i found this thread very useful while getting ready for the consular interview for a tourist visa(B1/B2). i would like to share my experience so that it can benefit others also. I had checked this thread first after I had booked my appointment and then a second time on the night before the appointment to check if any additional documents were required.
Both my wife and I were applying together. Our profile - Indian citizens with SPR status. Both of us are working. I've been in SG for 8 years and my wife for 5. I'm working for an american multinational for the last 1.5 years and my wife is working with a local firm for the past 6 months. Both our sisters are residing in the US. Other than our SPR and jobs we have no other ties to Singapore like relatives or
property, etc.
We had the visa interview today morning. I had booked the 7:45 slot in the hope that we could finish by around 10:30 and be in office before 11:30. The instructions mentioned to bring the DS-160 confirmation, passports, a passport photo each, the stanchart visa payment slips and the appointment letter and the document with the payslip barcodes.
After reading through this thread i suddenly felt that it was not adequate and we needed to include some additional docs to prove that we had no intent of migrating to the US. So last minute took a printout of my previous month's salary slip. My wife didn't have a copy of her salary slip so she included her offer letter. We also took along our business cards just in case we needed to show some additional proof. In addition we also took our marriage certificate and our previous passports.
The essential docs were kept in one file to pass to the consul staff while the others were kept in a separate file to be handed over if requested.
we arrived at the embassy gates at 7:47 and there were 3-4 people in the queue. the rest had already finished security and were inside. The security is manned by a local security firm and the staff even though they didn't seem to be too friendly, they were polite and professional. So no cause for any complaint there. After a short wait, outside while the people in front were processed, we finally went into the guardhouse. Our bags were scanned (similar to airport security scanner) and we were asked to walk through a walk through metal detector. One female guard was present. The metal detector beeped when my wife went through, probably because she was wearing a belt with a metal buckle. However the guards didn't seem to bother. however i was asked to remove my belt and watch and place it in the tray along with my wallet and mobile. My wife had some biscuits and a banana also in her bag, but the guards were ok with that.
Once the scanning was completed, we were asked to leave our phones (switched-off) at the guard house and were given a token to collect it when we came out. We proceeded into the main building. At the entrance there was another walk-through metal detector. But this time the security didn't bother about the beeping. he just asked us if we had our mobiles with us. We said we had already given it at the guardhouse. He asked permission to open our bags. He had a quick glance, and closed it and gave it back to us.
Then we turned into the main waiting area and took our queue number. About 20-25 people were already waiting there. But things were moving reasonably quickly. About 15-20 mins after entering, our number was called for the first window. The lady (looked local) asked for our documentation. We passed the file with the required documents. She asked us our residential status in Singapore and noted down PR on the DS-160. She also stuck the passport photos on the DS-160. She gave us back the Stanchart payment slips and kept the remaining documents with her and asked us to wait for the next call.
The next call may have taken another 20 mins. This time it was for fingerprinting. Like one of the above PPs mentioned, the scanner was smudged with a lot of fingerprints, and was not wiped off before the next person used it. Not sure how they would be able to get an adequate resolution scan from it. Anyway this hardly took 5 mins for the both of us and we were handed back our forms and passports. This window was staffed by an american lady. She asked us to wait for the next call which would be the visa interview.
By this time at the next window the Visa interviews had already started for the others. The window was staffed by an male officer. He was reasonably loud so we could hear bits and pieces of his questions. He was asking some people about their relatives, previous visits to US, purpose of current visit.
Initially it seemed to be smooth sailing as he was ending the sessions by asking the applicant to wait for the sms or email to inform them of the passport collection date. However as the numbers moved along, we started noticing that some of the people were being rejected. We couldn't hear if he was giving any reasons or not. It was at this time, that I started feeling a tiny bit nervous if he would reject our application also. However I was more worried about the $416 dollars that we had spent on visa fees more than anything else.
One girl with a brown passport (China? / Philippines?) just a couple of numbers ahead of us was rejected and it seemed she was arguing with him regarding the rejection. She walked off and then came back after the next number was done to again ask something, but she didn't get a positive response. At this time there were 2 windows for non-immigrant visa interviews, and we were hoping to get the other one. It was staffed by another lady and we were hoping she would be in a better mood.
However we were called to the male officers window. He greeted us politely and asked for our documents. The conversation went something like this.
(Took the advice to keep the answers as concise as possible.)
Visa Officer -
(looking at our previous passports) Do these have any prior US visas
Me - No
VO - Then you can keep it with you. Its not required.
VO - So whats the purpose of your visit
Wife - uhh uhh uhh
(a nervous wreck by now)
Me - Just to visit. Both our sisters live in the Us in xxxxxx
VO - What do they do in Us?
Me - My sister is a housewife. My brother in law is working for xxxx
Wife - My sister is also a housewife and my brother in law is working for xxxx
VO - What is their residential status
Me - My brother in law is on an H1B visa. my wife's sister's husband is an american citizen.
The VO was then keying in some info in his computer.
VO (to me)- How long have you been in xxxx company
Me - i joined last year, so about 1.5 years.
VO - and before that?
Me - I was working in xxxxxxx company previously
Again keying in more stuff into his computer
Vo (to wife)- How long have you been in xxxx company
Wife - I joined this July, so around 6 months.
VO - How long have you been in singapore
Me - Uhhm, about 8 years i think. Uhh yes its been 8 years.
Wife - I've been here 6 years
(actually it was 5, but she was too nervous to count properly) I came here after our marriage
(unnecessarily volunteering information! She forgot completely about answering to the point)
VO Continuing to key in data into his computer
VO - Ok. Your visas have been approved. It will take 3 business days to process. You will get an SMS to inform you when to collect the passports.
Both of us - Thank you.
And that was it. Our interview process was over just after 9:15AM. Took a little over 90 mins. I guess being December when most people are on holiday also helped as the crowds were lesser than expected. On the way out we collected our mobiles from the guardhouse.
All in all an interesting experience, but not so difficult or nerve wracking as most people make it seem. However it made a world of difference that we could apply here in singapore rather than in India were the crowds would be larger and the rejection chances higher.
Or are they selling the lottery tickets now 
