you want an H4 visa?

Hint: You need an H4 visa because you want to visit the United States along with your spouse (H1B visa holder).

18. Have you scheduled an appointment by yourself?

Hint: Don’t hesitate to answer if you didn’t make an appointment by yourself. Mention if anyone else has scheduled it for you. Also, state a legitimate reason why you could not schedule an appointment.

19. When did your spouse receive approval for an H1B visa?

Hint: Provide the accurate approval date, month and year for an H1B visa.

20. How did you collect all necessary documents for this interview?

Hint: Give an appropriate answer as per the requirement.

21. Why did you not attend the H4 visa interview with your spouse?

Hint: Provide an honest reason for why you did not attend this interview with your spouse.

Questions and Answers About Your Spouse

22. From which University did your spouse graduate? What is the highest educational degree of your spouse?

Hint: Provide the University’s name and year of graduation of your spouse. For the second question, mention the highest educational degree your spouse completed.

23. When is your spouse’s birthday?

Hint: Answer the exact date, month and year of birth of your spouse.

24. What is the name of the organisation your spouse is currently working in? Where is its location?

Hint: Mention the name of the organisation where your spouse is currently working. In the case of the second question, mention the location details of the organisation.

25. How long has the current company employed your spouse?

Hint: Provide the accurate month, year and date for which your spouse has been associated with the current company.

26. What is the profession of your spouse?

Hint: Provide the details of your spouse’s profession and the associate job description.

27. What is the annual income of your spouse?

Hint: You need to submit proof to verify your answer. Hence, your answer must be honest.

28. Do you have your spouse’s bank statement?

Hint: Submit your spouse’s bank statement and receipts to the immigration officer.

29. Does your spouse currently stay in the United States?

Hint: If the answer is yes, provide an accurate answer on the date, month and year of his or her stay.

30. Is your spouse a U.S citizen? If not, has he or she applied for a green card?

Hint: Provide an appropriate answer, don’t lie, be sincere.

How to Prepare Yourself for an H4 Visa Interview?

Once you know H4 visa questions and answers, prepare yourself by following these 4 tips:

• Be on Time

Reach the venue 30 to 20 minutes before the scheduled time with all the required documents. Arriving early will also allow you to stay calm during the interview process.

• Answer Confidently

Answer H4 visa questions clearly. It is one of the essential factors that determine the given visa approval. Skipping or providing false information can eliminate your chances to get an H4 visa. It is because the immigration officer verifies your answers with relevant documents.

• Keep the Documents Ready

As you can find from the questions mentioned above, you need to provide certain documents to verify your answers. This includes marriage certificates, bank statements and other essential files. It is wise to keep a copy of those documents ready to submit whenever asked.

• Check Your Documents

Review your documents carefully. All details such as name, birthdate and other information in it will be printed on the visa. Hence any potential mistake in data can be a hassle later.

Additionally, when you receive your visa, check it carefully. If you notice any errors, report them the appropriate place immediately.

Make sure to prepare yourself with H4 visa interview questions for quick visa approval.

DISCLAIMER: This post/guide and content is designed for general information only and is NOT legal advice. This site is not offering any legal advice, not offering any visa too. If you need legal advice, you should seek the advice of an attorney in your jurisdiction before taking any legal action.

The information presented in this post/guide should not be construed to be formal legal advice.

Diversity Visa Lottery Winners Selected: The Diversity Immigrant Visa Program is administered by the U.S Department of State (DOS) and up to 55,000 immigrant visas are made available per year through a lottery pool for foreign nationals from countries with historically low immigration rates to the U.S.

If you applied successfully, you can now check the results to see if you were selected. The entry period for the DV Program opens between October and November every year. The overall entry process is straightforward, applicants submit a form online and are not required to pay a fee.

Over a million individuals registered in the Diversity Lottery program and up to 55,000 Diversity Visa Lottery Winners were selected.

In order to check your status, you need to have the confirmation number you received when submitting your registration, your last name, and year of birth.

Entrants into the Diversity Visa Lottery are not notified by mail or email, it is the applicants’ responsibility to check their results on the State Department portal.

How to check Diversity Visa (e.g 2023) Lottery Result

Entrant Status Check on the E-DV website is the ONLY means by which the Department of State notifies selectees of their selection. You will be able to check the status of your entry through the Entrant Status Check on the E-DV website at https://dvprogram.state.gov/ using your unique confirmation number and personal information.

Only those that successfully submitted their entry and their name comes out as successful applicants after undergoing the DV interview, will be able to actually immigrate to United States.

2023 Entrant Status Check

For DV-2023 results, you have till September 30, 2023 to check if you are selected for the DV interview.

Note: What you need in order to check if you are selected is to use the same email address you used when registering for DV-2023 and your personal details.

You are not meant to pay someone for DV visa lottery application, the only way to submit your entry application is through the online official website. Also, the only way to check your status whether you’re selected or not is through the online official website.

From the above image/photo you can see the DV-2023 entrance check which is still available until September 30, 2023.

Steps to check Diversity Visa 2023 Lottery Result

STEP 1: For those that successfully submitted for DV-2023 lottery program, login the official website, click on “Check Status”

Make sure you have your Entrant’s Confirmation Number, Last/Family Name that was used on the Electronic Diversity Visa Entry Form, and Year of Birth to check the entrant status online.

STEP 2: Click “Continue”

You will see “Confirmation Number” box, “Last Name” box, “Year of birth” box and then “Authentication Code” box. Make sure you fill up the boxes with the right details.

STEP 3: After filling up the boxes correctly, including the Authentication box, Click “Submit”

After that, the Next page will bring out your Entrant DV-2023 Result on the Screen, print it for future use.

How to check Diversity Visa 2024 Lottery Result

Starting at noon (EDT) on May 6, 2023, DV-2024 Entrants may enter their confirmation information through the official website and follow the same procedures as listed above.

You will be able to check the status of your entry through the Entrant Status Check on the E-DV website at https://dvprogram.state.gov/ using your unique confirmation number and personal information.

Note: The ONLY WAY that you can find out whether you have been selected for the DV Lottery is through the Entrant Status Check. The U.S government does not send you a notification mail.

Ignore any emails posing as the U.S government, supposedly notifying you that you have won the DV Lottery and advising you to pay a fee for an immigrant visa. These are all fraudsters and are out to dupe you and use your personal information/details and destroy your chances to live and work in the United States.

Checking DV-2023 Result is free of cost, you don’t need to pay money to check Diversity visa Lottery Result status.

The best time to check for your DV-2023 result is from 12:00 (midnight) /12:00 a.m to 06:00 a.m.

Get full details about DV Lottery Confirmation Number “HERE”

Entrants should keep their confirmation number until at least September 30, 2024.

Do I Automatically Get a Green Card After Checking?

No, just because you are selected in the Diversity Visa Lottery does not mean you are automatically entitled to a green card. What it does mean is that you are eligible to apply for the immigrant visa for yourself and eligible relatives.

How to Adjust Status Under the DV Program

In order to adjust your status you must prove the following:

• You were selected in the lottery
• Have an immigrant visa immediately available (check the latest Visa Bulletin) at the time of filing an adjustment application (Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status); and
• Are admissible to the U.S.

DISCLAIMER: This post and content is designed for general information only and is NOT legal advice. This site is not offering any Diversity Visa and is not the official site for DV Lottery program. The information presented in this post should not be construed to be formal legal advice.

If you have any questions about the DV lottery, visit the official webpage or please contact an immigration professional/officer or a licensed attorney.

In this brief article, we will learn how to write a brilliant cover letter for fresh graduates and those people who have no previous work experience.

If you are applying for a job and you want to submit a brilliant cover letter with it, make sure you read this article very well because it will help you be successful.

How to Write a Cover Letter With No Experience

Below are the things this article will cover:

• 3 very important tips for writing a brilliant cover letter for fresh graduates and those people with no work experience.
• Example of cover letter to use that is guaranteed to grab the attention of the hiring manager. Your cover letter has to grab their attention.

What is a cover letter and how long should it be?

A cover letter accompanies a CV or resume, and it is a shortened one page document. It only needs to be one page that explains why you are applying for the job.

There’s a couple of things you can do to make your cover letter stand out, especially if you are a fresh graduate or someone with no previous work experience.

3 Tips for Writing a brilliant Cover Letter

Below are those three really important tips for writing a brilliant cover letter.

• Tip 1: When writing your cover letter, keep it short (one page). It must be concise and to the point.

Remember, the hiring manager has to read through lots of cover letters, so yours has to stand out and grab their attention. So keep it just to one page.

• Tip 2: Make sure you use positive and engaging words in your cover letter to grab the attention of the hiring manager.

The hiring manager has lots of cover letters to read through, and you can grab their attention by using brilliant, positive and engaging words.

• Tip 3: Make sure your cover letter is free from grammar, punctuation, and spelling mistakes.

If there are mistakes in your cover letter, it will get rejected simply because one of the most important skills needed in all job roles is attention to detail.

How to write a cover letter for fresh graduates and no experience candidates

Below is a brilliant example cover letter to use for fresh graduates and those people with no previous work experience.

When you start your cover letter, include your full name, address and insert the date of the cover letter in the top right hand corner of the document.

Full name

Address line 1

Address line 2

Address line 3

Insert Date

Dear Sir/Madam,

RE: Application for [Insert the name of the position you are applying for]

I am attaching my CV/resume supporting my application for the above position.

I am applying for the role because I have the skills and qualities to match the job description and become a high-performing employee for your company.

My key strengths include resourcefulness, adaptability to change, commercial awareness, collaboration skills and positivity.

I already have a track record of achievement in life and I aim to replicate the same success for your company. Some of my key achievements to date include [you can include some of your own key achievements]: These are examples:

• Attaining excellent grades at college;
• Winning team sporting events at school;
• Raising money for charity and good causes.

I understand I must work hard for my employer to enable them to meet their commercial and strategic objectives and my hunger to learn and enthusiasm will be valuable assets to your team.

Thank you for considering my application and I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully

[Insert your full name here]

Telephone number: [Insert Telephone Number Here]

Email: [Insert Email Address Here]

Make sure your answer phone message on your cell phone is professional sounding. Make sure it’s professional and also make sure your email address is professional too. All of these things will definitely help.

Thank you so much for reading this article and I wish you all the best for getting hired and passing your job interview.

Most Common Reason for Visa Denials and How to Avoid This: In this guide, we will learn the most common reason why visa applications to the United States get denied. Those applying for a U.S Visa, make sure you read this guide to the end.

Most Common Reason for U.S Visa Denials and How to Avoid This

Below is one of the most common reasons why visa applications to the United States get denied and tip to avoid it.

For many nonimmigrant visas to the U.S, such as for visitor visas, student visas and even many work visas that are nonimmigrant visas to the U.S, they have a requirement that the applicant for that visa has something called nonimmigrant intent.

What nonimmigrant intent means is that the applicant for that visa intends to return to their home country. They do not intend to remain in the United States permanently.

If an applicant for one of these non-immigrant visas does not satisfy the consular officer at the time of their visa appointment that they have nonimmigrant intent, then that consular officer, that immigration officer at the consulate will likely deny the visa application for something called 214(B).

214(B) essentially means that the visa applicant did not sufficiently convince the immigration officer that they possess nonimmigrant intent.

It could be that the immigration officer is not convinced that the applicant will return to their home country or potentially the immigration officer thinks that the applicant for the particular nonimmigrant visa will be remaining in the United States or something along those lines.

That’s a big picture overview of 214(B). It’s a highly common reason for nonimmigrant visa denials.

You might be wondering, how can I avoid a 214(B) denial?

The answer is that you want to show strong ties to your home country. What are some examples of strong ties to your home country?

Example 1: Is that you own property in your home country.

For example, you own a home or you own an investment property.

Example 2: Is that if you have family in your home country.

For example, if you have a spouse and children in your home country.

Example 3: Is if you have a business in your home country or you have a job in your home country.

In each of these scenarios or with each of these examples, you’re showing a link between yourself and your home country, where it would be unlikely for you to just leave whatever it is that you have going on in your home country and come to the United States permanently.

All of those examples a job, property, family, are things that tie you to your home country that make it less likely that you would give that up or leave that behind and move to the United States.

Again, one of the best ways to avoid a 214(B) denial is to demonstrate strong ties to your home country.

Visitor visas

Visitor visas regularly have denials under 214(B). How can you overcome these denials? Again, one way is to show strong ties to your home country.

In addition to showing strong ties to your home country, you also want to show a definitive purpose for coming to the United States.

What are some examples of a specific purpose for coming to the United States?

For example, if someone was coming to do a medical procedure, or someone was coming to attend a seminar of some kind, or a business conference, or to potentially negotiate a contract, or to go sightseeing. These are all specific reasons for coming to the United States.

The more that you can show the immigration officer that you have all these strong ties to your home country, and on top of that, you have a specific, limited purpose for coming to the United States, something that’s definite in duration or that’s limited in duration.

These two can work together to really create a strong impression before the consular officer that you’re not planning on coming to the United States to remain permanently.

You’re coming for a specific reason, and you certainly are going to return to your home country because of all those strong ties that you have there.

In summary

This guide talked about one of the most common reasons for nonimmigrant visa denials, 214(B) and some ways that can help strengthen your case to avoid denials under 214(B).

I hope you found this guide (Most Common Reason for Visa Denials and How to Avoid This) extremely helpful. Thank you so much for reading it.

If you know anybody that can benefit from this information, please make sure to share this guide with them. We’re all about empowering each other with knowledge.

DISCLAIMER: This post/guide and content is designed for general information only and is NOT legal advice. This site is not offering any legal advice. If you need legal advice, you should seek the advice of an attorney in your jurisdiction before taking any legal action.

The information presented in this post/guide should not be construed to be formal legal advice.

How to speak like a leader at work: Do you want to learn how to who speak like a leader? If you want to be seen as a leader, please avoid seeing these 7 things.

The words you speak can make a big difference between your success and failure. Read this article, how to speak like a leader at work, to end.

Most people are not aware of the change they need to make in their communication style to succeed in their career. Leaders speak differently from the average employee. If you want to be seen as a leader, you will have to speak like one.

Want to Speak like a Leader? DON’T Say these 7 Things!

Here are seven things you should avoid saying.

1. I agree to everything

The workplace is more competitive. Simply keeping your head down and doing a good job is not enough to get you noticed or promoted. Harvey Coleman did extensive research and determines success is based on three key elements P-I-E.

P – performance accounts for 10% of what makes an individual successful,

I – image accounts for 30% and

E – exposure accounts for 60% of your career success.

In order to advance in your career, you need to be visible. Your impact must be felt. Companies are hiring you because they want to know what you think. Share your ideas. Speak up. Speaking up in meetings can be daunting.

It comes down to a lack of confidence or poor self-esteem. Believe in yourself. If you aren’t participating, you’re watching from the sidelines. It’s time to get in the game. If you think your opinion doesn’t matter, it does.

Speaking up is a great way to make yourself stand out at work because most people are always agreeing to everything.

2. I don’t know or I’ll try

I don’t know sounds unprofessional and dismissive, especially saying this in the workplace, to colleagues or customers. It comes across as that’s not my job. I don’t get paid enough for this. Leadership is about accountability.

Leaders are always looking for solutions. Taking the initiative and filling in the gaps sets you apart from the crowd. Sitting back and doing nothing is the worst thing you can do.

When someone asks you a question, instead of saying I don’t know, use these phrases:

“I don’t have enough information to answer your question, but I can find and let you know.”

“That’s an excellent question. I’ll look into it and get back to you by the end of day.”

Additionally, in your speech with leaders, replace “I’ll try” with “I will”. I’ll try implies the possibility of failure.

Leaders get things done. Give a time frame. It doesn’t mean if your boss is used on unreasonable requests, you will always have to say yes.

You can say something like. “given my current task of A, B and C, I will have this on your desk by Friday.” Be assertive.

3. Avoid filler words such as, AS, UM, LIKE, UH

Research shows that using excessive filler words makes you sound indecisive. Also, avoid using these words excessively, such as: Literally, Basically, Quite frankly, Technically.

For example, basically the report is due on Tuesday. Actually, the folder is on my desk. Technically, I am on a break right now.

First of all, don’t respond with: Seriously? Really?

As a leader, you want to communicate clearly and concisely.

How do you counteract fillers?

Two things:

• Slow down how fast you speak so you will have time to phrase your sentences more coherently.
• Pause: There is nothing more effective than a well-timed pause. Practice pausing to be interesting to influence and keep people’s attention, you will have to be expanding your vocabulary.

The secret to being more eloquent in your speech is to read, read and read.

4. Avoid saying, I or me, Say we and us.

Don’t say: I won,

Say: we won.

Leaders take an enterprise view that focuses less on themselves and more on the wider organization.

For example, “I” can only get you so far. “We” can get you the results you want.

In research conducted by Jim Collins, he found that the difference between top performing and lower performing CEOs was their use of the same words ‘I’ and ‘we’.

The lower performing CEOs used “I” many more times than the word “we”.

The fact is, people trust leaders that say ‘we’ more than ‘I’. Using we brings a sense of cohesiveness, a sense of belonging, and makes it a team effort.

Instead of saying, ‘I’ achieved those results.

Say, ‘we’ achieved those results.

Replace: ‘You’ need to fix this.

With: ‘Let’s’ figure out how to fix this.

As a leader, you achieve results with and through people. Your language should always reflect this.

5. I feel

For example, I feel this isn’t a good idea. Don’t go by feelings, go by facts.

I have observed, I have found, the data shows, a trend I am noticing.

Nobody cares about how you feel about the data. Tell them what you have observed, Found, Discovered.

6. Avoid words and phrases that undermine your authorities and diminish your credibility, i.e Disclaimers and tentative words.

Stop starting sentences with: I think, maybe we should, might, could, possibly, probably, sort of, kind of.

Also, avoid requesting confirmation. We see confirmation with words and phrases such as: Right? Does that make sense? Do you know what I mean?

When you show hesitation about your own ideas, it communicates a lack of confidence and shows you are insecure about your message. You give others permission to reject it. Stop doubting yourself.

7. Honestly.

You may want to emphasize your point, but when you start with honestly, it can make people question everything you have said before.

If you have to state you are being honest this one time, were you lying the other times? Additionally, using “trust me” or “if I’m being honest” can make you sound untrustworthy. Be forward.

You could use the phrase to be blunt, or you could just get straight to the point. Avoid saying this in professional discussions.

Finally, don’t say anything at all. Yes, you heard me correctly. If you want people to respect you, it’s important to listen.

Remember, sometimes speaking like a leader means taking a back seat and not speaking at all, but letting others speak instead.

Non-verbal communication is also important. Your body language must supplement what you are seeing.

In summary

A title doesn’t make you a leader. It’s your impact and influence.

In this guide, we will learn how to check how long your E-2 visa will be valid for.

If you’re interested in pursuing an E-2 investor visa, this is definitely a guide that you want to stick around for. Make sure to read this guide until the end.

Not all E-2 visas are valid for the same length of time, and not all E-2 visas have the same terms regarding your ability to enter and exit the country.

How long is E-2 visa valid?

Below are some helpful tips that you should know about.

The E-2 visa is an investor visa. It’s a nonimmigrant visa. It allows somebody to invest in a U.S business. They can either start a brand new business or they can invest in an existing business, and based on making an investment, the person can live in the United States and they can operate their business.

The E-2 visa can be a wonderful option for entrepreneurs, investors, people looking to grow their business in the United States and to pursue the American dream.

The E-2 visa is only available to citizens of certain countries that have an E-2 treaty with the United States. There’s many countries that have E-2 treaties with the United States, like Canada, Germany, France, and there’s many countries.

But there are also certain major countries that do not have an E-2 treaty with the United States, like china, Brazil, and Russia.

The first step when deciding to pursue an E-2 visa is  to be from a country that has an E-2 treaty with the United States. Unless you’re planning on getting citizenship to a country that has an E-2 treaty with the U.S.

E-2 visas can be different for citizens of different countries, and what can vary from country to country is the length of the visa and the number of entries that are authorized on the particular visa, and this is depending on the applicant’s country of citizenship.

How long is E-2 visa valid in Canada?

For example, if somebody is a citizen of Canada and they’re going to apply for an E-2 visa, they are eligible to receive an E-2 visa with a validity period of 60 months, that’s five years.

In addition, the visa that is issued to Canadians that are applying for an E-2 visa is a multiple entry visa, meaning that that person can exit and enter multiple times. That is for a citizen of Canada that’s applying for an E-2 visa.

However, a citizen of another country, for example, a citizen of Jordan is issued an E-2 visa for a maximum period of three months, and that E-2 visa from Jordan only allows a single entry.

So what this means practically is that, a citizen of Jordan that’s applying for an E-2 visa, gets a visa that’s authorized for a maximum of three months, meaning that they have three months to enter the United States with that visa, and that visa only authorizes one entry to the United States.

So once they enter, if they leave after that, they can no longer use that same visa to re-enter the United States.

This is so important because depending on your country of citizenship, it will determine extremely important details about your E-2 visa.

How to check how long your E-2 visa can potentially be valid for

To check the terms of your E-2 visa or what type of an E-2 visa you’re eligible for;

Go to Google and type “Visa Reciprocity”

Click on the first result that comes up, and it should be from travel.State.Gov. It says U.S Visa reciprocity and civil documents by country.

You’re going to be taken to a page were you will see a list of letters. The letter that you click on is going to show you the countries that have their first letter starting with that letter.

For example, for a Canadian citizen to check the terms of a potential E-2 visa that they’d be eligible for, Select C for Canada, you will see Canada, Click Canada and you will see the Canada reciprocity schedule.

Scroll down and you are going to have visa classifications. There you will see the visa that start with ABCD, etc. For E2 visa, click on E, you’re going to have the E-1, E-2 and the E-2C.

To check for E-2 scroll along and it’s going to show you the fee, the number of entries and the validity period. For Canada, the validity period is 60 months or five years and the number of entries is multiple.

Again, the validity period is generally how long the visa is valid for. When you get the visa stamped in your passport, how long will that visa be valid for? For Canada, it’s 60 months and the number of entries is multiple.

Follow these procedures to check any country of yours.

It’s very important to check the visa reciprocity based on your country of citizenship.

I hope you found this guide/information very useful.

DISCLAIMER: This post/guide and content is designed for general information only and is NOT legal advice. This site is not offering any legal advice. If you need legal advice, you should seek the advice of an attorney in your jurisdiction before taking any legal action.

The information presented in this post/guide should not be construed to be formal legal advice. As such, I disclaim all liability with respect to actions taken based on any information presented.

Nothing herein is intended to nor constitutes a guarantee, warranty, or prediction regarding the outcome of your legal matter. Every case is different and outcomes will vary depending on the unique facts and legal issues of your case. Thank you.

You need to read this guide very well if you have your F1 Visa interview coming up soon. In this guide, you will learn the key points to pass your F1 Visa interview and get your visa approved.

7 critical tips that you must know before appearing for your F1 Visa interview

1. Documents.

Make sure you have the following documents organized in your folder:

• Passport
• DS 160 Confirmation page
• Application fee payment receipt
• A physical photo which measures two inches by two inches, but only if the photo didn’t upload with your DS 160. This is highly uncommon.
• Form I-20

Most applicants are single but if you are married and your spouse and children intend to live with you, bring their I-20.

• Academic documents, including your transcripts, test scores, degrees and diplomas
• Financial documents.

Also, carrying all the documents you have gathered during your university application process. Those will consist:

• Letters of admission,
• Scholarship or financial aid documents,
• Student loan documents,
• Bank statements,
• Sponsorship letters, etc.

Additionally, carry all your current and past passports. If you have dual citizenship and have multiple active passports, you should along with them all.

Get familiar with your document folder. Organize it to quickly locate your documents. You should be able to find any requested document within 10 seconds. Keep practicing until you know your folder thoroughly.

2. What to Wear

Wear business casuals that is appropriate for your country.

Dress for the weather as well. For example, wear breathable clothes, if it’s a hot day and you’re interviewing in summer. While the consulate or the embassy will have air conditioning, you may wait slightly before getting in.

Make sure your clothes are clean, wrinkle free, and well fitted.

Stick to safe colors. Stay away from overly bright colors and striking patterns.

3. Time of Arrival

Your Visa appointment instructions may ask you to arrive 15 minutes before your appointment, make sure you arrive 30 minutes to an hour before your appointment time. This will give you a healthy buffer, if something goes wrong on the day of your interview.

You may be wondering where would you wait if you arrived early? Go to a local restaurant or coffee shop where you can wait before your interview. It should be very close to the consulate or embassy. It doesn’t take you more than five minutes to walk there.

Being nervous on the interview day is common. Use the time there to calm down and relax before your interview. It will also allow you to review the key points to interview better and get a positive outcome.

4. Visa Officer’s Mindset

The visa officer is trying to evaluate two things;

• You are genuinely a student and not trying to obtain a student visa for fraudulent purposes such as immigrating to the United States.
• You intend to return to your home country after completing your studies.

You don’t have to do anything special to demonstrate that you are a genuine student. Simply answer the visa officers questions about your program, university and application process.

For the second part, that is, you intend to return to your home country after completing your studies. Ensure you include your future plans when answering these questions.

You should communicate how you will use your education to grow and succeed in your career when you return to your home country.

5. Your Mindset and Your Approach

Your chances of success will come down to this one thing, how well can you tell your story? This will be dependent on two things, a natural conversation and your confidence level.

The visa officers place the most emphasis on having a natural conversation.

Many students approach the visa interview as a job interview or an interrogation. It is not, and there is no need to be nervous.

The visa officers want to know you and your goals. Focus on the conversation and keep things simple. Consider it as having a conversation with one of your elder relatives. You want to sound respectful, but not super formal.

Remember, the visa officers have to handle many requests during the day. They keep the interviews very short. Keep your answers concise and to the point. Don’t leave out the necessary details, but don’t overshare either.

Finally, your confidence level will depend on how relaxed you are. You’ve prepared well, so there is no need to be overly nervous. A little bit of anxiety is natural, and the visa officers are aware of that and don’t hold it against you.

A warm smile and a simple greeting such as “hello, how are you?” can get you a great start. From there on out, keep things conversational.

6. Your Body Language

Your evaluation has already started when you’re in the building. The visa officer may glance at you while waiting in line behind the applicant they’re interviewing. Sometimes they may even see you before your number is called. Be mindful of your actions and body language.

While interviewing, maintain a good posture and make eye contact when you’re speaking. Smile when actively listening to the questions and answering them. Politely ask the visa officer to repeat the question if something is unclear.

Don’t let the visa officer’s questions or body language discourage you. For example, visa officers often look at their computers and type throughout the interview. Don’t let this bother you. It is pretty typical and you should continue to speak normally.

7. Speak the truth and nothing but the truth

No matter what, make sure you are speaking the truth. For example, you may have some family in the U.S, and if you’re asked about it, stay calm and truthful.

Often the visa officers know this information and are just verifying it. The consequences of lying to the U.S government have a massive impact. You would undoubtedly be denied a visa and could be permanently banned from entering the U.S.

Those were the key points to be mindful of for your F1 visa interview.

DISCLAIMER: This post/guide and content is designed for general information only and is NOT legal advice. This site is not offering any legal advice. If you need legal advice, you should seek the advice of an attorney in your jurisdiction before taking any legal action.

The information presented in this post/guide should not be construed to be formal legal advice.

In this guide, you will learn top 5 common interview questions and answers.

If you have a job interview coming up for any role or company, these questions will come up and the answers in this guide will help you be the standout candidate.

Top 5 Common Interview Questions and Answers

Below are 5 common interview questions and how to answer them

Question 1: Why do you want this job?

Example Answer:

“I want this job because it is a role that I am very passionate about, and the qualifications I have are very much suited to the position.

I have experience in this industry and I genuinely believe I can make a positive difference for your company doing a job that I really love.

I want this job because it is with your company. My research told me you are ambitious, you take good care of your staff and you empower them to be the best version of themselves possible.”

Question 2: What are your strengths?

Example Answer:

“My strengths include the fact I am a fast learner, I fit quickly into any team, I always support my coworkers, and I am positive about feedback and personal development.

Feedback allows me to continually develop, meaning I will always be able to add value to my team.

Finally, perhaps my greatest strength is the fact I am commercially aware. This means I understand I must do a great job for my employer, provide excellent customer service and seek ways to help you grow.”

Question 3: What’s your biggest weakness?

Example Answer:

“My biggest weakness is my inability to say “no” to people.

I say “yes” to virtually everything and then sometimes end up with too many responsibilities.

However, I am aware of my weakness and I am learning to be more mindful and assess my capacity to take on extra duties before saying yes.”

Question 4: Why do you want to leave your job?

Example Answer:

“I want to leave my job because I am seeking a fresh challenge where I will get to work on new and exciting projects with other like-minded professionals who all have a common goal.

My employer has been fantastic, they’ve been very supportive, and we’ve achieved many great things whilst I have been there.

However, it is now time for me to move on to a new forward-thinking company such as yours, where my skills, knowledge and experience will be put to good use.”

Question 5: Where do you see yourself in five years?

Example Answer:

“In five years’ time, I hope to still be working for you, either in the same role or having gained advancement to a more senior level.

In five years’ time, I would have achieved many great things with my team, completed numerous training courses to enhance my skills and be seen as a trustworthy, reliable and productive employee.

In five years’ time, I also hope to have more responsibility and perhaps even taking the lead on several important projects and tasks.”

There’s five (5) brilliant example answers to those job interview questions that are going to help you be the standout candidate at your own interview.

Thank you so much for reading this guide, and I wish you all the best for passing your job interview.

In this guide, you we will learn 5 visa application mistakes to avoid. These are the mistakes that may lead to your VISA denial. Avoid these mistakes, and your U.S VISAS (B1/B2, F1) will be approved.

Many people get their visas refused because they make avoidable mistakes. Below are some important things we need to avoid and what we need to do to get our visa approved and overcome multiple visa rejections.

5 visa application mistakes to avoid

1. Information mismatch

Your visa can be rejected because the information you provided on the DS-160 form do not match with what you give as a response in the interview room. For example, on the DS-160 form, there is a question, who is paying for the trip?

If you select self and during the interview you are asked who is sponsoring your trip? And you say your uncle or your sister or your parent or whoever that is not you, it is going to affect your visa approval.

Many people think that on the DS-160 form, when they ask them who is paying for the trip, they are asking of flight tickets. So they put self on the DS-160 form and when they go for the interview they show a different bank statement that is not even for them.

When you do that, your visa can be rejected.

If you are going for B1/B2 visa, make sure that whoever is sponsoring you is what you put on the DS-160. If you are going for F1 visa as a student, make sure that whatever you put on your DS-160 form as your sponsor matches with whoever is your sponsor on your I-20 and the information you give during the interview.

Another mistake with regards to mismatch of information is, on the DS-160 form there is a question about length of stay in the United States. If you choose three weeks, it means that you are going to stay in the United States for three weeks.

You get to the interview room and they ask you how long will you be staying? And you say you’ll be staying for two weeks or two months. That is a mismatch of information and it is going to affect your vessel approval.

Make sure that the information you put on the DS-160 form will match with the responses you gave during the interview. This is a very common mistake that affects a lot of people and affect their visa approval.

2. Lack of strong purpose of Travel

When you appear for the interview, the first question they usually ask is your purpose of traveling to the United States? Mind you, whatever answer you give will determine the follow up questions and the flow of the interview from them.

If you are not able to give a very strong and clear reason for your travel, you won’t get your visa.

It’s not just enough to say I am going to the U.S to visit my friend or family, speak to why you are going to visit them and why you need to visit them.

Maybe you are going because your sister is doing her wedding and it’s been a long time you met your sister and as a family member, you need to be there as part of your tradition. You must be part of your sister’s wedding.

If you are a student, it is not enough to say you are going to U.S or you are going to this school to study, speak to why you need that program and why you even selected that school in U.S.

Speak to the why because why is very important than just giving a flat answer.

If you are going for a conference, speak to why you are going for a conference. It is not just I am going to the U.S to attend a conference, no.

Say: “I am going to the U.S to attend a conference, and this is because, as part of my work requirements, I am required to attend this conference for my promotion, or I am required to attend this conference to learn the skills or to report this or that to the board members of the organization.

I am required to attend this conference in order to acquire the knowledge, skills and bring it back for the organization.”

It is not just enough to say I am going for a conference, speak to the why.

There are a lot of people who want to go to the United States, so your raising must be unique, your raising must be different, your raising must come out and it must show to the consular that you really need to come to the United States for your studies, for your visit or for your conference.

It is very important get a clear purpose and a strong reason for your travel.

3. Incomplete details and errors on DS-160 form.

The DS-160 form is your visa application form that has all your details for your visa approval. It is a very important document in the application process.

You must always make sure that you respond to all the questions on the DS-160 form correctly, and you must avoid any error, be it spelling or typo errors on the DS-160 form.

Also, information you put on the DS-160 form must agree with the story you tell at the embassy. You must always make sure you can defend any information that you put on the DS-160 form.

If someone fills your DS-160 form for you, make sure you go through every bit of it yourself been submitted.

When you make errors or when you don’t complete the DS-160 form in the way that you should, it leaves a red flag even on your profile and the visa’s officers do not have time to spend and ask you why this or why that. Because a lot of people are in the queue and they may flag you out and they give you the denial.

All the time they will give you the 214(b) paper telling you that you did not prove your ties back home. No, there are sometimes the reason does not have to do with ties back home, it has to do with your DS-160 form.

You must always correct it. Always make sure you know what is being put there. You know why you are putting this there. You can defend it. You avoid errors in your name, you avoid typing mistakes, you avoid spelling error and you write good and clear English.

4. Lack of ties to home country

This is one of the popular reasons for visa rejection. You must always, all the time make the consular believe that you will come back after your trip to the U.S or after your studies. Do not expect the consular to ask you if you will come back or not.

So make sure that in every question that they ask you, you connected to your ties back home. It is always important to get a good reason to convince the consular that you will come back after your trip or after your studies.

Mind you, they will not ask you. It is not all the time that they will ask whether you come back or not. Don’t expect them to ask you before you say it. Show it, prove it. Let them move through your response.

5. Don’t prepare with internet questions and answers by copying them

It is always good to prepare before you go for your interview. For example, watching videos on youtube and reading around to get a general overview about how some questions are being asked and how people answer them.

But let these always guide you. Always let your unique self and story show in the responses you give to the consular. So do not copy answers that people give for yourself.

However, speak to your own story and uniqueness. When you copy answers given by others, it may not speak to your story and make you unique and that will affect your visa approval.

The consular hear a lot of these responses. What is unique about yours?

Don’t just copy answers people give on the internet. Copy suggested answers for yourself. Let it guide you and help you to form and shape your own answers that meets your unique situations and stories for your visa interview.

Thank you so much for reading this guide (5 visa application mistakes to avoid).

What are the most important questions you must prepare for if you are going for U.S Visa interview? In this guide, you will learn the most important questions you should expect and prepare to answer at the U.S F1 Visa interview. If you understand what the consular expect from you, you can prepare well to prove that you deserve the visa.

This guide has been breaked down into three parts to let you understand what the consular expects from you at the interview, in order to prepare payroll and prove that you deserve the visa.

Questions You Must Look Out For In Your U.S F1 Visa Interview

The first thing you must understand is that irrespective of who you are, when you appear for your interview, the impression is that you are a potential immigrant.

That means, although you are applying for a nonimmigrant visa, a visa that allows you to stay temporary in the United States, the presumption is that you would want to stay permanently.

The interview is the opportunity for the consular to assess the purpose and your intent for traveling into the United States. Below are U.S F1 visa interview questions and guides to answer them:

1. Why are you traveling to the United States?

The consular would like to assess your reason for traveling to study in the United States. They want to know whether you are not using studies as an excuse to migrate to the United States.

Here, they will be asking questions that has to do with you, who you are, your academic background, your family background, whether you are married or you are in a relationship, whether you are gainfully employed or not.

It is important because through these questions, the consular will be able to assess your purpose for traveling.

For example, if you are a person who is gainfully employed in your current country, you earn enough money and assuming, let’s say, you are employed as an accountant and you are going to study for MBA.

The consular can based on your current employment, and know that you are not ideal in your country and know that you are getting reasonable income to sustain yourself. You are not somebody who is desperate to travel to go and stay in the United States.

The console will able to know that your purpose of traveling is purely for studies, that you are going to study in order to come back to enrich yourself and your current position in the organization.

Don’t go to the embassy and say you are not employed. Even if you are not employed, explain to them that you are involved into a voluntary service. It could be a national service, it could be a service you have with an organization, with a firm. It could be a teaching opportunity you are volunteering.

When you are unemployed the consular believe there is high possibility for you not to come back. But when you are able to explain to them that you are involved in a voluntary work, it means that you are not idle, you have plans, and you make good use of your time to help society.

Also, prepare to answer questions about your academic background, what you did in your undergraduate studies, in your senior high school or even in your graduate studies, and why your studies in America will be relevant to your academic surface.

In your U.S F1 visa interview, you may asked questions like this:

• How old are you?
• Are you married?
• What do you do?

These are questions you must prepare for.

You must be prepared to answer questions and explain how your current state in life is not an opportunity for you to travel, just to go and stay in the United States.

This is where you prove to them that you are working, you have a family, that you studied a particular course, and you are going to study in order to come back to help your society.

2. How can you finance your studies?

This is another visa interview question you must prepare for and is very important area. You must prepare to answer questions about who is sponsoring you, what is the relationship between you and the person and why is the person sponsoring you? What is the annual income of the person? What job does the person do?

The consular want to assess whether you have the financial capabilities to go and study in the United States, the ability for you to sustain yourself, especially in your first year in the United States.

They would want to know who your sponsor is, what kind of job your sponsor does, and why your sponsor is sponsoring you. It’s not just enough to show bank statements. It is important to prove to the consular about the work or the occupation of the person sponsoring you, because it is the work of the person that can convince the consular that indeed he or she can sponsor you.

If you claim your father is sponsoring you, be prepared to answer questions such as; how much does your father earn at the end of every year or monthly? What kind of job does your father do? Why is your father spending so much? Why is the sponsor spending so much money to take care of you?

There are times, if an organization is sponsoring you, they go ahead to ask you the number of employees the organization has employed, how long you have been working with them, and why the organization is sponsoring you.

It is not enough to prove bank statements, but it is important to prove that the person who owns the bank statement has enough cash flow from relevant work or occupation.

It is important you prepare around this area because proving your financial capability to support your studies is one of the most important reasons that your visa will be approved or denied.

3. What are your plans after school?

This is another question you must prepare for. As you go for your interview, the consular will want to know your long-term plan after school, and it is based on your plan that will help the consular to determine whether you would overstay or you would return when you are done with your studies.

Even if you have plans of pursuing PhD after your Masters or whatever degree you are pursuing, don’t tell the consular that after getting your Master’s you would want to do your PhD, no. Tell the consular that after getting your Masters, you would come back to your country to other things.

If possible, prove to him or her that you have an organization, you have even a certain letter already. It is an added advantage. Don’t worry if you don’t have that. All that is important is that you prove to the consular that at the end of the day, you have a long term plan that is connected to you coming back to your country to give back to your society.

If you are not able to answer these three questions, your visa will not be approved. Just bear in mind that you must be able to convince the consular about this three line of questions. Even if you fail in one, your visa may be rejected.

4. Why must I give you this Visa?

This is where you explain your career goal and why studying in America will help you achieve your career goals and give back to the society.

I hope that these tips will help you and give you the needed information that you need to prepare for your U.S F1 visa interview.

This guide is going to talk about Spring 2023 Visa updates. In this guide, you will learn all that you need to do to get your U.S (F1, J1) student visa approved for your Spring 2023 term.

Many have deferred their program to the spring term. There are some who have their Visa rejected, as a result, your program was deferred. Some people have just gotten admission and have not gotten a date, they had to reschedule or defend their program to the spring term.

How to get your U.S Student visa approved in the spring 2023 term

1. Get A New I-20.

The first thing you need to do if you’re going for Spring 2023 is to get an updated I-20. If you have gone for a Visa interview recently and you have been refused and as a result you defend your program to Spring, you will need a new I-20.

If you just got admission or admitted into a school that is starting in the Spring, you will also need a new I-20.

Also, if you didn’t get a visa date for the fourth term and you have deferred to Spring 2023, you also need a new I-20. So no matter your situation, you need a new I 20.

Those that have gotten their visas, you need to get a new I-20. You don’t need a new visa because you already have a visa approved. You can enter U.S with your already approved visa, but you will have to update your I-20.

How to get a new I-20

Your school will have to issue you a new I-20 that comes with a new start date that will reflect the Spring 2023 term.

If you don’t do this, if you go for the visa interview, you’ll be rejected. If you don’t do this, if you come to the U.S at the port of entry, you will be denied entry because your I-20 will be outdated bearing the false start date.

Make sure you check with your school to get an updated I-20.

2. Update Your DS-160 Form

The next thing you need to do is to update your DS-160 form.

If you applied for a visa for full time and you didn’t get a visa date, so you have to defer. What it means is that, if you have your old DS-160 form, that old DS-160 form have some information that might be outdated.

For example, expected date of travel, when are you expecting to travel, and when are you expecting to complete your program?

Because you are getting a new I-20 form, which means that those dates will also be new. It is important to update this information on your DS-160. If you don’t do that, that may go against you.

If you have already submitted a DS-160 form, it means that you must fill a new one. Make sure to fill a new DS-160 form and also make sure that you will use the new DS-160 form code to update your profile on your profile.

After you have done that, print a new appointment confirmation. This is very, very important. If you don’t do that, you will have your old DS-160 form on your profile. You may be denied entry at the gate for the interview because your DS-160 form will have a different code and your appointment date will also have a different code. Make sure you correct that.

3. Get Visa Appointment Date.

The next thing you have to do is to make sure that you get a visa appointment date. Many people have dates that are beyond their program started, the embassy has begun opening some dates for people who are coming for the Spring 2023 term. Make sure to regularly check your profile to get a date.

You may also want to consider requesting for emergency appointments if you have not already done so. There are some laws, rules and regulations concerning when and how and what to do and what to use to apply for emergency appointments.

Those are the three things you need to do. After you have done all these three things, the next important thing is to prepare for your interview, and this is the most important aspect of the whole process.

A lot of people rush into the interview and they go and get denied. Getting a US visa approved always comes with a strategy. You must always have a strategy as to what is the best story for your situation. What is the best story that you can tell to convince the consular?

It is not about what you have, it is about convincing the consular. This is where preparation is key. Read this guide below, it will really help you pass your visa interview and get your U.S visa approved.

Read: 5 Things You Must Do In The Interview Room To Get Your U.S Visa Approved

Tip: As you are prepared for your Spring 2023 interview, the most important thing you have to deal with is finances. Many students who have funded or who have good source of funding have a high chance of getting their business approved.

You must prove that indeed you have the funds to support yourself. Make sure that you are well clear about the sources of funding. Why is this person sponsoring you? What is the purpose? How are you connected to the person? How are you related and what is even the reason at all for the person to spend so much to sponsor you?

If you are on scholarship, that is fine.

Tip: How to answer the three visa important question

• Why did you choose this school/university?
• Who is funding you?
• What are your plans after school?

These are the updates on how to get your U.S Student Visa approved in the spring 2023 term.

Your attitude or behavior in the interview room can have an impact on your visa approval. In this guide, we will learn 5 things you must do in the Interview room to get your U.S Visa approved.

Lot of people who had good cases messed up during interview. Many people who had basically nothing but with a right attitude in the interview room, they had their visa approved.

This guide will teach you some of the basic things you must do inside the interview room in order to get your U.S visa approved.

5 Things You Must Do In The Interview Room To Get Your U.S Visa Approved

1. Properly Arrange All Your Documents.

The first thing you must do is to properly arrange and catalog your documents. This will help you to swiftly get access to any documents when asked for during your interview.

Usually, the embassy does not allow people to go inside the interview room with Bags. Get a clear file and arrange your documents in it, in a way that can be easily accessible.

Your passport must come first, followed by your I-20, your bank statement and sponsorship letter, your admission letter, certificate, CV and any documents that you want to carry.

Oftentimes, many people attract a lot of pressure for themselves during interviews because they were asked to show a certain document and they struggled to locate it. This can be worrying and delaying, so you must always try to avoid that, properly arrange and catalog all your documents.

2. Deal With All Your Doubt.

Many people enter the interview room as losers even before they are interviewed. They go for interview with so many doubts and misconceptions.

Many people sees the consulate and start having doubt in their mind. So they go for interviews with so much fear, these people enter the interview room with so much doubt.

The point is, everyone who goes for visa interview has a 50% chance of getting the visa and 50% chance of not getting the visa. So it is 50 50. Of course, we go for interview with different cases, but no one’s visa is guaranteed.

So why don’t you trust in that 50% chance of getting the visa? Instead of thinking about the negativity. Yes as humans, sometimes the negativity comes into our mind, but we shouldn’t dual much on that.

Also, there are some misconceptions that people take as long as they go for interview. Many people says that when you go for U.S visa interview, they have already decided the number of people they will give their visas, no matter what you do, you will not get the visa.

There are some people who also say that every day the embassy has specific number of visas the issue and when they reach that limit, everyone will be denied. These are all fallacies. So clear your doubts and be hopeful. Just do your best and leave the rest to God.

3. Focus and keep your calm.

Sometimes while in the queue waiting to be interviewed, we see and hear our friends being interviewed, being rejected and some being approved. This kind of things put pressure on us.

There are some people who say to themselves, I want to go to this consular, I wish I can get this woman, this man is really rejecting people, I want to avoid him. Some of these things can affect your focus and it can really distract you, stay focused.

Assuming you have seen a certain consular rejecting people, if you don’t take care and you go to that consular, you may mess up.

Don’t allow the rejection or approval of someone in front of you or someone being interviewed before you, affect the way you approach yours. Keep focus and be calm.

4. Smile and keep eye contact.

This is the most important thing, Smile and keep an eye contact. Whenever you are answering your questions at the interview, try to give a soft smile, let it be natural, let it be engaging. Don’t try to be too hated, don’t try to be too serious.

Don’t try to be sharp and don’t try to be anxious. Try to be yourself. Don’t go and give fake smile.

Also, when you are giving responses, keep an eye contact. Usually, in America people believe that when you cannot look them in their eyes and talk, it means you are not honest or you are lying about that thing you are talking about.

So it is important to keep an eye contact and give a soft smile, don’t think it, let it be natural.

5. Be Smart and don’t talk too much.

It is important to be aware that there are times you may be asked a question that you have no idea about or a question may be put to you in a way that will get you confused. Don’t worry. Try to be smart at that time.

Always, it is the smartest people who get their visa approved. Avoid talking too much. Always be brief and specific. Don’t forget to keep your confidence moderate. Don’t be overconfident or under-confident. Try to be yourself. It is not about life and death matter.

Don’t enter the interview room with the mindset that I must get this visa by all means and at all costs. Of course, that is what we all expect. But sometimes go into the interview room well relaxed and expecting all possibilities.

When you do that, it makes you relaxed, it makes you comfortable and it releases some tension of you, and that can go a long way in helping you in articulating your point.

I hope you will find this information useful. Thank you so much for reading this guide.

I wish you all the best as you go for your interview.

DISCLAIMER: This post and content is designed for general information only and is NOT legal advice. The information presented in this post should not be construed to be formal legal advice. If you need legal advice, you may contact a licensed attorney.

In this guide we will learn those documents required for B1/B2 U.S Visa Interview. All the B1/B2 documents checklist for your U.S Visa Interview in 2022 that will make you successful.

B1/B2 visas are temporary visits that allow you to travel to the United States for visit, for tourism, for conference, for funerals, for graduation, for medication, for business meetings and so on. If you are applying to travel to U.S for any of these categories, you will need B1/B2 Visa.

Documents Required for B1/B2 U.S Visa Interview

If you are preparing for your U.S Visa Interview, make sure to check these B1/B2 documents checklist which have grouped this into two-part, primary documents and secondary documents checklist for B1/B2 visa applications.

Primary documents checklist for B1/B2 visa applications

Below are the primary document that you will need for B1/B2 visa.

1. Passport

You will need a passport that is valid for at least six months.

2. DS160 Confirmation Page

When you filled out and submitted your visa application form, you receive a confirmation of submission. You must always print this page and add it to your documents.

3. Visa Fee Receipt

You should always go with your visa application fee payment receipt.

4. Photo

You must upload this photo during your application, but if you are unable to do so, you must get copies or hard copies of these photos with you when you are going for your interview.

Even if you were able to upload your photo during your application form, make sure you take some photos with you when you are going for your interview.

Secondary documents checklist for B1/B2 visa applications

Supporting documents are documents that you will need to prove your purpose of travel to the United States, your financial support, and your ties back home. Below are this document:

1. Documents for purpose of traveling

(i) Invitation Letter: For purpose of travel, we are talking about invitation letters from the person you are going to visit. If it is a conference, you will still need an invitation letter from the organizers of the conference.

(ii) You will need an itinerary: This is a list of your activities in the United States. If you are going for a visit, you can type and print all the places you would want to visit and add it to your documents. If you are going for a conference, you will need a brochure or the program outline of the conference.

(iii) Accommodation reservation: This details where you will stay while in the United States. Usually this should be part of your invitation letter. But if you are going for your own tourists, assuming no one is inviting or you are not going for a conference and you are going for your own vacation and tourist, you will need a hotel reservation.

(iv) Photo I.D of Invitee: The next document is photo ID of the person you are visiting. If the person you are visiting is a U.S Citizen, you will need his/her ID page of his/her passport.

If the person is a green card holder, you need a photocopy or scanned copy of his green card front and back. Or if the person is in U.S on a visa, like an F1 visa, you are coming for graduation, you will need a passport ID page and the visa page of the person you are visiting.

2. Financial Support Documents

Financial support documents are documents that prove your ability to support your trip. These documents are:

• Bank statements, if you are sponsoring yourself
• An affidavit of support, if your sponsor is in the U.S.
• Letters of sponsorship, if you are going for a conference and any means of proof of funds that you have document to prove.

3. Documents to prove home ties

These are documents that will show that you will come back after your visit or your conference in the United States. Below are the documents:

• Employment letters, if you are employed, you need your employment letter.
• Leave letter i.e a letter from your employer or organization stating that you are on leave and you are using that leave for your visit in the U.S or you are going for a conference.
• School letter: You will also need letters from schools or school registration documents, if you are a student.
• Business or financial documents: You will need businesses and financial documents to prove your asset and your ties back home.

Sometimes you also need some family documents such as marriage certificates and pictures. Also, remember to include any other documents you believe can help your case.

This guide has answered the question, what document should I bring to a US B1 B2 visa interview? Because this is all the documents you need for your B1/B2 visa application. Always remember to prepare well to go for your interview.

DISCLAIMER: This post and content is designed for general information and educational purposes only, and is NOT legal advice. The information presented in this post should not be construed to be formal legal advice. If you need legal advice, you may contact a licensed attorney.

Do and don’ts in U.S visa interview: In this guide, you will learn top 5 mistakes that people do when they appear for visa interview. Are you ready to learn those top mistakes people do inside the interview room and how to avoid them? Let’s get right into the full details.

Many people get their visas denied not because they don’t have good funding or they don’t prove ties to their home country, no, that is not the point. Many people get their visas denied because of some attitude that happened during the interview room.

Your poster, attitude and behavior you take into the interview room can affect your visa approval.

Top 5 Mistakes People do Inside the Visa interview Room and How to avoid them

Below are top 5 Mistakes People do Inside the Visa interview Room and tips on how to avoid them:

1. Fear.

A lot of people enter the interview room with fear. They go inside the interview with a lot of misconceptions and others who have heard so much about the interview process that makes them afraid.

There are some people who become so anxious about the process that all that they are thinking of is getting my visa approved, getting my visa approved. So they go into the interview room with a lot of anxiousness and fear.

One thing fear does is that when you go into the interview room with fear, it affects the way you flow, it affects how you express yourself and ultimately your visa gets denied. Consulares are looking for people who can speak and defend their case with confidence.

So when you go to the interview room, even if you have good story, you must present your good story with confidence, not fear. The best way you can overcome fear is to prepare well for the interview by practicing sample questions and how you answer them.

2. Don’t decide the V.O or Consular you want.

Many people get their visas refused because during the interview they decide the kind of consular they want to go and those they want to avoid.

The fact that a consular is denying people that does not mean when you go, you will be denied. Many people go to the interview room and because in the interview room we can hear what has happened, we can see and hear consulares approving and rejecting people, it affect their focus.

Make sure that inside the interview room you remain focused irrespective of whatever is going on around you, irrespective of whether the consulares are approving people or they are not approving people. Go and perform, and go and present your case.

Also, many people have heard a lot about some consular. Even before they enter the interview room, they are hoping to avoid that consular because one of their friends told them that this consular is wicked, this consular do not get visa approved.

So assuming you go with this mindset and it is that consular that you go to, it will affect you and it will affect your performance and your visa will be refused because you wouldn’t get the confidence and the courage to defend yourself. So avoid that.

Go to the interview room prepared. Irrespective of who will interview you, go to the interview room prepared.

The U.S consulares are trained equally and although they are individuals who have their personal judgment, when you go and prove and establish that you qualify for the visa, your visa will be approved.

Every consular is put there to make sure that they approve visa. They approved qualified people. If you qualify and you meet their satisfaction, you answer your questions so well, your visa will be approved.

3. Don’t Speak Too Much.

Speaking too much is part of the common mistake that people do. Many people visa get rejected because they spoke too much. They don’t answer questions based on what the consular asks them. They try to be impressive. They try to impress the consular by speaking too much.

In the interview room, you don’t give more information than the consular needs. Always understand that the interview is detected by your response. The response you give to the consular may require a follow-up.

If you know you are giving a response that you cannot back it up with a follow up question, avoid it. Make sure that you speak briefly and give only the information the consular needs. Don’t try to impress by speaking too much, talking too much, speaking too much grammar and trying to be somebody you are not.

4. Don’t show documents until you’re asked

When you enter the visa interview room, don’t show documents when you have not been asked to.

For example, there are some people, when the consular asks them who is funding you? They will say is their uncle, aunty or they give a lot of good explanation and they say this is the document, no, that is wrong.

Always allow the console to ask for documents before you show it. Because when the consular is convinced or not convinced and he/she needs a document, he/she will ask you. So be brief and don’t talk too much.

5. Lack of clear communication.

A lot of people get rejected not because they don’t have good stories, not because they don’t have good details, good scholarship, or they didn’t improve ties to their home country, they get rejected because the consular did not hear anything they said.

The consular did not hear any of the answer they gave. They were not able to communicate clearly to the consular.

Make sure that when you are communicating or you are speaking, you speak clear English that the consular will understand. Take your time and speak slowly but clearly for the consular to hear what you are saying, to hear the story you are telling, to hear the point you are making. That is one of the most common mistakes that you can do.

Somebody comes out of the interview, the person gives you his/her transcript and you can see that nothing is wrong with the transcript and according to the transcript the person really spoke with but the problem is the person did not speak for the consular to hear.

The consular did not hear anything that the person said. Also, there are some people, when the consular asks them questions, they don’t hear the question, but they are afraid and they fail to ask the consular to politely repeat their question.

So if you go for the Visa interview and the consular asks you a question you didn’t hear, politely asking to repeat, don’t just assume and speak or answer a question you didn’t hear clearly. This is another mistake that affects a lot of Visa approval.

I hope that this information is useful to you. Thanks.

DISCLAIMER: This post and content is designed for general information only and is NOT legal advice. The information presented in this post should not be construed to be formal legal advice. If you need legal advice, you may contact a licensed attorney.

Do I need a sponsor for the DV Lottery? Am an applicant, how can I find a sponsor for the DV lottery? Who can sponsor me for the DV lottery? This guide will give you answer to some of these questions DV lottery entrants ask always.

Do I need a sponsor for the DV Lottery?

Diversity Visa (DV) applicants do not need a sponsor, such as an employer or immediate family member in the United States, nor are they required to provide an Affidavit of Support.

No DV winner needs a sponsor. You don’t need a ‘sponsor’ for the DV Lottery. All she/he needs is a rational plan for supporting him/herself from the day of arrival until being independently solvent.

This can include savings, family funds, promises for food and lodging from friends or relatives either in the home country or already in the U.S, or any other plan that shows initiative and sense.

If you were lucky enough to win the draw, you must simply figure out – and be able to explain to the interviewing US consular officer – how you will support yourself and get started in your new life in the US.

If you have savings, relatives or friends who will give or lend you money, a relative or friend in the US who will let you live with him/her while you get going, or any other simple, rational and reasonable plan to not starve in the streets, that’s all you need.

If this plan can be explained to the interviewing consular officer and makes sense, off s/he goes to the U.S.

What happens if I win the DV lottery and I don’t have a sponsor nor enough money?

A sponsor, and a large bank balance, are not mandatory for the DV, but the successful applicant must convince the interviewing consular officer that s/he has a well-thought-out plan to support him/herself and any accompanying family members from the day that they land.

That convincing can take many forms and combinations of forms: a legitimate job offer, a friend or relative willing to house and feed the person until he gets on his feet, etc.

Is it compulsory to bring proof of sufficient funds to the DV lottery interview?

A successful DV applicant will, at the time of the interview, have proof of sufficient funds to support him/herself on arrival in the US, or a reliable source of income and support (family member or friend already in the US, promised employment, etc).

If the applicant has no idea how to be able to afford to live in the US without relying on public assistance, the visa will not be issued.

Just be aware that registration for the DV Lottery will only run till about the first week in November so you still have about 2 weeks to register, the official website for the Lottery is (dvprogram.state.gov) check out the registration requirements on the website alternatively you can find information on the Department of State website.

The entry submission period for DV-2024 is from 12:00PM EDT (GMT -4) on October 5, 2022 to 12:00PM EST (GMT -5) on November 8, 2022. The entry form will only be available for submission during this period and this period only.

Entrants may be disqualified for not completing the entry form correctly or by submitting more than one entry.

I hope you find the information useful.

DISCLAIMER: This post and content is designed for general information only and is NOT legal advice. This site is not offering any Diversity Visa and is not the official site for DV Lottery program. The information presented in this post should not be construed to be formal legal advice.

If you have any questions about the DV lottery, please contact an immigration professional/officer or a licensed attorney.

Tourist visa is a visa that allows you to visit a country for a short time on holiday. If you have a valid U.S tourist visa or one that expired within the last four years, you may be able to renew it by mail.

Tourism is an integral part of economic development across the world. However, most people traveling to foreign countries need to apply for a tourist visa.

What Is a Tourist Visa?

Tourist visas are official travel documents issued to foreign visitors for leisure purposes. For example, if you are from Ghana and want to visit the U.S, you need to apply for a tourist visa. Every country regulates its visa policy for tourists, and their corresponding embassies and consulates will help you obtain a visa for short-term visits.

B2 visitor visa can also be referred to as Tourist visa. B-2 visitor visas are nonimmigrant visas for persons traveling to United States temporarily for tourism, pleasure or visiting.

A foreign national traveling to the United States for tourism needs a visitor visa (B-2) unless qualifying for entry under the Visa Waiver Program. Tourism is a short visit for vacation, for visiting family and friends, or for medical treatment.

How to renew tourist visa by mail

According to U.S Embassy Ghana verified twitter account:

“More good visa news! If you have a valid tourist visa or one that expired within the last four years, you may be able to renew it by mail. That takes less than a month. To see if you qualify, visit: https://bit.ly/InterviewWaiver”

The above information was published at the U.S Embassy Ghana verified twitter account on October 28, 2022.

The Consular Section of the U.S. Embassy in Accra is responsible for providing visa services to those seeking to enter the United States for a temporary period and for those wishing to take up indefinite or permanent residence in the United States.

Eventually immigrant visa applicants can share in this exciting visa updates. Until then fingers crossed.

Tourist Visa Guidelines

While you are visiting a foreign country under a tourist visa, you must keep in mind the following rules:

• You cannot work with a tourist visa.
• You cannot do business under a tourist visa.
• You cannot study while you have a tourist visa.
• You cannot become a permanent resident with a tourist visa.

How to Apply for a Tourist Visa?

To apply for a tourist visa, you need to follow these steps:

• Locate an embassy/consulate in your country of residence.
• Assemble the documents required.
• Pay the required tourist visa fee to the embassy/consulate.
• Attend the visa interview.

Some embassies require you to pay the fee before attending the visa interview, while others may ask to pay the same day. Don’t pay money or make any payment to any person, unless the embassy/consulate.

Is it possible to renew a tourist visa?

You must renew your visa at a U.S. embassy or consulate abroad. Only diplomatic visa holders and their dependents may renew them in the United States.

DISCLAIMER: This post and content is designed for general information only and is NOT legal advice. The information presented in this post should not be construed to be formal legal advice. If you need legal advice, you may contact a licensed attorney.

In this guide, we will learn why you may be denied diversity visa even after you have been selected from the diversity visa lottery online application.

You can get selected from the diversity visa lottery online application but these mistakes can deny you your diversity visa. In other words, you may have been selected or you will be selected or you may be selected with these mistakes, but you getting the visa is a dream. You will definitely be denied the visa.

4 Reasons Why You May be Denied Diversity Visa Even If You Are Selected

Below are those mistakes that you can do and you may get selected, but you will not be given a visa:

1. By selecting the wrong country of eligibility

If you lie about your country of eligibility during your application, you may get through the selection process, but you will not be given your visa. You will definitely fail your interview.

2. By selecting the wrong level of education

If you select the wrong level of education, you may get through the selection process, but during the diversity visa processing, you will get denied your visa. Don’t make any mistake when selecting your level of education.

If you have a high school diploma, select the high school degree. If you don’t have select, you don’t have. Don’t lie about your education level, you will definitely get denied your diversity visa.

3. By selecting the wrong marital status

Wrong marital status will deny you the visa even though you get through the selection process.

If you are single, why not select single? Why put married? Because you have a girlfriend, she is not your spouse. You have a boyfriend and he is not your spouse.

If you are single, you select single. If you are legally married, select you are married. If it is to a spouse that is a United States citizen or a green card holder, select married to a U.S Citizen or a legal permanent resident. If it is not a spouse from the United States, select not from the United States.

Don’t lie on your spouse, on your marital status. If you are separated and you have the separation documents, select separated. If you don’t have the legal separation document, you have to select married.

If you are divorced with the divorced certificate, then you select divorce. But if you are divorced and you don’t have the legal divorce documents, don’t select divorce, you have to select married.

Don’t lie about your marital status. You may get through, but you will not receive your visa.

4. By lying on the number of children that you have

Remember, the children that are legally allowed to be added as your derivatives include your natural children, your stepchildren and your legally adopted children, and not anyone else.

Therefore, indicate the correct number of children that you have and include their details and don’t lie in it. Even if you are single and you have a child, include that child.

Those are the mistakes that you may get selected with but you will definitely be denied your diversity visa. Don’t commit these mistakes.

I hope you find the information useful.

DISCLAIMER: This post and content is designed for general information only and is NOT legal advice. This site is not offering any Diversity Visa and is not the official site for DV Lottery program. The information presented in this post should not be construed to be formal legal advice.

This brief guide will give you the answer to the question, which marital status is BEST to use to Apply and Win Green Card (DV) Lottery 2024? Also, DV lottery family application process will be explained too.

This years (2022) DV Lottery Program is called the DV2024 (the year successful applicants may enter the United States) and is scheduled to be closed for applications on November 8, 2022.

Note: Marital status is one of the information you have to declare when doing the DV (Green Card) lottery application.

Marital Status and Children in filling DV-2024 Lottery Application

If you are officially married and with a marriage certificate, the best marital status for you to use is married, and then let both of you apply each one independently and add the other partner as a dependent, it will increase your chances of winning.

If you are customary married and without the legal document marriage certificates, then the best marital status for you to use is single, each one of you should apply as a single person.

If you are not married, then ensure you apply as a single person.

Be truthful in filling information about you, because there is no one marital status that is preferred from the other. They do not prefer married over singles or singles over married.

You just have to indicate the truthful information which you can prove if selected and invited for the interview.

Can husband and wife apply separately for DV lottery?

Yes, if otherwise qualified, a husband and a wife may submit one Green Card (DV) Lottery application each. If you receive a Green Card through the lottery, your spouse and unmarried children under 21 will simultaneously get Green Cards.

Number of children

List the name, date of birth, gender, city/town of birth, and country of birth for all living, unmarried children under 21 years of age, regardless of whether they are living with you or intend to accompany or follow to join you, should you immigrate to the United States. Submit individual photographs of each of your children using the same technical specifications as your own photograph.

Be sure to include:

• all living natural children;
• all living children legally adopted by you; and,
• all living stepchildren who are unmarried and under the age of 21 on the date of your electronic entry, even if you are no longer legally married to the child’s parent, and even if the child does not currently reside with you and/or will not immigrate with you.

Married children and children who are already aged 21 or older when you submit your entry are not eligible for the DV program. However, the Child Status Protection Act protects children from “aging out” in certain circumstances: if you submit your DV entry before your unmarried child turns 21, and the child turns 21 before visa issuance, it is possible that he or she may be treated as though he or she were under 21 for visa processing purposes.

A child who is already a U.S. citizen or LPR when you submit your DV entry will not require or be issued a Diversity Visa; you will not be penalized for either including or omitting such family members from your entry.

Failure to list all children who are eligible or listing someone who is not your child will make you ineligible for a DV, and your spouse and children will also be ineligible as Diversity Visa derivative applicants.

What family members must I include on my DV entry?

If you are married, you must list your spouse and if you have children, you must include all unmarried children under the age of 21. If you are separated, you must still list your spouse. You do not need to list your former spouse if you are legally divorced.

Must I upload a photo for each family member?

Yes, please reference the photo requirements on the DV Lottery Photo Requirements for specific details.

See the Frequently Asked Questions and answers for more information about completing your Electronic Entry for the DV-2024 Program.

DISCLAIMER: This post and content is designed for general information only and is NOT legal advice. This site is not offering any Diversity Visa and is not the official site for DV Lottery program. The information presented in this post should not be construed to be formal legal advice.

If you have any questions about the DV lottery, please contact an immigration professional/officer or a licensed attorney.

DV 2024 Updates: In this guide you will learn the top 15 DV-2024 Lottery frequently asked questions and answers.

TOP 15 DV-2024 Lottery Frequently Asked Questions & Answers

Question 1: What is the DV lottery program?

Answer: The Diversity Visa (DV) lottery program is administered by the United States Department of State. The DV lottery immigration program grants up to 50,000 permanent resident cards annually to individuals worldwide that entered the DV Lottery.

Winners of the DV Lottery immigration program are chosen randomly by a computer drawing conducted, by the United States Department of State.

Question 2: Can I participate in the DV lottery?

Answer: Yes. If you are born in a qualifying country and meet either the education or job training requirement, then you can participate.

Question 3: Can I include my spouse and children?

Answer: Yes, you can include your spouse and any children 20 years or younger on your DV Lottery application. If your application is selected, your spouse and unmarried children 20 years and younger will also receive a permanent resident card.

Question 4: Is there a minimum age to apply?

Answer: No, there is no minimum age to apply.

The requirement of a high school degree or work experience for each principal applicant at the time of application effectively disqualify most people under 18 years old.

Question 5: Five are there requirements for education or work experience?

Answer: Yes, the educational requirement is that you must have at least a high school diploma or it’s equivalent or if you do not meet the educational requirement, then within the past five years you must have had two years of work experience in an occupation that requires at least two years of training or experience.

Question 6: I was born in a country that is not qualified, what can I do?

Answer: People born in countries that are not eligible to participate in this year DV Lottery may claim chargeability to the country where their spouse was born, and you can be charged to the country of birth of either of your parents, and neither parent was a resident of the ineligible country at the time of your birth.

If you were born in AB, a country that is not qualified and your spouse is born in DC, then you can claim DC as your country of birth, and you then qualify to enter the DV Lottery. You also include your spouse on your application.

Question 7: How many DV Lottery applicants will be selected?

Answer: Annually, the United States Department of State select up to 50,000 winners that will be granted a permanent resident card.

Question 8: Can I submit more than one entry?

Answer: No. The law governing the DV Lottery Immigration Program only allows one entry for each person during each DV Lottery year. Individuals that submit more than one entry are disqualified from the DV Lottery.

Question 9: Can I increase my chance of being selected for the DV Lottery?

Answer: No. A computer system will randomly select up to 50,000 winners, giving all applicants an equal chance of being selected. Married couples that have submitted a husband and wife application will double their chances of being selected, as they actually have two valid applications in the DV lottery draw.

Question 10: Can I participate in the DV lottery if I live in the U.S

Answer: Yes. DV lottery applicants that live in the United States or in another country can enter the DV lottery, and you are born in a qualifying country, it does not matter what country you live in today.

Question 11: Can I download and save the E-DV entry form into a word processing program and finish it later? 

Answer: No, you will not be able to save the form into another program for completion and submission later. The E-DV Entry Form is a web-form only. You must fill in the information and submit it while online.

Question 12: Can I save the form online and finish it later? 

Answer: No. The E-DV Entry Form is designed to be completed and submitted at one time. You will have 60 minutes, starting from when you download the form, to complete and submit your entry through the EDV website.

If you exceed the 60-minute limit and have not submitted your complete entry electronically, the system discards any information already entered. The system deletes any partial entries so that they are not accidentally identified as duplicates of a later, complete entry. Read the DV instructions completely before you start to complete the form online so that you know exactly what information you will need.

Question 13: How soon after I submit my entry will I receive the electronic confirmation notice? 

Answer: You should receive the confirmation notice immediately, including a confirmation number that you must record and keep.  However, the unpredictable nature of the Internet can result in delays.  You can hit the “Submit” button as many times as is necessary until a complete application is sent and you receive the confirm

Question 14: I hit the “Submit” button but did not receive a confirmation number.  If I submit another entry, will I be disqualified?

If you did not receive a confirmation number, your entry was not recorded. You must submit another entry.  It will not be counted as a duplicate.  Once you receive a confirmation number, do not resubmit your information.

Question 15: May my spouse and I each submit a separate entry?

Yes, each spouse may each submit one entry if each meets the eligibility requirements. If either spouse is selected, the other is entitled to apply as a derivative dependent.

So there’s top 15 DV-2024 Lottery Frequently Asked Questions & Answers.

DISCLAIMER: This post and content is designed for general information only and is NOT legal advice. This site is not offering any Diversity Visa and is not the official site for DV Lottery program. The information presented in this post should not be construed to be formal legal advice.

If you have any questions about the DV lottery, please contact an immigration professional/officer or a licensed attorney.