My VISA Interview Experience

Nowadays, if you’re working in a software company, going onsite (esp. USA) is like an important field to be filled in Matrimonial Resume. I also thought that I can also go someday. Not that I wish to go to USA. I didn’t join college on my own wish, and I didn’t join job on my wish. Because that is what everyone else around me did. So I just followed them like in a sheep’s herd or you could say herd mentality. Now everyone in my herd wants to go to US, so I also wanted to go, that’s it. I didn’t have either confidence or enough stuff to search a job outside. So I decided, no matter how much time it takes to go to US in the current project, let’s just stay here and wait for our turn. But everything didn’t go in the way it is supposed to be. It seems they lost the ‘Approved’ stamp in the consulate office; they keep rejecting everyone’s VISA one by one. So I totally lost hope in that and decided to try for a job in another company in Chennai or Bangalore.

During that time I was asked to initiate the VISA processing in my Project. So I was preparing resume for both VISA and my job. I didn’t show any interest in the VISA processing, as I knew it’ll get rejected any way. So my Manager needed to remind me 10 times to do every single step. Then I took a photo for my VISA which looked very worse that anybody could say that my VISA will be rejected by just seeing that Photo itself. I just looked like a beggar in that. Some people suggested taking photo once again. I didn’t show any interest in that. Then I got the VISA Interview date finally.

A few days before the interview, I was called for briefing by my travel department. They explained the repeated questions asked in the interviews and how to answer them, and what are all the documents we need to carry with us. And finally they also explained that it is near impossible to get VISA no matter whatever we do or however we perform. In the briefing, I met a guy who‘s interview date and timing is same as of me. We were just chatting for some time. He applied for H1 VISA and he was pretty confident that he’ll get the VISA. As I’m applied for L1B and everyone who applied for L1B hot rejected in my project, I was pretty much confident that mine will be rejected.

The interview is on Monday. That guy called me on Friday evening and said “Shall we go together for interview in a Taxi; it’ll take just 500 rupees”. I asked why we can’t we go by auto/train as it will take much less amount. He said “if we go by auto/train we’ll get tired by the time we reach there, out shirts may get spoiled in sweats, so if we go by Taxi we can attend the interview freshly”. I thought “you will spend as much as you want as you’ll get the VISA, why I need to spend 250 for getting rejected”. But somehow I agreed for that. He called me again on Saturday and said “if we come back also in Taxi it seems it’ll take just 750, what do you say?” I thought of getting rid of him and going alone by Auto/train. But then I thought, if I go alone, anyway I’ll do lot of comedies in the name of adventure and I won’t reach there on time, so I agreed for that also.

Sunday morning I was searching for a shirt to wear for the interview. I found a white shirt in the midst of pile of (dirty) clothes. It was last wore by my roommate whose VISA also got rejected. I thought of washing and ironing that shirt to wear for the interview.

Sunday afternoon – I thought “what if I didn’t wash the shirt, only in the collar it is little dirty, let’s just apply soap just there and iron it”.

Sunday night – I thought “what if there is dirt in collar, any way it won’t be visible outside, let’s just iron and wear it for the interview.”

Monday morning, I woke up at 7 AM and thought “anyway it is going to get rejected, so who cares whether I iron the shirt or not”. I just stuffed the shirt onto my bag and wore one T-Shirt and got ready. The taxi came and he was already in there dressed like a District collector. He asked “are you going to wear T-Shirt?” I said “no, I have my shirt in the bag I’ll wear when we reach there”. Before he starts to ask anything about what I prepared for interview, I took one of my novels and started reading. When we reached Consulate office, I changed the T-shirt and wore my Shirt. He laughed and said “you didn’t iron your shirt at all?!?!......”. I felt like hitting him in the face. I didn’t reply anything. We went and stood in the long line outside the office.

It started drizzling and I used my file as umbrella to cover my head. There were some people selling umbrellas there and he said “Hey!! Lets buy an umbrella or our dress will become wet”. He asked the umbrella guy “how much is an umbrella?” he replied “small one is 100 and big one is 150”. He said “lets buy a big one so we both can cover our head”. I started calculating “for taxi 750, which will somehow become 800-850; umbrella 150; totally it will come around 500 each, hmm…this month I should start begging in the middle of the month itself”.

We went inside after sometime and got the tokens and were waiting. He asked me “hey!! Do you know one thing?” I asked “what?” he said “My girlfriend is waiting outside; I can’t wait for the interview to get over”. My empty stomach started burning like a stove full of gas. “Lucky *********, he is going to get VISA and his girl is waiting outside, did I ask him to tell me all these things *****”. Few minutes later his token number was called and the interview got over in 2 minutes and he got VISA. He said ‘All the best’ to me and went outside.

I was waiting alone and am really worried. The token number won’t be displayed anywhere. I have to listen when they call my number. For me, ‘Listening’ is as difficult as getting VISA, may be more than that. I waited for more than 30 minutes, yet my number has not been called. I started to worry much. Then after few minutes, they called some 7-8 numbers continuously and the numbers were in order. So I somehow listened to that and went and stood in the Gate 8. 7 members were standing in the line, 3 before me and 3 behind me and Interview was going on for one girl.

Time was 11:15. Waiting till 11:20, 11:25, 11:30…but still the interview is going on for that same girl. I thought the interview will be over in 2 minutes irrespective of the result. I peeped to see what is going on inside. The person taking interview would be around 50 years of age. The way he was talking to that girl and the way the girl is shaking her head, it didn’t look like an interview, it was like a student getting scolding from Principal. 11:40 and it was going on still. I got freaked out. I got worried as I didn’t prepare anything and I can’t just blabber for 30 minutes, which will be very embarrassing. I started looking through my resume and petition to see what are all mentioned there.

Then finally the girl came outside at 11:45, don’t know what the result is. The next guy went inside and said ‘Hi’ and came outside. When asked, he said the guy told him that he came to a wrong panel. The next guy went inside and the same happened. Then the next guy went inside and the interview started for him. I’m the next guy waiting outside. Then I just turned back and found that the 3 persons standing next to me were not there. I looked everywhere and I couldn’t find them. I don’t know where they went and I started worrying whether they called the numbers again to some other panel or not. I’m not sure whether I’m standing in the right queue. I got totally confused. Then the guy came outside and I went inside. Before seeing my token itself the guy inside asked me “why you want to go to US?” In confusion and fear, I started blabbering as “I work for TCS, going to Motorola..Onsite……..” and I got stuck. Then he said “you have come to the wrong panel my friend” and returned my token.

I came outside and started searching every panel searching for those 3 persons, but I couldn’t find them anywhere. I was roaming here and there for few minutes and stood still at one place not knowing what to do next. “I did it..I thought everything is going smooth, but here I’m, again messed up. The guy who came with me got VISA and romancing his girl outside, I’m here standing without knowing what to do, where to go; getting rejected after attending the interview is one thing, going back without attending??,it’ll be a shame and everybody is going to laugh at me. 1,37,000 rupees for sightseeing US consulate office???”

After few minutes I again started searching. ”how many time to search the same panels?”. Then I found 2 panels in the corner which is visible for human eye but me. Those 3 persons were standing there, I went and asked “why you guys came here?” One replied “previously they misread the numbers, they called again”. I asked “they called my number also?” He said he doesn’t know. However I stood in the same queue as I have no other option.

I remembered how I answered for the question in the previous panel, so I was preparing on what to say for that question. Everyone’s got finished and I entered inside. The interviewer is a lady and she asked the same question and I said something which I prepared outside. Then it went on for 2 minutes and I said many things as I did which I have never done in my life and won’t ever do in the future. Then she started stamping the passport. I peeped to look what it is, I could see only the letter ‘R’ in bold. I thought it is ‘Rejected’. She gave me my documents and threw the passport in the corner. I looked at the stampings, it is neither ‘Approved’ nor ‘Rejected’, it’s ‘Application Received’. I got confused totally and standing there itself for few seconds scratching my head. She started leaving for lunch and after watching me still standing, she asked ‘what?’ by shaking her head. I said “My passport??...” (In the History of VISA interviews I would have been the only person who asked the passport back voluntarily). She said that they will send through courier. Then only I realized that I got VISA.

It was unbelievable. I came to remember a saying by Orson Welles that “Nobody gets justice. People only get good luck or bad luck.” Here is Good luck for me. After I completely believed that I really got VISA, I called everyone to share the news.

In Phone:

Me: I got VISA.

Roommate: Really? Stop kidding…

Me: I got VISA

My Manager: What?!?!?!?!!!!!!!!!!???!!!!!..........(he shouted in the office).

Me: I got VISA

My Dad: ________________ (No answer…having tears in eyes).

It took some time for everyone to realize that I’m saying truth and to say ‘Congratulations’.