Hello Brit. I am Ethiopian, I have some interview experience to share to your page followers as I have also benefited a lot from your blog.
I was silent follower of your page. Initially I didn’t know that I won DV2021. I checked my entrants status very late and I filed DS260 in October 30. My case number was 2021AF11*** after five days I received document request email from KCC. Then I received ready for scheduling on January 13. On march 20 my status changed from @NVC to in transit, then next morning turn to ‘Ready’ upon receiving a letter for interview appointment for May 10 at US embassy Seoul (South Korea).
On the interview date, me and my wife went to the embassy 30min before the appointment. After passing a security check and leaving our phone we directly headed to a counter where she asked for passport and passport return address registration barcode. Then we were told to go upstairs and submit our documents based on the checklist she gave us. We have carefully organized our original and copied documents and submitted to her and she look at all documents carefully but marriage certificate has to always be copied twice and she copied one for us. Then she gave us a piece of paper and asked us to go back first floor, pay and bring receipt, we did accordingly. This all took like 30min.
After more than 1.5 hours of waiting the consular officer called our name and she apologized for keeping us wait and then we took oath and directly started the interview. The officer was very kind, nice with good smile and asked me how I come to Korea first. I said PhD scholarship, she asked me level of education I said PhD, what major, Civil engineering, where and what are you currently working? Then she asked my wife how she come here and what she is studying here ? which major ? She also asked how we met first. Then again how many countries we traveled and for what purpose while she was typing everything we are responding.
I thought this is it, but she went inside and come again and started questioning us for long time about our educational, research, and professional details. What exactly is our research dealing with? What kind of research I did during my few month stay in Iran, Who is funding my research ? If I have some publications etc. Then she asked if we brought curriculum vitae (CV). I said no as it was not in the requirement we didn’t expect they will ask resume. Then she go inside discuss and finally she said your visa will be refused for now and bring your CV, and publication lists and she gave us 221(g) form. We were a little bit disappointed that time and my online status that day turned “Refused”. The next day May 11, we submitted our Google scholar publication list and our CV. Then the status of my application changed/updated as follows. May10-Refused,
May17-Refused,
May25-Refused,
June01(morning)-Refused,
June01(afternoon)-Ready,
June02-Administrative Processing,
June03-administrative processing,
June03-ISSUED …………..and the same day we received text message to take our passport.
I finally realized (my guess) all those research and professional questions during interview and request for CV and publication list was to check our name in the TAL database. This is a “sensitive technology” alert based on whether an applicant is involved in any of the fields on the Critical Fields List (CFL) of DOS’ Technology Alert List (TAL). The TAL includes an expanded list of technologies with potential “dual-use” applications. These are technologies that may appear benign but have potential military applications as well. The list is very comprehensive and includes almost every possible associated technology or skill involving chemistry, biochemistry, immunology, computer, chemical/Civil engineering and pharmacology.
So my advice is everyone with high education level and some high-Tech fields going for interview needs to be ready accordingly. If you are always telling true and if you have genuine document there is nothing to fear. They are smart precise and straight forward. This process is all about having full application documents.
توضیحات:
برنده 2021 و کیس 11 هزار آفریقا بوده. 30 اکتبر دی اس 260 رو تازه سابمیت کرده. 5 روز بعد ایمیل درخواست مدارک kcc رو دریافت کرده و 13 ژانویه وضعیتش به آماده برای مصاحبه تغییر میکنه و در تاریخ 20 مارچ زمان مصاحبه در تاریخ 10 می بهش اعلام میشه