Usa - H1b - visa slot in India, Hyd.

1 AM. Refreshing the portal like it owes me money. A slot shows up. I click. "System is processing too many requests…." Bro, you JUST showed it to me.
At this point I've seen the error page more than I've seen my own mother, who, for the record, I would like to visit sometime this DECADE. The woman literally gave birth to me and I can't get a 5-minute window for someone behind a counter to ask me "so what does your company do."

Sharing my experience in case it helps anyone preparing for their US visa interview.

My profile

Indian citizen, recent graduate

Employer: Microsoft

Purpose: Internal conference in Seattle

Visa: B1/B2

The appointment process

Microsoft arranged a group appointment for around 25 employees travelling to the US within a few days. We completed our fingerprints, photograph and visa interview on the same day, at the same location. We paid through US Visa Scheduling, but Microsoft coordinated the group appointment.

There were multiple active interview booths. Around 21 of us got approved, but 4 were refused.

The weird part

All four people who got rejected were interviewed at the same booth, one after another, in the same queue. The queue apparently stopped after those four.

The questions they received were along the lines of:

Why are you going to the US?

How long have you been at Microsoft?

Have you travelled internationally before?

All four were recent grads who had joined Microsoft around three months ago. They explained that they were going for a Microsoft event and had no previous international travel history. The questioning seemed quite brief, and all four were refused.

My interview

I explained that I was going to Seattle for an internal conference with around 1,800 participants worldwide, specifically for early-career employees and recent graduates.

I was also asked about my role, tenure, salary, interview rounds, travel history and reasons to return to India. I answered honestly and directly.

We received our passports roughly one day later.

Honestly, having Microsoft coordinate the appointment and get biometrics and interviews done together was convenient. Big Tech perks, I guess?

Dear All

I'm seeking an available slot for biometric and Consular Interview in any city of India for tourist visa for the US. Kindly intimate if anyone gets to know of such a slot for 3 members of my family at an early date, either due to bulk release or cancellation.

Thanks

Did my B1/B2 interview-waiver/dropbox submission today at VFS Bengaluru.

They only took my current + old passport, DS-160 confirmation page, and appointment confirmation. I had employment/business-support letters with me, but they did not take them.

A few useful updates:
Drop-off fee: ₹1,500 now
Home delivery: ₹1,500 when passport is delivered
They told me processing may take up to 21 days

VFS does NOT do U.S. visa photos
The photo place inside the mall also wouldn’t do a U.S.-spec photo
I found a small photo shop right next to the mall that does U.S. visa 2x2 photos. It’s not properly listed on Google Maps. Go to the left side of the mall, near the food stall, and the shop is upstairs.
Location pin: https://maps.app.goo.gl/Tjudkbm642U2Bbn47
Posting this because the photo situation was the most annoying part to figure out.

I’m 35 - started talking to a girl in India for marriage (because dating an Indian girl in the US is super hard). Should I proceed? Will she get a visa appointment - because if not, I’d rather proceed with the marriage proposal as I do not want long distance marriage.

I applied US B1 visa via Atlys 2 months back. They were committing to schedule an appointment for me by 14 oct but they couldn’t get appointment for me. Now they are saying they can continue search of next 3 months or I can get my creds. Their claim of finding appointment in 2 months is misleading. Any faced similar with Atlys ?
Can you suggest if I should take
creds and find it my own ?

Hi everyone,

I have US B1B2 visa issued in 2016. However, when I try to check its status on the CEAC Visa Status Check website, I keep getting a "No Record Found" message, even though I'm entering the correct details, including the confirmation number and control number.

What's confusing is that a friend of mine, who was issued a visa in 2016 from the same embassy, is still able to check his visa status without any issues.

I'm also facing the same problem when trying to retrieve my old DS160 application (submitted 2016). My friend is able to retrieve his DS160 submitted in 2016, but when I try to retrieve mine using the correct confirmation number, I get the same "No Record Found" message.

Has anyone else experienced something similar with older visa applications?

Has anyone else faced a similar issue? Does this have any other implications?

I'd appreciate any insights or experiences. Thanks!

I have one concern. My father sent me a six-month bank statement on September 2, 2026, but my visa interview is on October 29, 2026.
Will this bank statement still be valid for my interview? The problem is that my father is currently outside the country where his bank is located, so he may not be able to obtain a more recent statement in person.

I created account on US visa scheduling website and paid fees. However I did not get message for drop box eligibility. Am I missing anything? And I am getting No Slots Available message.

Please share your experience.

Thank you.

My wife had a October 5 appointment for her last interview. When are the Manila Visa interviews going to restart? Any idea?

I booked a b1/b2 visa interview for parents and sibling. It is scheduled at New Delhi. Any tips on interview experiences in Delhi and acceptance/rejection chances in Delhi?

Background:
Parents in their 50s, no prior international travel, dad is into business, mom works in a private company

Sister is 27F, single and works in a big company as a software engineer with 40 lpa and traveled to Bali and Vietnam previously.

My background: working on h1 in a big company. married.

Estoy por empezar el proceso para solicitar la visa de turismo a Estados Unidos y quiero hacerlo bien.

Actualmente ya tengo:

Mi pasaporte

La foto digital para la visa.

Lo que me falta es realizar el llenado del formulario y todo el proceso posterior. Me gustaría que por favor me aconsejen y me expliquen:

El paso a paso general desde este punto en adelante

Qué errores comunes debo evitar al rellenar el formulario (como cosas en las que la gente suele equivocarse)

Qué documentos o respaldos extra recomiendan tener preparados (demostración de ingresos, vínculos con el país de origen, etc.) para el momento de la entrevista o el trámite o el formulario

Contexto por si sirve: soy argentina, estoy en el último año de abogacía y trabajo en una estética actualmente, pero estoy sin contrato.

Agradezco de antemano cualquier consejo o experiencia que puedan compartir!🙏🏻

Hello everyone!
I had a query regarding sponsorship question in visa interview
My sponsor is a government employee who has limited income but he has had some savings and can spare the cash
What’s the best way to tackle this situation in interview
Any help will be appreciated!

Hey everyone! i was hoping you could help me out here. for some reason, i cant seem to find a button to click to book my OFC and consular appointments. I paid about 2 weeks ago but I did not book immediately as I was waiting for a few things to line in place. At that time, i was able to book appointments. Any tips you all could share with me?

i also had another question, is it possible to schedule both my OFC and consular appointments on the same day or do i have to book 2 separate appointments?

Thanks a ton for your help!!