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I'm going to have a visa interview soon, and one thing that concerns me is that many people say "don't be nervous during the interview". And I have generalized anxiety disorder, so I'm being nervous pretty much all the time. And from my own experience, many people are intolerant of anxiousness.
So, the question is: is it appropriate to bring this up during the interview? And if yes, what's the best way to explain it?

user626528
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    By starting with "I'm sorry, but I'm a very nervous person" because you are not there to discuss a disability, but the visa application. – Weather Vane Oct 08 '23 at 20:19
  • @WeatherVane everyone says "be honest". And you suggest to hide it. – user626528 Oct 08 '23 at 21:34
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    No, I didn't suggest that at all, but to mention something at the start. If the difficulty later turns out to be impeding the interview, you might add more, such as "it's a disability". BTW, I have a disability. Maybe the question would be better on SE Interpersonal skills. – Weather Vane Oct 08 '23 at 21:36
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    If you don't mind me saying, you need to distinguish between people's intolerance of a disabilty, and their dislike of people wanting to explain it at length. People are not stupid: to stretch the point, if you have only one leg and you keep falling over, and you say, "it's because I only have one leg" then you are likely to irritate them. – Weather Vane Oct 08 '23 at 22:34
  • @WeatherVane usually I don't mention it at all. Having one leg is a bad example, as it's easily visible and understandable for everyone. Oliver Sacks had a good story how a disability that's not easily understandable usually results in hostility. And actually I'm not sure if you're arguing in good faith. More likely no than yes. – user626528 Oct 08 '23 at 23:31
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    I thik @WeatherVane was arguing in good faith, I could have said the same things in good faith, but you're making it hard to remain in good faith, and that's a problem you might also face during the visa interview. Having one leg might be more visible, but that's not the point, the point is that hiding behind a disability (blaming it for something it's obviously the reason for) may annoy people. When a disability is invisble (like nervousness) in contrast to visible (like having one leg) you obviously need to inform people about before they can factor it in to their decisions. – Henrik supports the community Oct 09 '23 at 07:51
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    And having one leg, might be considered a bad example too. Many people (at least in some parts of the world) get prosthetic legs, making it very hard to see, and eliminating most consequences. I knew a guy for 4 years before I found out he had a prosthetic leg, – Henrik supports the community Oct 09 '23 at 07:54
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    I’d suggest you approach this in exactly the same way you would for any ‘interview’ situation eg for a job, driving test, exam. – Traveller Oct 09 '23 at 08:07
  • @Henriksupportsthecommunity I don't think that using a strawman is a sign of good faith. – user626528 Oct 10 '23 at 05:46
  • @Traveller for this case, there is no definitive answer. Some companies provide reasonable accommodations, some don't, and people from some companies are being openly hostile. – user626528 Oct 10 '23 at 05:49
  • @user626528 In that case, contacting the U.S. Embassy or Consulate where you will apply for a visa to ask what their policy is in this situation seems like the only solution. Any advice you get here will be unlikely to assist you. – Traveller Oct 10 '23 at 07:12
  • @Traveller well I already tried that, but the only reply that I had was "we can't answer this question". And when I asked who can answer it, they said that they can't answer this question too. – user626528 Oct 10 '23 at 16:43
  • @user626528 The interview may not necessarily count for much https://travel.stackexchange.com/questions/133508/does-the-interview-for-a-us-b1-b2-visa-actually-influence-the-decision If they’re going to refuse it’s almost certain the decision has already been made and nothing you can say or do in the interview would change that. Put in a solid application, make sure your paperwork is robust, search out some sensible guidance, probably not much more you can do – Traveller Oct 10 '23 at 17:04
  • @Traveller "Put in a solid application, make sure your paperwork is robust" - from my experience, that's often not enough. So I'd better have covered all bases. And by the way, your links say that the interview is important. – user626528 Oct 10 '23 at 17:40

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I'd recommend briefly mentioning your disability upfront, like "I just wanted to note I have generalized anxiety disorder, so please excuse any nervousness." The interviewer likely sees many applicants and will understand.

I think it is appropriate to bring this up, as the interviewer might suspect that you’re hiding something or not telling the whole truth if it is not mentioned at the start.

StackNance
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