How many years have you worked in your field?

One number with a clear starting point: your first role or first project. It must match your CV and the letters.

What are your ties to your home country's government?

Answer honestly and specifically: government contracts, public-sector work, clearances. Omissions here lead straight to administrative processing.

How many years have you worked in your field?

State your years in the field and key roles - it must match your CV and petition.

What exactly are you responsible for in your current job?

Describe your role and responsibility concretely; if you claim a leading role, emphasize it.

Tell me more about your career.

Prepare a 60-90 second version: your start, two or three key moves, your current role and why it sits in your field. Do not list every job.

What is your salary now and what was it a year ago?

Give pre-tax figures in the contract currency and be ready to show proof. The numbers must match the petition and your tax filings.

Where have you worked, and when did each job start and end?

Dates per employer - exactly as in your DS-260 and CV. Explain gaps up front, before you are asked.

What is your role and what exactly are you responsible for?

Your scope of responsibility, not a task list: which decisions are yours and what would not happen without you. This also underpins the leading-role criterion.

Who do you report to directly?

A short honest answer on the reporting line; it should not contradict a claimed leading role.

How much higher is your salary than that of comparable specialists?

Answer with a percentile, not the word 'higher': what you compared against, from which source and region. For the salary criterion the median is not enough.

What did you do at each of your jobs?

Briefly per employer: role, scale, one result. What matters is that the track reads as one field, not a set of different professions.

Have you been involved in any court cases at work?

Answer factually. A hidden dispute that surfaces during screening weighs far more than the dispute itself.

Career and experience questions at the visa interview

Updated: September 14, 2026Author: Alina Kanametova

The block about your work: years of experience, roles, scope of responsibility, salary and ties to government bodies. Answers must line up with your CV, the petition and your tax documents.

Questions (12)

keyHow many years have you worked in your field?: One number with a clear starting point: your first role or first project. It must match your CV and the letters.
keyWhat are your ties to your home country's government?: Answer honestly and specifically: government contracts, public-sector work, clearances. Omissions here lead straight to administrative processing.
How many years have you worked in your field?: State your years in the field and key roles - it must match your CV and petition.
What exactly are you responsible for in your current job?: Describe your role and responsibility concretely; if you claim a leading role, emphasize it.
Tell me more about your career.: Prepare a 60-90 second version: your start, two or three key moves, your current role and why it sits in your field. Do not list every job.
What is your salary now and what was it a year ago?: Give pre-tax figures in the contract currency and be ready to show proof. The numbers must match the petition and your tax filings.
Where have you worked, and when did each job start and end?: Dates per employer - exactly as in your DS-260 and CV. Explain gaps up front, before you are asked.
What is your role and what exactly are you responsible for?: Your scope of responsibility, not a task list: which decisions are yours and what would not happen without you. This also underpins the leading-role criterion.
Who do you report to directly?: A short honest answer on the reporting line; it should not contradict a claimed leading role.
How much higher is your salary than that of comparable specialists?: Answer with a percentile, not the word 'higher': what you compared against, from which source and region. For the salary criterion the median is not enough.
What did you do at each of your jobs?: Briefly per employer: role, scale, one result. What matters is that the track reads as one field, not a set of different professions.
Have you been involved in any court cases at work?: Answer factually. A hidden dispute that surfaces during screening weighs far more than the dispute itself.

Rehearse these questions out loud in the interview simulator - it shuffles the bank and reveals the hint only after your answer.

Other sections

General questions about the applicant (10)O-1 and EB-1A criteria questions at the interview (29)Questions about your plans in the US (25)Family questions at the visa interview (11)Military service questions at the consular interview (9)Other questions at the consular interview (30)English interview questions for practice (26)Marriage-visa interview questions (K-1, CR-1) (71)Interview preparation Form DS-5535 Real interviews

All interview questions

Community experience and reference information, not legal advice. Answer truthfully and in your own words. Official requirements are on travel.state.gov and uscis.gov.How to prepare