The United States has been serving as one of the best destinations for international students looking for a great college, university or institution to study abroad. Home to the some of the world’s best universities like Harvard, Stanford, Yale, Princeton, Cornell, Colombia University, University of California, and others, USA attracts a lot of foreign crowd. The student visa is designed to help students migrate to the United States without any hassle. There are two main types of visa categories that can help students to travel to their dream destination.
First of let’s have a look at the types of student visas available for USA:
F-1 Student Visa
The F-1 visa is meant for students who wish to study an academic program or course as a full time student at an accredited college University, elementary school, or any other institution.
M-1 Student Visa
The M-1 student visa is granted to students who wish to study a vocational course, non-academic program apart from language training in USA.
In this article we will focus on the F-1 visa for students. Although you might find the visa process very tedious, he have classified it into various parts to help you have a clear idea of all the steps:
Student Visa Guideline for International Students
Meeting the Consulate officials
If you are applying for the F-1 student visa for the very first time, then you will surely have to attend a brief interview with the consulate officials at the US embassy likely in English. It is hardly a one or two minute session, but you really need to work hard if you need a green signal from their side.
How to make a good first Impression?
You really need to prepare yourself for the first meeting with the officials. There are many points that you need to consider for the interview. Firstly you need to convince them that you are only heading to USA for the purpose of studying and don’t intend to work or settle there permanently. Moreover, you should also convince them with enough evidence claiming that you have sufficient resources to support your stay in the country at least for the first one year.
Interview tips:
• Dress neatly and try to keep your attire professional
• Respond to each of the questions related to your educational background, and only try to provide information that is the best answer to their query
F-1 Visa Checklist
Given below is a complete checklist you must go through to make sure you have everything handy and well organized to increase your chances of an approval. However, you might not be asked for all of these documents, still it is good to keep them with you or within close reach.
A. Personal
• Passport with a validity of at least one year
• Small passport size photograph with full face visibility
• Marriage certificate, or birth certificates of children (if applicable)
• Visa application fee
• A one page cover letter drafting your qualifications for the Student Study Visa USA
• Receipt proving that you have paid the $200 USD
• Student/Exchange Visitor processing fee
B. National University Materials:
• Form I-20 issued by National University
• Letter of admission received from the university or institute you seek admission into
C. Proof of Academic Achievements:
• Copies of your academic diploma, mark sheets, and other documents supporting your educational achievements
• Copies of your TOEFL or IELTS test results
• Any other letter/certificate awarded in the secondary school
D. Financial Support Documents:
• Bank statements from the past six months showing your savings
• Tax documents from your family home or business
• In case your parents are your financial sponsors, you need to have show documents stating their salaries and job histories
• Official letters detailing any approved loans or scholarships you will receive
• Letters guaranteeing your financial support from sponsors(if applicable)
• Documents to prove you sponsors’ financial status
• Form I-134 (Affidavit of Support) completed by your sponsor
• Other letters indicating financial support
E. Proof of Family, Social and/or Career Ties to Home Country:
• Letter proving tour future job prospects (if applicable).
• Information about family members who have studied abroad and returned (if applicable)
• Evidence to show you own a property in your home country
• Information about your past trips to USA (if any)
• Letters from government officials assuring that you do plan to return to your country
F. Completed U.S. Government Forms:
• A DS-156 form (Non-immigrant Application Form), or A DS-160 Online (Non- immigrant Visa Electronic Application)
• For males, a DS-157 form
• Duly filled DS-158 form enlisting your past history (if applicable)
• Student/Exchange Visitor processing fee
Application Process Tips
Apply for your F-1 visa at least 4 months before you attend to take admission. Don’t wait till the last minute. You will have to wait several weeks before getting an appointment or visa. Keep on checking the U.S. embassy or consulate website or visit the nearest one.
Complete all the forms
To attend the National University, make use of the I-20 form. If you are applying with various schools, you must make sure to collect an I-20 from each of them.
What If Your Visa Is Denied?
There are several reasons that may result into visa rejection, one of the major ones being your profiles inability to convince the officials into thinking that you only intend to visit USA to study abroad. However, you can ask them for the reason your application has been denied. You can also re-apply for the visa, but only when you know that you are surely going to have the approval. Though it might be a daunting task for you, you ask for some assistance from an immigration agency, and relax and sit back.
We believe this study visa guide has actually helped you with some great tips on a USA Study visa.
At Visas Simply, we are expert in providing the best immigration & naturalization solutions to aspiring migrants from all over the world. Our Study Visa USA solutions are takes care of everything you might be wondering about. Our team of education counselor and visa experts will help you right from document assessment to application filing. For more information & assistance on study visa, simply hop on to our website.