H4 visa: Questions asked at the port of entry
March 3rd, 2010 by Ridhima SuriThe overwhelming response to the posts related to H4 visa prompted me to write this small post on questions asked at the port of entry in the U.S. Please note that each case is different and the line of questioning varies for every individual.
Recently I went to India for my H4 stamping. I got a new visa stamped in my passport. Here is the conversation between me and the interviewing Immigrations Officer at San Francisco International Airport. Hopefully it will help people coming to the U.S. on the H4 visa.
Officer: Good evening, how are you today?
Me: Hi. I am doing great. Thanks.
I handed the passport along with the Customs form/I-94 (we received these documents on board).
Officer : Thank you. Why did you visit India?
Me: I was visiting family.
Officer: Could you please verify your husband’s name?
Me: Yes. His name is ——-
Officer: Where does he work?
Me: He works in (name of company).
Officer : Where is place of work?
Me: Well, he goes to Mountain View for work.
Officer: Mountain View, huh, its a great place to work!
Tags: H4, H4 visa, h4 visa interview, H4 visa port of entry
Tips for H4 visa interview
January 24th, 2010 by Ridhima SuriRecently I was at the New Delhi Embassy of the United States for my visa extension. As expected the process was very systematic and streamlined but I’d like to share my observations. I observed that there was almost a 2 out of 3 refusal rate in the H visa category! Green slips were being given to many around us like peanuts. I am writing these tips to help people who are preparing to give H1/H4/B1/B2 visa interviews in the near future.
1. Use a new photograph for each interview
Please do not use old photographs for visa extension interviews. If you have used a photograph in your previous interview, please do not give the same photo. The U.S. Embassy looks for recently clicked photographs.
2. Follow the rules
The goal of the consular officer is to determine that you do not intend to immigrate permanently to the U.S. and/or work in the United States (if you are applying for the H4 visa). Be straightforward in answering the officer’s questions. Carry all the necessary documents to provide additional insight about your professional and personal life.
3. It may be your first interview but not the consular officer’s!
Tags: h4 visa interview, H4 visa refusal, H4 Visa Related, tips for H4 visa
Online Personal Branding
November 25th, 2009 by Ridhima Suri
Living in a networked world
In a world so wired and so connected it is impossible to have privacy. Having said that another angle to look at the issue is ‘who wants privacy?’ About a decade back if someone did something interesting he would share it with friends and family via letters or verbal discussions. Many times the ‘news’ shared was stale and not interesting. Fast forward to today’s networked era. Many folks are connected online on Facebook, MySpace, Geni, LinkedIn, Orkut, Twitter, Youtube and other social/professional networking platforms. ‘News’ means ‘now’. ‘News’ means changing Facebook and MySpace updates @ ‘now’. ‘I am having a coffee at Starbucks’ or ‘I am waiting for the Caltrain’ or ‘I am in a conference’ or ‘I went clubbing till 4 am’ or ‘I am going dolphin watching’ are very common status updates. Hence, there appears to be a seachange in the way news is shared today as compared to a decade back.
- People can be tracked by their Facebook ‘bar codes’ so to speak. Compare a person’s social profile to a package sent via post. The package has a tracking code and can be tracked easily. It is easy to check the delivery status of the package. The online profile is the same. It is estimated that out of 300 million active Facebook users, almost 50% log onto Facebook everyday!
Tags: brand, online advertising, online branding, online marketing, online personal branding
Treat your Roomba like a child..:)
November 21st, 2009 by Ridhima Suri
Initially I doubted our Roomba purchase. I thought that purchasing the Roomba was not a very wise decision. While the I-Robo cleans your home, it requires intensive cleaning and care as well. The moment I reconciled with that fact as given, I realized that the Roomba is perhaps one of the best home vacuuming technologies.
You will like the Roomba for the following reasons:
- It will clean your home and pick up every spec of dust it reaches on the floor.
- It is good for wooden floors and carpets.
- It is self driven, self motivated!
- It will dock itself once the vacuum is complete and charge automatically.
- It will take many more passes than you can possibly do with regular vacuuming.
- It will keep going until it is 100% satisfied, runs out of battery or needs cleaning.
How to make peace with Roomba?
I know the frequent cleaning of brushes can be annoying. Think of it this way- you have to clean Roomba like you ordinarily clean your vaccuum cleaner. Another way to reconcile is to take care of your Roomba like a child. Clean it. Help it when it gets stuck. Listen to it when it beeps for help.Clear the ground of all things the Roomba (or baby) can put in mouth! Share the duty to clean it with your wife/husband. Let it play and voila! your home is clean!
Tags: floor vacuum, gadgets, Review, Reviews, roomba, roomba review, vacuum cleaner, vacuuming
