What should you wear to your US visa interview? A former Visa Officer shares her insider advice!

Hi everyone, I'm Mandy Feuerbacher, former visa officer and licensed U.S. immigration attorney, and today we're going to delve into the topic of what you should wear to your U.S. visa interview so you can put your best foot forward. Now, if this is the first time you're watching one of my videos, please hit subscribe if you're really interested in the U.S. visa interview process and how to get your visa stamp approved because I put out new videos on a weekly basis about this mysterious process that happens at U.S. embassies and consulates abroad. This is a process that not all immigration attorneys understand because very few of them have actually been a consular officer and have made decisions on visa interviews and visa stamping the way that I have. But going back to the day of the interview, I get asked this question all the time. What do I wear to the visa interview? How can I show the visa officer that I'm taking the interview seriously, that this is something that I've prepared for, that I care a lot for, without trying too hard? And so this may surprise you, but the answer is actually not so straightforward. That means that there is no one-size-fits-all answer for what you should wear to your visa interview. The best piece of advice I can give you on what to wear is to wear what you normally wear as a part of your work, as a part of your studies if you're a student, but an elevated version. Like you want to look extra nice. And so let me give you a few examples. If you are someone who is applying for an O-1 visa, for example, for Extraordinary Ability, and you are a world-renowned artist, and you love eclectic clothing, crazy clothing that reflects who you are as an artist, I would not want you to wear a button-up shirt and slacks for your visa interview, because that's going to make you feel incredibly uncomfortable. It's not authentic to who you are. You are an artist, so you should dress like an artist. However, I would dress like an artist who is maybe dressing up for an important event where you're receiving an award or having an important business discussion about collaborating with a company. So dress the way that you normally do, but even better because you know that this is an important occasion. Another example that I like to give is that, you know, if you're a student and, you know, you normally don't dress very well, I guess, because, you know, you're always studying, you're normally in sweatpants and a t-shirt. Well, this is a time where you do want to show the visa officer that you're taking it seriously. And so for students, I would definitely make sure that you're dressed nicely, that you're clean cut, that if you have facial hair, that, you know, you have given yourself like a good shave so you look clean and presentable. You don't have to shave off your facial hair. That's not what I'm saying, but I'm just saying you want to make sure that you look very kent and clean and ready and that you smell good, because this is kind of a thing about visa officers sitting at visa windows all day long is that sometimes we're very sensitive to odors coming through the window. And so, you know, if you're applying in the middle of summer and it's really hot and everybody's really sweaty and you're at an embassy where, you know, you're in a waiting room full of people, you just want to make sure that you are not smelling in a way that could, you know, bother the officer or annoy them. You just definitely want to make sure that you're clean. So for students, you know, definitely a little bit more professional than you are as a student, you know, maybe button up slacks, sorry, button up slacks, no button up shirt and slacks, or even, you know, nice jeans, no holes ripped in it. Because sometimes, you know, even if you have holes in your pants and you think that these officer can't see you, they can actually see you walking up to the window. So again, you want to make sure that you are dressed presentably. Now for any other type of profession, you know, perhaps you are a musician and you like to dress a certain way. You know, usually musicians, you know, we can tell you kind of have a swagger. You don't want to completely change your dress code just for something like a visa interview. So wear something that makes you feel like you could be yourself, but also showing that this is an important enough meeting and appointment that you are dressing nicely and you're very clean. Okay. Some other examples. If you are a clothing designer, perhaps you would want to wear your own designs so that when you are talking about your profession and what you do, you can share with the visa officer, Hey, I'm actually, you know, wearing my own designs. Um, that's always really cool to the visa officer to be able to see your work on you. If you are in the performing arts, you're actually an artist. Sometimes it helps when you're wearing your, um, your costume or your uniform. You might think that sounds crazy, but not crazy at all. These officers see all sorts of different types of these applicants. And if what you're wearing is a part of something that is a big part of your life, like your performance outfit or costume, that will be a really interesting subject of conversation. And they'll probably ask you about that. And they'll probably want to know more about what you do. Um, I think that when you've been a visa officer for a really long time, like for example, I was a visa officer for seven years, which is longer than most of these officers do this job. Um, you know, I just have seen so many different types of outfits. And I think the ones that are the most effective are the ones that are true and honest and authentic to who you are. Somehow as visa officers, we develop this sixth sense for being able to tell when somebody is being authentic. And when you're coming in and you're dressed as who you are, somehow that affects how you speak to us, how you answer our questions. And so it makes it easier to connect with you, which is what you want to do with your outward appearance, right? Because it is so important to connect with the visa officer. You only have a few minutes time and they have a lot of experience. If you are wearing something that is really uncomfortable, if you're wearing a suit that you just took out of the bag yesterday, and it still has all of the creases, guess what? These officers know that. And they know that, you know, maybe you're trying too hard. Maybe this is making you really uncomfortable. They take all of that into consideration when they are sort of sizing you up and assessing you for your visa interview. So it is important to dress comfortably and to dress in a way that is authentic to who you are. So I hope that this information is helpful for you, especially if you have a visa interview coming up. If you like this video, please hit subscribe. Please leave a comment, especially if you have ideas for future videos. I love to hear from you guys. And if you want that extra help, if you want professional help on passing your visa interview, especially if you've had problems in the past, book a consultation with me at zfvisa.com and I look forward to working with you and I wish you all the best on your visa interview journey.