 FN visa interviews for fall 2021 have been on the shorter side, but this is not always the case. In this video, I have with me Cyril, whose interview was really long. It lasted for four full minutes, but he got his visa approved. So this experience will give you an idea of how you can handle long visa interviews Hi guys, my name is Shachi and I am a travel and visa coach. On this channel, you will find tons of useful videos on the US visa process, especially on the FN visa process, we have an entire playlist, so make sure that you check it out. Now long interviews can be really nerve wracking, especially when everyone around you is getting their visa approved in what seems like just seconds. But remember that long interviews does not necessarily mean that it's a bad thing. It just means that the visa officer would like to know more details about your profile or probably more details about the program that you are going for. And the key to cracking long visa interviews is to stay consistent in your answers because a lot of times what happens is that the same questions tends to get repeated. So maintaining consistency in your ideas, in your answers is extremely important. And of course, you need to stay calm, you need to stay collected and answer everything confidently. And this is exactly what Cyril did. Now, before we jump into Cyril's experience, let's take a quick look at his profile. Education, he has done BTEC and MTECH. Work experience, 7 years in banking sector, in general banking and operations. Admit from University of North Texas and the program is Management Science and Quant Methods. And this is his experience. Hi, good morning. Congratulations. Thank you so much. I'm literally out of the world actually. Nice, nice, good, good. Okay, and this is the second time, right? The visa interview? No, this is the third time. Third time, okay. When was the first two times? In 2019 July, exactly two years before. Two years before. Okay, at which embassy will you go? Chennai. Chennai embassy, alright. Yes. So, how was the interview experience? What did that do? I feel that this is the longest interview this year, I guess. Really? Oh, okay. Yes, seriously, because she has interviewed me for over four and a half minutes. She asked me for over 17 to 20 questions, in which almost three to four questions were repeated and cross-questioned. Actually, she started off with the program. Okay. Why this particular program? And I have explained with all the electives that are present in the course, which made me to opt this, because those are in the line of my work experience. And the immediate next question is, why you and me? And then I again reiterated the same answer, because I am not after the university. When I was just checking about the programs, which refers to my work experience, this particular course has caught my attention. And this particular course is being offered in so and so universities. And in which, I have opted to three universities, what I have applied to. So, I am not after the university exactly, I am after the course. Then why did you opt NJIT and why did you get into this UND? Then I have clearly told that I have applied to NJIT, but my admission is still awaiting. And these two universities are one of the top two picks. So, I have applied visa for the UND. Then she said, is the course is not being offered in that university? Then I told, exactly the same course is being offered. But as I said, I am just waiting for the height wins. Okay. Then again she asked me, what are the electives that are present and how those electives are useful to your future career? And told actually having whatever the points that you have told, I have just literally written each and everything. I haven't even modified a single line of it. I have seen our videos like thrice to four times. And even bit by bit of the word, I haven't even modified a word. I have just written whatever the thing you have said into my notes and I have just gone through it and I understood it and just reiterated in the interview that said nothing from my part has been done. The only thing that has been done is... This is your part only, yeah. No, that's not my idea actually. Actually, my ideas were different when I conversed with you for the first time. Then they were changed by you. So I have followed this. So the credit and the interest and everything goes to yourself. I cannot steal it from you. That's my job. That's what I'm doing. Yes, yes. So and after that she asked me, why master's now? That was the first thing actually we have prepared and you said that this might be the core position for the interview. So we prepared a little bit more especially for this question. So I have said everything regarding it, what we have discussed and immediately after that, my previous rejections came into the picture. She asked me, why are you not going to Facebook State University now? Because you applied twice on the same university. Why are you not going to that university? Then I again said that actually, I am not after the university. I am after the course. Back then I was working in IT department and I felt that computer science was the only future. But after having worked for two years again, I realized that the core of the banking is credit and risk and I need to concentrate on my career path but not on the future that is being offered that is only computer science. Then she again asked, why not CS again? Because previously I applied for computer science. Previous question was, why not Facebook University? And the immediate question followed is, why not CS? So I told the same. But answer is the same. So again I told the same answer. Essentially they checked your consistency. The same thing is being asked in different ways to see whether you will say something else. Yes, exactly. So after that, she asked about my funding. That's the only question which was not repeated in the entire interview. She asked only once and whatever the thing you have told, like first we have to say about the major funding portion. So which was a bank loan, I've said it. And then the family savings and then the immobilized, worth of immobilized, that's it. Those are the three sentences that I told. And she was okay with it. And then she has come to what are your future plans? I told, then how come this master's course will be useful for your future in five to six years? Because you already have a six years of experience. Then where are you going to see yourself in the next five years? When I was answering that, she was like she was like staring at me. Because the next equation she asked is actually I made a point in DS163 that I was heading the operations. What I was doing, I was just written in it. Then she again just picked it. Actually, you are now the head of the operations which is a good job and a good job and a good position as well. Then why are you risking it for credit and risk now? Then I said like, actually the core of banking is credit and risk, but not the general operations. General operations can be done in any way by anyone. Even an entry level officer can do it. But only an experienced officer and the officer who has gathered experience in these particular fields and areas can deal with core banking. So that's what I have told. And she was like, okay, it was okay. Then she again asked from how many years have you been dealing with these departments? So I again told that from the last rejection in all these two years, I have gathered experience only in the non-performing assets which is one integral part of credit. So that's I've been doing all these years. So this has got my attention again. So I was into this and I changed my mind in such a way that I should not go back to computer science feeling that that's the only fusion that I had. So she was like, okay then. Then she asked, why only you were saying? So she asked that also, okay. She asked that also. So she's the full worth of your preparation has been to compare it. The best thing that has happened is she did not interrupt me at any point of time in the interview. That's good. She listened to me patiently. Like not even a single second of interruption has been done. Okay, that's easy. Yeah. So why USA? Again, we answered because of the global exposure and the diversified set of people. And even though there are few universities which offer my course in India, but they're at the inception stage. Whereas research is being carried out in the university. And that's the reason that I'm going to US and this research will help me in my future learning and experience. I've connected like why UNT and why US both and I've told her, yeah, yeah, both. And then there arises the last question. What are your future plans? Will you really come back to India? And the only future plan that I've got is to head credit and risk department which is my most area of interest. And my family is back home and all my immobile properties and assets worth rupees two to three crores are present back home. So I need to take care of them because my family is, my parents are a bit old. So I'll come back to India for sure. And apart from this, the major portion is I need to head credit and risk which is why I'm risking my job now and going for the program. It's just because of the program that has motivated me to do so. To come in professional and personal reasons. Yes, exactly. Actually the professional reason was the major part because I have stressed only two to three points on the personal life because... Which is what we prepare and also in the videos that's what I explained, right? That you are a student so the core has to be professional. Yeah. Personal is a supporting factor. You cannot come back for personal reasons. Then there was a 20 second long pause. In which you must be like praying to God. Literally I was praying to God and those 20 seconds felt like 20 hours. Then after 20 second long pause, she turned at me then she told me your visa is up. Then, oh my God, this was the final word that I wanted to hear. So good. That was done and understood and immediately after listening to those words, I was not in senses. So she was handing me back my I-20. I was like, okay, I can take a printout of this again. That's not a big issue. Anyway, I've gathered it and I just ran away. That's it. Okay. But I just wanted to thank you in person because the efforts and the time that you have taken to my profile especially because of the two rejections and what has got my attention from you is you were just literally writing everything what I was saying when you mocked me. You were just writing what are the answers that I was saying. Basically, most of the people doesn't do it. They just say about what they wanted to say and what they wanted the students to do. That's what makes you different from others because you will try to understand what actually student is going to say and what is his interest and what is his future plans. And that made me to feel free with you because you have understand clearly what my intentions are and the effort, time and interest was all paid. So the reason, the motivation to do this is because people tend to get very generic answers which everyone says the same thing, theory, practical, blah, blah, blah. So the point of going in depth of everyone's profile is to bring out unique points. Oh, good night. Bye, sir. Take care. Thank you so much. Bye. Bye. Thank you so much. If you would like my help in preparing for your F1 visa interview feel free to get in touch with me. You can book a one-to-one consultation session with me. This will help you in structuring your answers, preparing your funding plan and working on your presentation and confidence. And of course, before your interview, you can also take a mock interview with me. This will be really, really similar to the actual visa interview. It will be made specific to your profile, to the embassy where you're giving the interview and this will thoroughly prepare you before the main day. So the link for booking the consultation session as well as the mock interview is in the description box below. Do check it out. I also have an F1 prep course and this course has 11 video modules covering all the important aspects of the visa interview and this is a course using which you can prepare at your own time and pace. So the link for the prep course is also in the description box. That's all for this video. Thank you so much for watching. I really hope that this interview experience helps you. Stay tuned, I have more videos coming up. So make sure that you subscribe and hit the bell icon. Signing off for now. I'll see you in the next one. Bye.