In this article you will learn how to prepare for and pass U.S Tourist B1 and B2 Visa interview. So if you have one of these interviews coming up, please do make sure you read this guide from beginning to end, because it will give you good idea on U.S Tourist B1 and B2 Visa Interview Questions & Answers.
USA Tourists B1 and B2 Interview
This guide will cover below topics.
- How to prepare for your USA Tourist B1 and B2 Visa interview;
- What to expect during the interview;
- Sample of USA Tourist B1 and B2 Visa interview questions and how to answer those questions, so that you will be fully prepared.
- USA Tourist B1 and B2 Visa interview checklist. This checklist is a simple form that you can go through and that will make sure you are fully prepared for this interview.
- Documents required for the USA tourist visa interview.
What happens during the interview?
You will be asked a series of interview questions by an officer and the number of questions that you will be asked can vary. It depends on the answers you give. However, it could be around eight interview questions in total.
So you need to prepare for eight interview questions, which we will learn in this article. The questions asked will be dependent on the officer who is asking the questions and more importantly, the answers you provide. Make sure you prepare for the interview questions.
How you answer the USA Tourist B1 and B2 Visa interview questions is really important. It is also essential you come across in a friendly, positive and cooperative manner. You have to be honest in your answers, do not lie. Make sure you are Truthful in everything you do.
What to do at the interview
- Make sure you get to the interview location with plenty of time to spare, do not be late. There will be lots of people there waiting to be interviewed. So make sure you get there organized and go through that checklist to make sure you have all of your documentation with you to make the officer’s job as seamless as possible.
- Be personable, polite and respectful. Be friendly, be confident when you go there for your interview.
- Maintain eye contact with the interviewer or the officer who is asking the questions.
- Be honest in your answers to those questions being asked, that’s really important.
- Be accommodating and don’t be defensive in any of your answers.
Let’s work through those USA tourist B1 and B2 visa interview questions and answers.
USA Tourist B1 and B2 visa interview questions and answers
Question: Can I see your passport?
Tips to Answer: Have your passport ready because this will be the first thing that they are going to say to you.
So when you hand it over to the officer, just say:
“No problem, I have it ready for you right here”
Then just give it to them. Do say something when you hand over your passport, don’t just hand it over and don’t say; “Hello, No problem at all.”
Question: How long are you planning staying in the U.S?
Tip: Just give a short, concise and honest answer that you can back up with evidence if needed.
So you should say:
“I plan to be here for just two weeks”
And then show evidence of your return flight ticket. This is one of the things that you should take with you, because one of their concerns because some people want to go there to stay, and they want to work, which you can’t under this visa.
So say, “I plan to be here for two weeks or however long you are planning to stay there for” and then show evidence of your return flight ticket, because that then proves that you are planning on leaving for sure because you’ve already got your ticket.
Question: Have you ever been denied a visa before?
Tip: They will check, so be 100% honest in your answer. So it’s either yes I have or no I haven’t. But if you’re dishonest, your visa is likely to be declined. So please don’t be dishonest. Be Truthful and just say yes or no.
Question: What’s the purpose of your visit to the U.S?
Tip: You have a couple of options when answering this interview question:
- You might be visiting for personal reasons, perhaps on vacation, visiting a tourist attraction, or maybe visiting friends and family, etc.
- Or you might be there in the USA for visiting for business purposes. You might be attending a business meeting or attending a conference for example.
So if you are able to take along with you any evidence of the purpose of your visit, such as:
- An invitation letter from a friend or relative or an invitation email;
- A booking form for a visit to a tourist attraction for example;
- A booking confirmation slip of your attendance at an event or a conference, etc.
Do take along with you some evidence of why you are going there; the purpose of your visit; What is the intent? Why are you going there? Because they want to know that.
If you say:
“I’m just visiting friends”, then you are likely to get asked additional questions around the reasons for your visit to the U.S.
So you should either say:
“Yes, I’m here on vacation and I’m going to visit a number of places.”
Or you might say, if you’re visiting friends:
“I am here visiting my friend whom I went to College with.”
Say who your friend is, because then they will say to you… “Where is your friend right now?”
So do be prepared for additional questions if you are visiting friends.
Don’t forget – There are strict rules in regards to visiting the U.S for business purposes, so make sure your business trip fits in with the criteria that is permitted.
Question: What’s your employment? What do you do? What is your work?
Tip: Again, be honest in your answer to this question. If you are unemployed, it’s no problem. But just explain how long you’ve been employed for and be prepared for additional questions around your intent for visiting the U.S.
So say:
“I’m currently between jobs, but when I return back home I have a few interviews lined up as I am looking to get a new job in sales (or something like that).”
That shows that you are prepared for when you go back, you’re looking for work. But specifically you are not going to the U.S to work because you can’t do under this visa.
Question: Are you traveling alone?
Tip: This is a very easy question to answer – a simple “yes” if you are on your own is fine, or “no, I am traveling with my mom”, for example.
But if you are traveling with somebody else, then the officer would expect them to be with you.
Question: How will you support yourself whilst you are in the U.S? How do you intend to support yourself?
This is another pretty much guaranteed question.
Tip: Make sure you provide evidence of how you intend supporting yourself whilst you are visiting the USA.
If you have sufficient funds for your stay, for example, prove it by any of the following means:
- It might be your latest paycheck.
- It might be a bank statement.
Take along a couple of these with you so that you’re not going there and you haven’t got sufficient funds to support yourself while you’re there. If you’ve got money in your bank account, then take along your paycheck with you or your bank statement to prove it.
Or let’s say a friend or a relative is going to support you. Then take along a letter with you that says that they are prepared to support you during your stay.
USA Tourist B1 and B2 Visa interview checklist
Let look at the USA Tourist B1 and B2 Visa interview checklist:
- Make sure you have your passport with you.
- Make sure you take your return flight tickets or a booking confirmation by email, for example.
- Evidence of any funds that you have to support yourself whilst you are over in the US.
- Perhaps a letter of invitation or an email invitation from a friend or a family relative.
- A booking confirmation for any of the attractions that you are going to visit, or perhaps even you’re booking a hotel or a conference center.
- The exact reason for visiting and if you’ve got any kind of evidence to prove why you’re visiting the U.S.
- Make sure you know the location of your interview and get there with plenty of time to spare.
- Always be polite, cooperative, be honest at all times, smile as well, do not lie and don’t forget to maintain positive eye contact. Do not be defensive in your answers.
In summary
If you are applying for a U.S B1 Visa or a B2 Visa, you will have to go through an interview with the consular officer at your U.S Embassy. This guide have covered the following topics related to B1 B2 Visa Interview below:
- How to prepare for B1 B2 Visa Interview
- B1/B2 Visa Interview questions and answers
- Best practice tips for a USA tourist visa.
- Documents required for the USA tourist visa interview.
Disclaimer: This site is not owned by any U.S Government Agency or an Immigration attorney. The contents in the site is for informational purpose only, collected from various public domains. You may need to contact an Immigration Attorney for your specific immigration needs.
I hope this guide has been helpful to you. Thanks.