Each year, thousands of students from all over the world submit applications to universities in the United States in the hopes of pursuing their academics there. However, you'll need more than just good grades to study in the United States. You'll also need a student visa. If you want to study in the United States, you should start the application process at least three to five months before your course is scheduled to begin. The process of obtaining a student visa to study in USA typically entails several distinct phases. These requirements are different at each US embassy or consulate, so it's important to check the website of the embassy or consulate to which you intend to apply for specific instructions.
Learn everything you need to know about visas, applying for a
student visa to the United States, and what documents you'll need to bring with
you.
Preparedness Checklist for US Student Visa Applications
1. First and foremost, you
need a passport.
Every student studying abroad needs to have a passport that has
not expired. Your passport's expiration date must be at least six months after
your program's end date in the United States. Therefore, you cannot use a
passport that will expire during your program or soon after it concludes if you
plan to travel to the United States. Instead, you'll need to renew your
passport and travel with the new one.
Both the required steps and the cost of obtaining a passport can
change from country to country. If you need information on how to apply for or
renew a passport, look up the relevant government website in your country
online.
2.
Passport format
A passport-style photo taken within the past six months must be
included with your application. If you are applying for a visa online, you will
need to include this photo in your application.
How to take and upload a visa photo, as well as examples of good
and bad photos, can all be found on the United States Visas website. Bear in
mind that glasses cannot be worn in visa photographs as of November 2016.
3.
Finances
You need to have a good sum of money on hand to pay all the fees
associated with obtaining a visa. What these costs are and how to pay them will
be covered in greater depth in a subsequent section. Nonetheless, for
convenience, here is a quick rundown of the costs associated with obtaining a
student visa to the United States:
Students in F-1/M-1 status pay 350 USD for the I-901 SEVIS fee,
while J-1 students pay 220 USD (or 35 USD for those entering short-term J-1
programs). This fee is mandatory for all applicants.
The cost to apply for a visa is $160 US. This fee is mandatory
for all applicants.
Applicants of certain nationalities must pay a visa issuance
fee. The US Visas website will tell you if you have to pay a fee to have your
visa issued.
A student visa application to the United States consists of 7
main steps:
1.
Apply and Be Accepted by a
University in the United States
The first thing to do is to try to enroll in a university in the
United States. Application deadlines for US undergraduate and graduate programs
that accept full-time students fall in December or January. During the months
of March and April, schools typically notify students of their acceptance.
For starters, remember that SEVP has to approve any school you
want to attend. Use the SEVP school search tool to either locate a school that
has been approved by SEVP or to verify that a school that you are considering
has in fact been certified by SEVP.
Exchange programs are typically sought out by J-1 students
through their home institutions. The official J-1 visa website also lists
approved sponsoring organizations that can help you apply for the visa.
2.
Pay the SEVIS fee.
You must pay the SEVIS fee at least three days prior to
submitting an application for a US visa. You can submit a paper or electronic
form to pay the fee. Both are available via the SEVP portal of the US
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. It is imperative that you enter all
information precisely as it appears on your I-20 or DS-2019.
The I-901 fee at the time of publication is US$200 for F/M visa
holders and US$180 for J visa holders (students). Camp counsellors, au pairs,
and seasonal workers on J visas pay only $35 per month. You can learn about the
various payment options, such as debit/credit card, check, international money
order, and Western Union Quick Pay, on the site. After making the payment,
you'll have access to the site for as long as the fee remains active, allowing
you to verify or otherwise review your transaction. It's also possible to have
someone else (like a sponsor) foot the bill on your behalf. A receipt should be
issued to you by the person or organization that pays the fee on your behalf.
A receipt for your payment can be downloaded and printed at any
time from the site. This receipt is evidence of your payment and is required
for your US student visa interview. If you wish to change your nonimmigrant
status or apply for other US immigration benefits, you may be required to
present the confirmation to the customs officer at your designated US Port of
Entry.
3.
Finish the online DS-160
form.
The next step is to fill out the DS-160, or the Electronic
System for Travel Authorization for Non-immigrant Status, to apply for a non-immigrant
visa. Having the following on hand will greatly increase your chances of
completing this form correctly:
You'll need: • Your passport • A photograph to use for your visa
(to upload)
• Either a Form I-20 or DS-2019 (remember, the form you get will
vary depending on whether you are an F-1/M-1 or J-1 student).
Furthermore, you may be asked to provide:
• A schedule of your trip (if you've already booked a trip to
the US).
Include: a) A resume or CV b) The dates of your last five visits
to the United States (if relevant) and/or evidence of your international travel
history within the past five years
Your choice of US embassy interview location is included in this
application.
Aside from entering your full name in your native alphabet, the
entire form must be completed in English. If you have trouble understanding the
English instructions, there are translations available on the form. Visit the
DS-160 Frequently Asked Questions page for more information on completing this
form.
The printed confirmation page, which can be obtained after
submitting the form online, should be brought to the visa interview.
4.
Fork over the cash for
your visa.
Machine Readable Visa Fee (or just MRV fee) is another name for
the visa application fee. If you need to pay a fee, you should check the
website of your embassy or consulate for specific instructions. The application
fee for a visa is generally non-refundable and non-transferable, but can be
paid in one of three ways:
If you come across the term "visa issuance fee based on
reciprocity" during your research, don't worry; F1, F2, M1, M2, J1, and J2
visa applicants are exempt from this requirement. You can pay your visa
application fee in person at an approved bank; over the phone (you'll receive a
fee confirmation number); or online (you'll need to print your receipt).
When you go in for your scheduled visa interview, you'll need to
bring the receipt for the MRV fee. If you are applying for a J visa and will be
participating in a USAID program or a federally funded educational and cultural
exchange program with a serial number beginning with G-1, G-2, G-3, or G-7, you
may not have to pay the application processing fee.
5.
Arrange an interview for
your visa.
This can be done via their website or by calling their local US
consulate. In either case, you'll want to make sure you have your MRV fee
number before proceeding with the payment. Meeting with a consular officer is
required to finalize your visa application. It is not a problem if the US
consulate or embassy where you originally applied for your visa is not the same
one where you will be attending your interview. The barcode on your DS-160 can
be scanned at any US embassy or consulate to access your profile.
The length of time one must wait for an interview at a given
embassy varies. Check out the US Visa Wait Times page on the official website.
6.
Take the visa interview.
The interview is the final significant part of applying for a
visa. The outcome of this interview will determine whether or not you are
granted a student visa to study in the United States.
Ensure you have the following ready before heading out for your
interview:
Include: • Your passport • A single photocopy of your visa • A
passport-sized photo (this may be required by certain embassies, particularly
if you were unable to upload your visa photograph to your online visa
application)
Your printed I-901 SEVIS fee confirmation page Your printed
DS-160 confirmation page
Visa application receipt (this is only required if you paid the
application fee before your interview)
Please bring the original Form I-20 or DS-2019 for F-1/M-1 or
J-1 students, respectively.
7.
Pick Up Your Visa
After you've gone through the processes mentioned above and been
granted a student visa to study in the United States, the American embassy will
return your passport to you along with your new visa stamped inside. Keep in
mind that some embassies will require you to pick it up in person, while others
will simply mail it back to you.
The time it takes to get a visa depends on which embassy you
visit. A rough estimate of your visa's processing time can be found on the
United States' visa website.
