United States is one of the most sought after destination for international students who dream to get a higher degree, getting a US visa is equally a challenge as getting an offer to study from one of their universities. Many students lose their golden opportunity to study in the US as their visa gets rejected. The rejection could be due to various reasons. However, it is important to submit all the required documents and a completed application form to get your visa approved. Here, We explain in detail the process of applying for a student visa to the US.
As we all know that to travel to a foreign country, we all need a visa. Depending on the purpose of your visit, the visa category also changes. It could be a tourist visa, student visa, work visa , business visa and so on. Here we will try to understand more about the US student visa and how we can obtain this visa that would help us land in the United States to fulfill our dreams of studying abroad . The US student visa are of three types- M1, J1 and F1. M1 is for the short term courses which are vocational or non academic, and J1 is for students participating in exchange programs or study abroad for few months as part of their curriculum. F1 is the most popular study visa. This visa is required for students applying for bachelors or masters program including language programs at a high school or a university. F1 visa is required by an international student who wants to study an academic program at a US university or College and has received an offer letter from the university. Since it is a temporary stay in the US, student visa falls under non-immigrant category.
To apply for the student visa or F1 visa, the student must have received an offer from a SEVP approved school in the United States. Once the university or College admits you to the program, you will be registered by the university in the SEVIS (student and exchange visitor information system). The school will then issue an i20 which confirms the admission of the student. There is a SEVIS I-901 fee to be paid by the student which is 350 $. The SEVIS fee payment receipt should be carried while going for the visa interview. You might be asked to pay the initial tuition fee amount before issuing the i20. The i20 letter will clearly mention the SEVIS number, the school code, the total tuition fee and the living expense during your stay in the United States. Once you receive the i20 and you have paid the SEVIS fee, you can apply for your student visa at a US embassy or Consulate near you.
How to Apply for a student visa
The first step is to fill a non immigrant visa application form also called DS-160 form. This is an online application. Here is the link https://ceac.state.gov/genniv/ to apply online. There will be an application id which will be created at the time you start your application and we can retrieve the application with the same id. The form should be filled with correct information as, making any further changes once the application submitted is a daunting task. Hence make sure all the data entered are correct and accurate. The student will receive an application confirmation page which has DS-160 Bar Code. Do take a printout of this page with the barcode as it has to be carried for the visa interview.
Scheduling an Interview
Once the DS-160 form is completed, the student has to schedule a visa interview at the nearest US embassy or consulate. You may schedule the appointment in another country but your visa processing may take a longer duration. Hence its highly recommended that the student book the appointment from the nearest consulate where he or she lives. Click the link below to register for an appointment and pay the visa fee. The visa fee is 165 US dollars.
Once you enter all the required information , you will be directed to pay the visa application fee. once the payment is made, you will receive your MRV receipt number. You will then be redirected to book an appointment from the available slot. Once you click on the available date and the time slot, you will get the confirmation of dates for your interview. one for the biometric and the other one for the interview. Ideally , the dates are booked at two consecutive days.
Rescheduling the interview
You can reschedule the visa interview only twice. Choose the date and time for the interview carefully so that you don't have to pay for another visa application.
Documents required for attending the visa interview
Valid Passport
i20 letter
Sevis fee paid receipt
DS-160 confirmation page with Barcode
MRV receipt
Academic Transcripts
Statement of Purpose
English Language Test Score
Proof of Finance- Financial evidence to show that you have the required amount to pay your tuition fee and cover the living expense
Affidavit of Support
Attending the interview
Students must reach the venue half an hour before the appointment. The consulate will verify the documents and ask a range of questions. This interview will be the deciding factor as to whether the student will be granted a visa or not.
For more details on US student visa, please visit the official website https://www.ustraveldocs.com/
For any further assistance on processing the application to the US universities or any other guidance, send an email to counselling@crozroadz.com or whatsapp: +918147245160.
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