by MediSid!

"If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants/predecessors." – Sir Isaac Newton.

So during my visa preparation, I got good guidance from immihelp.com, path2usa.com, and of course this website and Umar bhai.
The following is my perception and account of the visa hassles I went through to gain my Visitor Visa for electives. I got acceptance from NIH in mid September and from that time I started preparing for my visa interview. I had researched a lot about the visitor visa before and knew that this process is very dicey. So was very freaked about it as I had some shortcomings. Basically, there are three things one should prove to the Visa Officer during the interview. They are the following in order of decreasing importance.
 

1.    Purpose of Visit: For us it is the elective acceptance letter from a GOOD place. Even though I had acceptance from Northwestern, but I did not mention it because my NOC from dean didn’t mention it. And my NIH tag had a VERY positive effect on the VO.
2.    Intent to return: This is easily proved by the letter from dean stating our expected date of graduation, NOC for elective period , approval from dean about that elective, submission of certificates with admissions office.
Because of the peculiar nature of electives, both the above criteria are easily met and the mere mention of electives to the VO makes him believe that he is going for an important task and will come back for sure to complete his MBBS.
3.    Finances: To prove that I can sustain myself in USA. I was in a fix as my Dad is retired and has not believed in liquid investment. So making him a sponsor was risky because he didn’t have much IT return or bank balance. Other alternatives were my brother-in-law in USA or my brother in UK. I choose the latter because sponsoring from US relatives has a very bad effect on your intent to return.
4.    Itinerary: This is also important as it provides a positive boost to your intent to return. For this I had to book a place and have a booking confirmation letter and the details of flight date, airport leaving, arriving etc.
Having made the above decisions I collected numerous documents. I arranged them in four categories to take for interview and to help in retrieving them fast if asked by VO during interview. Also I put paper tabs on important ones to make retrieval more efficient.
Category A (Electives related)
1.    Email Acceptance letter from NIH. (Remember GOOD university has a great impact)
2.    NOC from Dean of home school.
3.    Letter of Accommodation near NIH. I got it at the last minute from a very lovely and helpful lady whom Umar bhai recommended as he also stayed at her place near NIH. Other cheap options are to book beds at hostelworld.com with only 10% down payment (refundable). For a month it was coming to around 80$. Another option is to find an accommodation and get a letter from them stating that you have booked a room from them and will pay $$$$ rent on arrival. Other option is state the address of University you are going and fill in the contact details of your elective co-ordinator/visiting students’ in-charge and when asked during interview say that the university will help you in finding housing.
4.    Flight itinerary. I went to Indian Airlines website and found a flight to Washington (nearest airport to NIH) 2 days before and ahead of my elective period and printed out its details (the page before paying through your credit card). I had planned that if VO asked me if I had booked the ticket, I would say that my travel agent wants a copy of visa before booking ticket, but this is the flight I am going to take, if granted the visa.
5.    Application submission email from NIH.
6.    FAQs and other details of your elective from the university website.
7.    All other correspondence with University regarding elective application.

Category B (Finances)
1.    Letter of support from brother(sponsor). One on plain paper stating that I, Bromedisid S/o, R/o etc is brother of medisid and am working as a doctor in XYZ hospital with $$$$$$ annual salary on fulltime basis. I have personal savings in bank of about $$$$$. I intend to provide for all the following expenses, but not limited to return airfare to USA, domestic travel within usa, food and lodging, medical insurance. I understand that this elective is of xxx months duration. Another one I also took with me was filled I-134 ‘letter of support’ form from him.(though it usually is used by US residents sponsoring visitors there)
2.    Employment letter of brother from his Office stating his status, salary, and time since employment.
3.    Pay slips of brother and his IT returns.
4.    His Bank statements for the last 6 months.
5.    His passport copy with his UK visa.

Category C (Intent to return)
1.    CA letter listing the immovable assets and bank balance of my parents.
2.    Father’s IT return and his Bank statement.
3.    Affidavit from self stating I intend to go for only elective and my brother will pay and I will return back as I have to complete my internship, graduate and also to look after old parents who are partially dependent upon me....blah blah...

Category D (Miscellaneous)
1.    Xerox copy of property papers.
2.    Sister’s GC copy (I had to mention her on form and one should carry a proof that any of your relative in US in there legally)
3.    Certificates Xerox copies of X, XII, research awards etc.

My interview at New Delhi.
Even though I don’t belong to delhi consulate district I chose it because of its acquaintance with students going for electives. All my letters were addressed to US Embassy, New Delhi . After I had amassed all the above documents, I booked the earliest date and went to delhi two days before the interview.

Interview practice questions:
I had several flaws in my applications which could make the VO raise his eyebrows and ask questions. I prepared their answers well. eg
Why is your brother paying ,why not your father.? Because my bro promised that if I did good in medschool and got selected for this elective he would pay for this US trip as a complimentary gift.
Are you planning to visit your sister? No, because I am going there primarily for electives and I don’t have much leave from my college to visit her, but my sister and her family will try to visit me on any of the weekends.  Know all the details about my sister.
Are you interested in residency? Yes if I get an opportunity to get training  Hematology, because it is an ignored specialty here in India.
Why are you going to NIH? What will you do there? What is your subject area? Is this disease common here?

Interview Day.

Was Dressed to kill with tie, blazer and formal . YES!. I wanted to look a professional.  But I felt a bit overdressed, other people were in normal shirts and pants. Even the VO too. But I didn’t want to take any chances in professionalism. Left mobile at home, took only the papers in a plastic bag. Took an auto to US embassy, he dropped me at the gate where visa section is. I was surprised to find a huge crowd of applicants and their well wishers there. I felt ALONE! I went to the entry guard post. He checked my name on interviewee list and passport and made me enter a security check room. I was frisked and then passed onto a hall with pseudo-open roof. I was given a paper token and the visa helper staff came to check my application and stapled my photo on it. There was a huge crowd there and made friends with few people around me. I was waiting for my number token to flash on the LCD tvs. Then my token # flashed to go to counter 9 or sth. Through a long open hallway I entered the interview hall. At that counter I was asked to hand over my application forms 156, 157, HDFC receipt and passport. The lady there checked them, used the stickers of HDFC on passport and I asked her that I need to make some additions on form. She said you can overwrite them simply and legibly. I added my address of stay and itinerary, by a black pen. Then at a common counter I was asked to get my fingerprinting done.
Next was the hardest moment; waiting for my interview. There were numerous counters like in a sophisticated post office and people were sitting in the hall at the numerous chairs waiting for their turn and eyeing the interview process of the applicant standing at the counter. I could hear their answers, but not the VO. Some came happy and some dejected. But on the whole I saw majority of b1/2 visa were granted visa on the counter.
Just before my turn, I was made to stand at a distance behind the counter. When the person ahead of me went away the VO nodded me to come over. The VO was a white male 35yrs old and appeared strict.
VO-*nod-(come here)*
ME –Good Morning
VO- Staring at computer and typing the previous case. (10/20 seconds). Then asked for my passport and forms. I handed over to him through the hole below the glass wall. He flipped through the passport pages to check if I have any visas or previous foreign visits.
VO-On seeing the 156 form. ‘So. You are going to NIH!’
ME- ‘Yes!’
VO- ‘How did you come to know about it?’
ME- ‘From the internet I knew about NIH, searched their programs and this was an opportunity for medical students and I got selected.’
VO-‘How long will you stay there?’
ME- ‘4 weeks’
VO-‘When are you graduating from here?’
ME-‘June 2010. I have the letter from my dean. Do you want to see it?’
VO-No response and typing-staring at computer. ‘Who is your course mentor there?’
ME- ‘Dr Caterina Minniti.’
VO- Who?
ME- ‘Dr Caterina Minniti.’ (I feel he was checking to make sure she was a white and not a desi)
VO-‘What are you going to do research there on?’(he got confused in it being a research elective)
ME- ‘Sickle Cell Anemia’
VO- ‘Is this disease common here?’
Me- ‘Not very common, but it being a part of hematology, I want to make a career in hematology thats why I want to do it. Blah blah.................I though I had bungled it and since sickle cell is not very common here, he would not justify my going there. The VO started typing in computer and I got depressed thinking that he is typing the reasons for my rejection.
Then VO said ‘This will take time, please wait and someone at next counter will ask you more questions.’ He kept my passport. I got relieved thinking that there are chances I may have got the visa.
The counter opened and an Indian lady came and said your case is pending and right now we cannot decide whether to give you visa or not. I replied saying I understand and will wait. She said that you will get email intimation. I was expecting this as I knew I would be put on administrative processing and I had no regrets as long as I am going to get the visa. I had time and I am happy to bear with their process to do extensive security check to strengthen their borders. I left the consulate with springy happy steps met my new friends there who interviewed with me and reached home and called everyone whom I had requested for prayers and support. I also met a med stud there going to JHU for research elective. He had gone to numerous European tours and he was asked just 1-2 questions by the VO as I saw from my seat and then granted the visa. So previous visits/visa to Europe etc are a plus plus.

All that matters to him is where and why are you going and how confidently you answer the questions. He was shooting straight Qs like an experienced sniper, intending to catch me off guard. But I think I had answered them fine. The NIH tag did all the groundwork and since NIH is a US Govt Agency, they rarely reject visa for people going there as I was told by people.

‘In a nutshell, he gave me the visa without even looking at any of the papers except the forms 156.157 which I had so painstakingly procured and arranged with tabs and labels. *sigh*’

Sequel: I had my security check done in 5 days, passport reached my hands within 10 days.     *10 year multiple entry*. 

                         ‘Alls well that ends well’

Best Wishes & Pass it on!
Medisid