How to apply for student visa in USA?

Are you considering expanding your horizons to study abroad but you don’t know how to apply for student visa in USA?  Well, getting your visa can be a surprisingly easy procedure.

The secret is to prepare 3-5 months before your course starts. Here is a rundown of the five stages involved when applying for a US student visa.

Content:

1. Get accepted into a school
2. Pay SEVIS fee
3. Complete the Visa application form
4. Prepare for an interview
5. Attend your Student visa Interview
6. Final thoughts

Get accepted into a school

Before you apply for the student visa, you must be accepted by a SEVP – approved institution. The accreditation is important as it ensures your academic papers are recognized by professional associations.

Once you’ve been accepted, you’ll enroll in the SEVP system and get all the documents necessary to apply for the visa.

Pay SEVIS fee

SEVIS fee is paid 3 days before submitting your visa application form. Secondly, your school will provide you with form 1-20.

Fill in all the required details and pay a fee.

Make sure the name on your passport is the same as that recorded by the school.

SEVP website has all the procedure for the different types of payment. Not to mention, you should print a payment confirmation from the website. This is what you’ll show the customs officer.

Complete the Visa application form

Make an appointment with the US embassy/consulate to fill in the visa form. Regardless of the program, you intend to pursue, the processing times may vary so it’s prudent that you start early.

Here, you’ll be required to pay a visa application fee.

Again, be sure to include all the details as they appear on your passport. Your visa will be ready within 120 days before you enter the US.

Ideally, you’re supposed to fill DS-160. Include some personal information like name, date of birth, passport details, education details, and medical health information. Plus, you should upload a recent photo.

Prepare for an interview

The visa interview is extremely crucial and requires that you appear in person. While the appointments vary from season to season, it’s important that you apply for an interview at least three months before the actual travel date.

This will give you enough time to appeal the decision in case of denial. Because the interview process is s formal event you should wear business attire.

Needless to say, you must stay calm and professional. Remember, you have a few minutes to speak to the officer, so the first impression is important.

Attend your Student visa Interview

This is where the rubber meets the road. The consular officer will take the digital fingerprints. If you can’t answer some questions in English, you can ask for an interpreter.

To prove your eligibility for the F-1 student visa, the officer in charge may ask for additional documents like academic transcripts and financial documents.

Financial documents give credible evidence that you have readily available funds to meet your expenses. Visa officers like to hear honest responses so you should not give any false information.

If all documents are okay, your visa will be approved without any other question asked. Each case is examined individually.

Final thoughts

Now you know how to apply for student visa in the USA. This guide will give you a handful of tips to ensure the application process runs smoothly.

If your visa is denied, you’ll get a valid reason based on a section of the law.