133: Navigating Visa Interviews with Mandy Feuerbacher

Sophie Alcorn Podcast

In this week’s Immigration Law for Tech Startups podcast, I am joined by former U.S. diplomat and State Department Consular Officer, Mandy Feuerbacher, to talk about how you can navigate visa interviews. Mandy currently runs Argo Visa, a startup consisting of a team of 25 other former consular officers who work with immigration professionals and individuals seeking visas to guide them through the consular visa interview process.

As consulates are opening up again, more and more in-person interviews are happening. Although only a very small percentage of people get problems at the interview, you still have to prepare for the interview because the cost of those problems is tremendous. It’s not worth the risk to just hope that it all turns out okay or that the consular officer shows up in a good mood that day. It’s all a human communication process. So you have to make sure you come prepared and you’re able to communicate your intentions and purpose well.

Please share this episode with companies, HR and recruiting professionals, startup founders, international talent, or anyone who can benefit from it. Sign up for the Alcorn monthly newsletter to receive the latest immigration news and issues. Reach out to us if we can help you determine the best immigration options for yourself, your company, your employees or prospective employees, or your family whether in the U.S. or abroad.

In this episode, you’ll hear about:

• How her experience as a consular officer shaped her understanding of immigration law
• How to be proactive during the visa interview process
• USCIS interviews vs. consular interviews
• How consular officers balance the country’s needs for international students
• How Argo Visa is helping clients
• Recommendations for remote interviews
• Understanding the different types of administrative processing cases

Don’t miss my upcoming conversations with top Silicon Valley venture capitalists, startup founders, professors, futurists, and thought leaders on Immigration Law for Tech Startups. Subscribe to this podcast here or on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or whatever your favorite platform is. As always, we welcome your rating and review of this podcast. We appreciate your feedback!

Resources:

Argo Visa

https://www.argovisa.com/

Alcorn Immigration Law:

• Subscribe to the monthly Alcorn newsletter
• Immigration Law for Tech Startups podcast:
  • Episode 26: F-1 Students and Work
  • Episode 61: The Immigration Journey with Navroop Sahdev
  • Episode 124: International Students & Professionals Succeed with Robert Adams
• Immigration Options for Talent, Investors, and Founders
• Immigration Law for Tech Startups eBook
• Extraordinary Ability Bootcamp course for best practices for securing the O-1A visa, EB-1A green card, or the EB-2 NIW (National Interest Waiver) green card—the top options for startup founders. Use promotion code ILTS for 20% off the enrollment fee.