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What the visa officer is really trying to establish
Once you understand what the visa officer is looking for, the entire preparation process becomes much simpler. For L1A, they are trying to confirm your managerial credibility. For L1B, they are trying to confirm your specialised technical expertise — specifically whether you are involved in genuine development work or just implementation and service delivery. Every question they ask is in service of one of those two goals. Keep that in mind as you read the interview experiences below.
L1A interview questions — what officers are asking right now
For L1A interviews, the recurring theme across recent interviews is your managerial experience — and the officers are not satisfied with vague answers. They want specifics. The questions that keep coming up are: How many direct and indirect reports do you have? Do you handle a budget, and if yes, what is the budget? Are you responsible for profit and loss — and how exactly do you manage that? What is the current team size in the US and what size are you expected to build? These are not warm-up questions. In several recent interviews, the profit-and-loss question came very early and set the entire tone of the conversation.
Real L1A interview experience #1 — profit and loss as the clincher
This interview opened with basics — company name, how long you have been with them — and then moved quickly to: Do you handle profit and loss, and if so, how? The officer was not just checking whether the answer was yes. He wanted to understand the mechanics of how you manage it. That question, answered well, set the tone for everything that followed. He also asked about the US salary, whether the candidate was going for a project or a product, and if a project, what the budget was. He wanted a specific figure. Then came the question about direct and indirect reportees. One tip from this candidate: if you are applying for L1 and L2 together, the officer checked the passport to see if the spouse's name was mentioned. It is not legally mandatory for the name to be in the passport — a marriage certificate is sufficient — but if yours is not there, be ready to offer the marriage certificate proactively.
Real L1A interview experience #2 — what does your company do?
This was a shorter interview, but it reinforced a pattern I have seen consistently: L1A interviews very often begin with 'What does your company do?' Have a short, crisp answer ready that covers not just the company but the specific division or vertical you work in. This interview then moved to naming large clients — something that is relatively rare but has been appearing more in recent months. If you are asked for client names or budget numbers, it is fine to share that information with the visa officer. The final key question in this interview was how many people report to you.
Real L1A interview experience #3 — never give one-word answers
This was the most detailed of the three. When asked 'Are you working with XYZ company?', the candidate did not just say yes. They said: 'Yes, I have been working with XYZ company for three years as a manager, I have expertise in [domain], I am currently managing a team and leading an engagement for a client.' That is exactly the right approach. Every question is an opportunity to reinforce your managerial credentials. Do not waste questions with one-word or one-line answers. This candidate was also asked for a full breakdown of direct and indirect reports, his roles for each group, the US budget, and whether he had authority to hire in the US. He was also asked why his spouse was not at the interview — she was already in the US, which was a valid answer. If your spouse is not applying with you for any reason, have a one- or two-sentence explanation ready. Finally, this candidate noted that wearing a blazer made a difference and I completely agree. For L1A interviews, I always advise clients to wear or at least carry a blazer. You do not have to wear it all morning — just put it on right before you face the visa officer. When many people are interviewing on the same day, it helps you stand apart.
L1B interview questions — what officers are asking right now
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Book a Mock InterviewL1B visas have a higher volume of interviews, which gives me a clearer picture of current trends. The central thing officers are checking is whether you are genuinely involved in development work — that is, building or working on technology that is internal or proprietary to your company. Most recent L1B rejections have come from cases where that development involvement was not clear, leaving the impression that the person was doing implementation or providing an existing service rather than working with specialised knowledge. So as you prepare your answers, bring out your technical expertise and development work explicitly. If you have worked on internal tools, proprietary frameworks, or technologies unique to your company, say so clearly.
There are also three questions that come up in almost every L1B interview. Prepare for all three: Why are you going to the US (or what will your role be there)? Why you specifically? Why can't this work be done from India? Your answers to these three need to clearly show what the US office needs, how your technical expertise meets that need, and why it requires your physical presence there.
Real L1B interview experience #1 — technical depth and location
This interview opened with a clarification question — L1A or L1B? — which happens more often than you might expect. Then came what I consider the clincher of this interview: Why are you going to the US right now? You need to answer this by showing exactly what the US office requires and how your expertise fulfils that specific requirement. The interview then got technical. The officer asked about the specific tool the candidate would be working on and wanted it explained in detail — what it does, how it works, what the migration involved. L1B interviews can go deep on technical specifics, so be ready for follow-up questions on your tools and technology stack. The officer also asked whether the candidate would be working from the company location or the client's location — a question that has appeared in multiple recent L1B interviews.
Real L1B interview experience #2 — be specific when you work for a large company
This candidate worked at Microsoft. The officer's response when hearing that was: 'Microsoft is a very large organisation — can you be more specific?' If you work at a large or diversified company, you cannot just name the employer. You need to immediately specify the exact domain, vertical, or project you work on. In this case, the candidate clarified they worked on Microsoft Azure. Then came the question that is central to every L1B interview: What do you do currently? The candidate answered this well by specifically highlighting development work — developing features for Azure Server — and going into platform details and the technical scope of their work. This interview also covered a previous B1 rejection and salary in the US. The main lesson: be specific about where within the company you sit, and have a strong, technically detailed answer to what you currently do.
Real L1B interview experience #3 — surprise questions when your spouse is with you
This interview followed a standard format — tools, technology, day-to-day responsibilities — and then came something unexpected. The officer asked: 'Tell me three things about your relationship.' If you are attending the interview with your spouse, be prepared for candid, off-script questions like this. I have seen people asked how many guests attended their wedding, what cuisine was served, and similar questions. These are not trick questions — officers just want to confirm the relationship is genuine. Talk openly and naturally with your spouse beforehand so you both feel comfortable answering questions like these without hesitation.
Real L1B interview experience #4 — what components have you built from scratch?
This interview asked standard questions about the company structure, the difference between the parent company and the affiliate, and the US office address — and then moved to the questions that really matter. The officer asked: What does your company do? and Why does your company want you specifically working in the US? Then, most tellingly, the officer asked: What components or tools have you developed from scratch? This is exactly what I was describing earlier. Officers are actively probing to confirm real development work. This candidate could answer it clearly and the visa was approved. If you cannot answer this question with confidence and specifics, that is the gap you need to close before your interview.
How to prepare from here
The pattern across all of these interviews is consistent. For L1A, the officer wants to see a real manager — someone who owns a budget, manages people, and has authority over profit and loss. For L1B, the officer wants to see a real developer or specialist — someone who builds proprietary tools and technology, not someone who just delivers existing services. Once you know that, you can shape every answer to showcase exactly what the officer is looking for. Practice your answers out loud. Confidence and fluency come from repetition — not from reading notes the night before. If you want to work through this one-on-one, I offer consultation sessions and mock interviews. You can find the details and book a session at shachimall.com. I have also put together a free L1 question bank PDF that covers all the frequently asked questions — you can download it at shachimall.com/L1-questionbank.
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