B-1/B-2 visa interview questions
Ranked by how often each topic actually came up across 184 reported B-1/B-2 interviews — with the wording applicants remembered hearing.
The questions, most likely first
Share of the 184 reported interviews in which the topic came up at least once. These overlap — one interview covers several.
- 1Purpose of your trip61%
- “How long are you staying?”
- “Where are you travelling?”
- “Why are you going to USA?”
- 2Relatives in the US29%
- “What does your sister do?”
- “Where does your son live?”
- “Who will you be visiting?”
- 3Countries you have visited23%
- “Why did you go to Russia?”
- “Which match, and who won?”
- “Have you travelled abroad?”
- 4What you actually do21%
- “What do you currently do?”
- “What is your current job?”
- “What do you do for a living?”
- 5Ties to home country17%
- “Do you have any children?”
- “Any harm in returning back?”
- “Do you have family in India?”
- 6Your salary17%
- “How much are you earning?”
- “How much do you make here?”
- “What's your annual salary?”
- 7Your job back home16%
- “Are you working in India?”
- “What do you do right now?”
- “What do you do for a living?”
- 8Spouse's details14%
- “When did you get married?”
- “What does your husband do?”
- “What about your wife's visa?”
- 9Who is paying12%
- “Why are you self funding?”
- “How is the trip financed?”
- “Who is paying for the trip?”
- 10Why applying from this country11%
- “When did you move to the UK?”
- “Why did you move to Anguilla?”
- “When did you come to Germany?”
- 11How long at this employer9%
- “How long have you been working there?”
- “How long have you been employed here?”
- “How long have you been with the company?”
- 12Threats or harm at home7%
- “Do you feel any harm in India?”
- “Do you have any threats in India?”
- “Are you afraid to return to India?”
- 13Previous US trips7%
- “Have you visited the US before?”
- “Have you been to the US before?”
- “What's the longest you've been in the US?”
- 14Who you work for7%
- “Where do you work?”
- “Where do you work? (to me)”
- “Where do you work? (to husband)”
- 15Prior visa history6%
- “Do you have a tourist visa?”
- “Have you applied for US VISA?”
- “Do your parents hold a USA visa?”
- 16Your degree4%
- “Did you go for a master's?”
- “Was your high school a private or public school?”
- “Do you only have a bachelor's degree? (asked three times)”
Before and after the December 2025 rule
B-1/B-2 interviews reported before and after universal social-media vetting took effect on December 15, 2025. Topics that moved by at least 6 points.
| Question | Before n=60 | After n=115 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Purpose of your trip | 33% | 76% | +43 pts |
| Relatives in the US | 10% | 39% | +29 pts |
| Ties to home country | 3% | 25% | +22 pts |
| Countries you have visited | 12% | 28% | +16 pts |
| Your job back home | 7% | 21% | +14 pts |
| Why applying from this country | 3% | 14% | +11 pts |
| How long at this employer | 2% | 13% | +11 pts |
| Threats or harm at home | 0% | 11% | +11 pts |
| Who is paying | 7% | 17% | +10 pts |
| Your salary | 12% | 18% | +6 pts |
| Your job title | 0% | 6% | +6 pts |
Documents asked for
Requested at the window or listed on a 221(g) slip, in these B-1/B-2 reports.
- Passport (retained at the window)41 reports
- CV, publications or research plan22 reports
- Passport photo9 reports
- Client or employer letter5 reports
- DS-5535 supplemental questionnaire4 reports
- Academic transcripts3 reports
- Financial documents3 reports
- Court or police records3 reports
How to use this
- Prepare the top five, not all 28. The tail exists because someone was asked it once; the head is what you will most likely face.
- Answer short. In these reports the interviews that stayed brief were the ones where answers were direct and matched the paperwork.
- Consistency beats polish. The follow-up questions in this data almost always trace back to an answer that did not match the DS-160 or the petition.
- Self-reported data. These are applicants’ recollections, aggregated by VisaMoves — a ranking of what is likely, not a guarantee of what you will hear.
Related breakdowns
Quick answers
What questions are asked in a B-1/B-2 visa interview?
Across 184 reported B-1/B-2 interviews, the most frequent topics are purpose of your trip (61%), relatives in the us (29%), countries you have visited (23%), what you actually do (21%), ties to home country (17%). Most interviews cover only a handful of these, not all of them.
How long does a B-1/B-2 interview take?
Reported interviews are typically short — a few minutes at the window. A longer interview usually means the officer is working through a specific issue rather than that something has gone wrong.
What documents do they ask for at a B-1/B-2 interview?
The documents most often requested in these reports are Passport (retained at the window), CV, publications or research plan, Passport photo, Client or employer letter, DS-5535 supplemental questionnaire, Academic transcripts. Carry them even if the appointment letter does not list them — officers ask for documents far more often than they ask hard questions.
Interviewing soon?
People with your date and post compare notes the same day — including what they were just asked at the window.