Prepare for your Visa Interview | Former Visa Officer Travis Feuerbacher

By law, your visa officer has to start from the assumption that you do not qualify. If you show up and say nothing, you get denied. Your job in the interview is to turn that no into a yes. Travis Feuerbacher, Esq. is a former U.S. State Department consular officer who conducted tens of thousands of visa interviews, many of them for students and scholars. He now runs ZF Visa Guides. In this webinar he walks through the full student visa process, what your officer is actually thinking about during those few minutes at the window, how to request an expedited appointment, and how to approach a second interview after a denial. Courtney Jacobson, Director of International Engagement and Support at Homebase, moderates the live Q&A. Visa Interview Prep Hub from Homebase: myhomebase.org/visa-prep-hub-dashboard/ Free visa prep mini courses in Homebase: homebase.english3.com/api/v2/classes/join?code=vis… ZF Visa Guides courses and one-on-one help: www.zfvisaguides.com/a/2147834465/BTe5SeC5 Upcoming free webinars for students and scholars: luma.com/homebase-students Questions: info@zfvisa.com Homebase: myhomebase.org/ This webinar is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For guidance on your specific situation, consult a licensed immigration attorney. Chapters: 0:00 Welcome and introductions 6:20 When to start: the I-20 program start date 7:44 When to schedule your interview 8:51 What the interview is actually like 12:45 The three factors officers consider 15:33 The default decision is no 18:12 Duration of Status: where the rule stands 25:13 Download your I-94 every time you enter 26:54 Free visa prep courses on Homebase 29:20 Q&A begins 29:57 Speaking English if you are coming to study English 32:22 Visa restrictions for Nigeria and other countries 35:13 214(b) refusals: what to do and when to reapply 38:55 Write out a transcript of your last interview 41:57 Too much to say in two minutes: handling interruptions 44:45 Why you should never memorize a script 47:06 Answering "what has changed?" after a refusal 49:14 Bank documents and proof of funding 51:11 Interview timing and whether to defer 54:12 The social media review, step by step 58:36 Travis's top three takeaways