Top H4 Visa Interview Questions for Spouses
2018 is going to be a crucial year for the working community in the US on an H4 visa. They must all be praying for a change in the proposed rule, which has put the H-1B visa holder’s spouses on thin ice, since it is highly likely that their careers in the US is in jeopardy.
The new law on the cards proposes to end work authorization of dependent spouses holding H4 visas. Upon implementation, this law would affect thousands of spouses of H-1B visa holders, 90% of whom are Indians.
However, this is only a proposal for now. So, for now, you are free to apply for a US H4 visa, if your spouse or a parent is working and living in the US on an H-1B visa, a non-immigrant work visa issued for temporary foreign workers in the US.
If you have filed an application at the US Embassy in your country, you should be aware of the questions you’ll be asked at the H4 visa interview. For this, I have compiled a list of questions from the experiences shared by people over the years.
Related: Documents required for H4 Visa
Although individual cases will differ, the common approach of the consulate officers remains the same. They are interested in knowing about you, while verifying your relationship with the H-1B visa holder.
H4 Visa Interview Questions
- What type/kind of visa are you applying for?
- Who filed the visa application?
- Where was the visa application filed, the US or India?
- Who scheduled the visa interview?
- How did you manage all the documents for the interview?
- Why do you want to go to the US?
- When did your husband/wife or parent received their H-1B visa?
- Why are you not accompanied by your husband/wife/parent to this interview?
(In case, the H-1B visa holder does not accompany you to the interview.) - What took you so long to apply for an H4 visa while your spouse/parent has been working in the US for so many years?
- Why was your visa application rejected earlier? (In case the application has been rejected previously.)
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Questions about You
- Where do you stay at present?
- Who are you staying with?
- How will you manage your expenses for travel to the US? Name the sponsor.
- Where will you stay in the US?
- Do you have any friends or relatives staying in the US other than your spouse?
Question about Your Relationship with the H-1B Visa Holder
- When and where did you get married to (H1-B visa holder’s name)?
- Was your marriage love or arranged?
- How did both of you meet for the first time?
- Have you got your marriage registered? Can you show us the marriage registration certificate?
- Have you brought some of your wedding photographs?
Lastly, the interviewer might also ask questions related to your spouse, such as their date of birth, highest educational degree, name of university from where they graduated, company they work for, sponsor of their H-1B visa, location of their company, name of their employer and details of their clients.
That’s a lot of questions, I agree. The best way to get through the interview for the H4 visa is to answer all questions clearly and confidently. Make sure you keep a copy of all the necessary documents handy.
Having lived in 3+ countries, worked for companies small and big in the USA, Middle East & India, I have a lot of experience to share about international travel, immigration and living as an NRI in the US. Add me on WhatsApp if you have any queries (+1-408-489-4785)