Getting A Visa
As an international student or foreign national, you will generally need a visa to enter the USA for any length of time. The visa category for most international students is F1. International students’ visas are issued by US embassies in respective countries and regulated by USCIS, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service.
There are general requirements to gain entry into the USA, in addition to the specific requirements of each visa category. In general you must be:
1. Healthy - No inoculations are required to enter the US, unless you were recently in a country with epidemics such as cholera and yellow fever. HIV-positive people are not allowed to enter the US.
2. Law-abiding - Criminal behavior is grounds for deportation.
3. Able to support yourself financially during your stay.
4. You intend to leave the US after you complete your studies
5. Have a receipt as proof of payment for SEVIS
Several tips for succeeding in your Visa Interview
GETTING YOUR VISA TO STUDY IN THE U.S.A. takes time but can be a surprisingly easy procedure and well worth the effort. The number of student visas issued by the United States has grown significantly in the last year in many countries.
Once you have been accepted in a U.S. program, you will complete the official paperwork that permits you to apply for a visa to enter and study in the U.S.A. While the application process for a student or exchange visitor visa can be confusing, hundreds of thousands of students are able to meet the requirements for a visa each year. The total number of student and exchange visas granted by the United States reached an all-time high of 591,050 during the most recent year. Here are some guidelines to help make your visa application process smooth and successful.
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The U.S.A. issues different types of visas to students. A full-time student would receive an F-1 or M-1 visa. Your spouse and children would receive F-2 or M-2 visas. An Exchange Visitor would receive a J-1 visa. Exchange Visitors come to the U.S.A. for consultation, training, research or teaching, or for an approved Au Pair or temporary work position. After a college, university, or English language school has accepted you for admission to full-time study, the school will send you a document called an I-20 form, which is the application for an F-1 visa. If you will be an Exchange Visitor, the organization or U.S. Government agency that is sponsoring you will send you a DS-2019 form, which is the application for a J-1 visa. |
FIRST, your school or university will send you a form confirming that you have been accepted at an institution authorized by the U. S. Citizenship and Naturalization Service (USCIS) to enroll non-immigrant students (the I-20 for an F-1 visa or the DS-2019 for a J-1 visa. You will read and sign this form.)
Be careful to make sure that the name and spelling on your passport is exactly the same as the name and spelling on your application for acceptance to the school and that the school has entered your name as it appears on your passport on the I-20 or DS-2019 Form.
SECOND, you will need to make an appointment for a visa interview and to pay some required fees. Under a revision in the regulations, Student Visas can be issued up to 120 days before the date on your form I-20. Exchange Visitor Visas can be issued anytime before the date on the DS-2019. You should apply as early as possible for your visa.
Each U.S. Embassy has a Web site providing instructions on how to make an appointment for a visa interview and other information on the visa application process. The web site for the Embassy in your country can be located at: http://usembassy.state.gov/ The web site can also tell you the expected wait time for a visa in your country. Student visa applicants should receive priority by the Embassy or Consulate so if your program of study will begin soon be sure to explain this when applying for your visa.
You will also need to pay an additional $131 for the visa application fee in your country at the U.S. Embassy or Consulate or at a bank that the Embassy designates. Specific information on where to pay the visa application fee can be found at the web site of the U.S. Embassy in your country.
THIRD, all applicants must then submit the form DS-156, Application for a Nonimmigrant Visa, and DS-158, Contact Information and Work History for Nonimmigrant Visa Applicant. These forms are available at http://evisaforms.state.gov.
Male students between the ages of 16 and 45 also complete the form DS-157, Supplemental Nonimmigrant Visa Application found at: http://foia.state.gov/FORMS/visa/ds0157.pdf.
Complete these forms neatly and completely. Again, remember to use the exact same order and spelling of your names as they are found in your passport. Then you will print them out and bring them to the Embassy. If you don’t have access to the internet, you can get the forms at the Embassy.
FOURTH, prepare for your visa interview. It is more important than ever to apply for your visa well in advance of the date you will begin your studies. If possible, apply three months before you plan to travel to the U.S.A. This will give you extra time if there are delays at the Embassy, or if you wish to appeal a decision in the event of a denial All applicants’ names have to be submitted for a security clearance. Citizens of some countries have to undergo additional screening that takes several additional weeks of processing.
You may wish to visit or contact the nearest U.S. Department of State-affiliated advising center office in your country, located throughout the world and listed at http://educationusa.state.gov/centers.htm. The staff at these centers will be able to explain where to pay the visa fees and how to schedule your interview.
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