Hi Everyone,
this is Grant Thomas from Visas Association,
bringing you another Q&A session where we're focusing in on the question of "How
do I master the Schengen Visa interview". If you wait until the end of this video,
I'm going to walk you through the only
secret you really need to know of mastering the Schengen
Visa interview.
The context is that they don't do it to trick you.
They're not trying to ask questions to make you fall over yourself.
They're not trying to sort of paint you into a corner.
It should not be something that you're overly concerned about.
This is the same as going to a job
interview. It is the same as asking somebody to go out on a date with you.
It should not be a highly overthought, overcomplicated thing.
Essentially, think of it like an appointment:
like going to the doctor's, where you have a thing that you would like:
whether it be a prescription from a doctor or something like that.
And you go in and it's a very formal conversation.
It is not like being interrogated by the police.
It is just a formal conversation where they're just going to ask you information
around what you're doing, where are you going, etc.
And so, again, before I go further into detail, just relax.
It's just a Schengen Visa interview.
It is more like an appointment than
a formal interview in a dark room with yourself.
So now that we've got that over and done
with, let's dive into really sort of how you master it.
And there are a couple of key elements that I'm going to share with you.
But I promise you that I would share the secret with you.
I'm not going to wait until the end of the video.
I'll say it right now.
As long as you wrote the cover letter,
you wrote your travel itinerary, you went and did the application form
and you knew every single one of those documents that you submitted in your
application: you are going to be completely fine.
There is nothing wrong.
The questions that they ask are all about your travel.
So to use an example, we've got an applicant called Mary Santos.
She's going through and applying for a multiple entry Schengen Visa.
The typical questions that she's going to be asked is, why are you traveling?
What are you going to see?
What are the dates? Do you have enough money?
All these things.
And essentially the questions are the same as the information that she has already
provided in the documents in order to go and apply for the Schengen Visa.
So it shouldn't actually be that big of a problem.
What they're trying to do is see if the answers to their questions contradict
the information that you have put into the document.
And this is very common.
So, when people go and ask you in a job interview what your experience is,
what you've done in your previous jobs, etc. All they're looking for is
pieces of information that might not align to your resume.
Now, they ask a lot of other
questions, but again, for a Schengen Visa application, it is very similar.
They will ask you questions to see if they
align to the information you have provided to them.
Similar,
they're going to dive a little bit deeper into a couple of those questions,
such as who are you going to see and what is your purpose around it?
Just to understand a little bit more information around the travel.
And so,
if you're traveling for legitimate reasons to go and see someone and you 110%
will be going back to your country of residence without overstaying
your visa, you will be completely fine. Because your answering truthfully,
you're being completely honest. It's the people who are fraudulently
trying to get a Schengen Visa who are going to be caught out.
And this is one of those ways that they're actually, not so much intimidating,
but make sure that when you're talking to them, you're telling them the truth.
And if you're not,
they're going to be able to find out because the verbal answers you've given
them will not match the documents you have provided.
So, there are a couple of other tips that I'll talk about.
So try and leave a good impression to them.
Dress smart: wear a shirt, wear nice jacket,
don't wear a suit or anything like that, but just go in there and just try
and present yourself as not so much of a person who just doesn't care,
but give them the respect that they're trying to give you.
You're asking to go and travel through
their region, which is 26 countries.
It's not just like it's one country.
And, so respect that. Dress nice, appear nice shave if you need to shave,
but just don't walk in there where it looks like you do not need to be there.
Another key thing is "Be Early", get there at least 30 to 15 minutes early.
The reason for this is because they're extremely busy.
Most of the time. You will have to wait.
Yes.
A lot of the times these interviews and appointments overstay
and extend beyond what they originally thought, but be prepared for it.
Block out a day from your calendar just
to go and complete your interview or your appointment.
Again, it's not their fault.
There's 14 million people a year who get Schengen visas.
It's not just you.
So just be respectful and be understanding of what they're doing.
And so when you want to portray
this confidence, just default back to the answers
that you've already provided in the documents as well.
And this is going to help you demonstrate that you actually have the qualities
necessary in order to get access to the Schengen region.
So remember, you are not just going to be
providing answers to questions that you've already given them.
They are going to probe deeper.
They might want to know the connection to the people that you are going to go see.
They might want to know why you want to go and visit the Vatican.
They might want to understand a little bit more about where you're going here or
there or if when your travel plan is going from Italy to Spain to Italy to France,
why you're not just going straight from Spain to France, for example.
And so, those are the kind of things
that they're just trying to understand in order to know that you haven't just
made up this travel and you haven't just booked some reserve flights and some reserved
accommodation because you don't really know what you want to do.
They're just asking you questions because
they want to make sure that you going through it.
Usually they're going to be personal questions that are around yourself.
Sometimes they might be questions around
the parents who are sponsoring you or the sponsor.
So it is quite common for them to ask
a little bit more about the sponsor who is funding your travel or funding your
accommodation or allowing you to stay with them.
But be transparent. Again,
as long as you are completely honest
in your application, you will be completely fine.
And I think that's where people get really concerned around these appointments
and interviews because they feel like they're not being honest.
Again, if you're traveling for the reasons that you're saying on the application,
you're not going to lie at all. You're going to be completely fine.
And it's more for the people that they're
trying prove that are NOT trying to do the right thing.
So, again, relax, you're going to be completely fine.
Just reread all the documentation
and the application form that you filled out and you'll be completely fine.
So, with that, it concludes the video.
So hopefully it's added a little bit of value and that you feel a little bit
of calm coming over you as you walk into your appointment.
I will link across to another video that walks through a couple of the key
interview questions that people do get asked from time to time and some
approaches to sort of answer them appropriately.
But if you found this valuable,
can you please push the "LIKE" button below so that other people get access to this
valuable content for when they're applying for their Schengen Visa as well.
And by clicking the "SUBSCRIBE" button,
you will also receive updates from when we publish new information around Schengen
Visa, because the requirements do change quite regularly.
And what I don't want is for you to apply
with the old requirements as opposed to applying with the new requirements.
So clicking that "SUBSCRIBE" button will make sure that you get the latest
and greatest information for your application.
And what I'll do is I'll link around me to some other videos that might help you
in your application process to ensure that you are submitting the correct
documents and getting a successful Visa and having a fantastic trip around Europe.
So enjoy.
And I look forward to catching you in the next video.