Australia / Canada Study Visa Interview

Why a bachelor's abroad at this age rather than an Indian university, and whether the applicant or the parents made the decision · Knowledge of the course beyond its name: majors and minors, first-year subjects, credit system, whether it is a community college pathway or a four-year degree · Whether the applicant applied to other universities, which ones, and why this one was chosen, including rank, scholarship and location · Parents as sponsors: what they do, annual income, how four years of tuition and living will be covered, education loan against which asset · Scholarship or fee waiver claimed: how much, from whom, is it in the I-20 or offer letter, what happens if grades drop · Maturity and independence: who will the applicant live with, relatives in the destination country, and whether the plan sounds like the applicant's own · Plan after the degree and realistic knowledge of return, further study or permitted post-study work, without a rehearsed 'I will come back and join my father's business' · Gap between Class 12 and the course start, board results, and whether English test scores and the course level fit

Why a master's abroad after an Indian engineering degree, and why this specialisation now: research interest, industry gap, or simply the US job market · Course specifics: which track, named courses or labs, a professor whose work the applicant knows, thesis versus coursework option · Why this university against the others admitted or rejected, with a reason that is not only ranking or location · Funding mix: tuition in dollars per year, living estimate on the I-20, education loan sanctioned and from which bank, parental contribution, any assistantship offered · Work history or gap after graduation: what the applicant did, current salary if employed, and why leave a job for study · Honest handling of OPT, STEM extension and the H1B question: knowing the rules is fine, making them the stated reason is a red flag under 214(b) · Plan after the degree: roles, companies in India or elsewhere, and how the degree is needed for them · Family in the destination country, prior visa refusals, and whether multiple siblings have already gone abroad

Career story in one minute: current role, years of experience, what the MBA changes, and why an Indian MBA such as an IIM or ISB does not serve the same goal · Programme knowledge: duration, specialisation, cohort profile, named faculty or clubs, internship structure, and why this school over others admitted · Funding of a high-fee programme: tuition, living costs, loan amount and lender, own savings, employer sponsorship or scholarship, and how the loan will be repaid · Return plan and ties: employer awaiting return, family business, spouse and children in India, property, and whether the plan is specific to a sector · Post-study work rights such as OPT or the UK Graduate route: the applicant may know them and intend to use them lawfully, but must be able to explain a plan that does not depend on staying permanently · Age, marital status and dependents travelling along, and how the family will be supported during the course · Consistency between the GMAT or GRE score, the school's profile and the applicant's stated goals · Previous international travel and visa history, including refusals and overstays

Where the money came from: salary history, business income, sale of an asset, inheritance, and whether it matches the applicant's tax returns and bank statements · How long the funds have been in the account; large recent deposits and their explanation, with the officer alert to borrowed show money · Exact amounts: balance, currency, which account, whose name, and whether the total covers the first year's tuition plus living as stated on the I-20, CAS or Sperrkonto requirement · Liquidity: fixed deposits, mutual funds and property are not the same as cash in hand; what can actually be paid at enrolment · Impact of spending the savings: what is left for the family in India and for the applicant on return · Whether self-funding is plausible for the applicant's age and stated salary, and whether an undisclosed sponsor is really behind it · Blocked account, pre-paid tuition receipt or official financial sponsorship letter: what the applicant has actually submitted and what it says

Relationship to the sponsor and why this person is paying, especially when the sponsor is not a parent · Sponsor's occupation, employer or business, annual income in rupees or local currency, and whether the applicant knows these without hesitation · Sponsor's own commitments: their children, loans and dependents, and whether sponsoring the applicant is realistic · Documents: affidavit of support, bank statements, income tax returns, salary slips, Form I-134 or equivalent, and whether the applicant has seen them · Sponsor living in the destination country: their status, how long there, and the risk the officer sees of the applicant joining them permanently · Consistency between the sponsor named at the window and the sponsor on the DS-160, I-20 or financial evidence · Hypotheticals: sponsor loses their job, falls ill or withdraws, and whether the applicant has a credible second line of funding