American Visa Interview Mistakes To Avoid

Far too many Nigerians, regardless of their preparations, go for American visa interviews at the embassy and come out unsuccessful. This is usually because of some really simple and rather silly mistakes that could easily have been avoided. This post brings some of the really common mistakes people make during American visa interviews that can easily be avoided to the fore.

Dressing badly

Dressing badly for the interview messes you up before you even begin. You should take care to make sure your dressing is right or you would fail the interview. For more tips on how to dress for the American visa interview, see our post on Dress code for the American visa interview.

Arriving late

Getting in late for the interview means you will lose your opportunity. When this happens you lose your chance to even get interviewed. Leaving your house early is one way to avoid this ever happening to you.

Appearing too confident

While confidence is a plus for the American visa interview, appearing too confident or haughty would give off the wrong vibe. You should remain polite at all times, even if the interviewer or the visa office if not being polite to you. Give answers in concise and clear replies in a loud voice so the interviewer can hear you and not get exasperated from having to ask you to repeat yourself too many times.

Saying too much

Talking too much (or rambling) is the undoing of a lot of Nigerians who apply for the American visa. In many cases, it is the extra, unnecessary information the candidate gives that disqualifies the candidate. Remember that while being confident, you should simply answer the questions posed to you and nothing else.

Not researching the school

Some Nigerians apply for student visas to study abroad and, after getting confirmation letters from the school, do not even bother with researching the school they applied to. This can be greatly affect your chances at the American visa interview as one of the questions the interviewer would ask could be “Why did you apply to this school?” Failure to give a satisfactory answer to this question can lead to your visa being disqualified. For more questions the visa officer is liable to ask, see our post on Questions to expect during your American visa interview.

Failure to rehearse

You should rehearse the interview weeks and days before the actual day. Prepare likely questions and quiz yourself. Do not feel confident that you would pass the interview without preparation. Candidates who fail to prepare for the interview usually set themselves up to fail at it and vice versa.

For more tips on how to pass your American visa interview, check out our post on how to pass the American visa interview
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Not having enough supporting documents

This is another mistake that many people make which also leads to them getting disqualified from getting an American visa. Ensure you have supporting documents of projects you are doing in Nigeria, family members, bank accounts etc. so as to support your claims as you answer the questions.