I’d promised to write about our US visa interview experience. So here goes.

In general, two human traits standout with respect to the topic of a US Visa:

1. The amount of advice you receive on what to do and what not to do.
2. The way people transform themselves on the day of the interview.

But first, some background.

I was required to visit our office in Palo Alto for a month for some brainstorming. Since D had a whole bunch of accrued vacation time, I thought it’d be awesome to take her along with me. A, who’s D’s best friend (and mine too!), stays very close to Palo Alto and so does one of D’s cousins. So it didn’t require any convincing from me. :-) I’d be applying for a B1 through office and D would be applying for a B2 on our personal expense. My plan was to schedule our interviews together. But as word goes out, advice starts pouring in.

I’ve consolidated below all the well-intentioned-but-wrong advice that I received from various quarters.

• Don’t ever mention – both while filling-up the application form and in-person during the interview – the fact that you have friends residing in the US.

• Don’t ever mention – both while filling-up the application form and in-person during the interview – the fact that you have family/relatives residing in the US.

• Don’t ever mention – both while filling-up the application form and in-person during the interview – that you plan to stay with friends/family/relatives instead of at a hotel.

• Apply for and get your B1 Visa first and only then think about applying for your wife’s B2 Visa. Don’t ever mention – both while filling-up the application form and in-person during the interview – the fact that your wife plans to accompany you to the US.

• Your wife won’t get a visa since it’s her first travel to the US.

We have friends who reside in the US. We have relatives who reside in the US. We plan to stay with a friend and not at a hotel. We are applying for respective Visas together. That’s what we declared on the application form. Why hide the truth?

And, for the actual interview:

• You don’t need to dress differently just because you’re applying for a particular type of Visa. D and I were perhaps the only ones around in casuals.

• You don’t need to quote canned answers from memory.

Based on my experience, I have only one advice to share: Be truthful while filling-up the application form and be yourself during the interview. Nothing more. Nothing less. Turn a deaf ear to everything else that you hear.

As for us, we had our visas approved in less than two minutes.