Student Visa for the USA

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With a ranging competition for student visas, getting approval for your visa from a top country like the USA will not be an easy road. It can only be easier by knowing and understanding the procedure of visa in detail. In this blog let us know everything about the student visa for the USA.  

Let’s do the hard things like student visa first, for greater success  

Greater journey starts with tougher huddles; student visa is one of those. In the past few years, the competition for the USA student visa has been getting much harder. Many students are facing multiple visa rejections, this situation can be avoided by you if you consciously load yourself with required procedural steps to be followed. Before learning further let us first know what a student visa is?   

  Student Visa is a seal of approval to the US government passport, it is given to the students who have enrolled at qualified educational universities. student visa is not an immigrant and doesn’t obtain US citizenship. The Visa will allow the foreign students to attend institutes in the US.  

  To get a broader picture on the student visa process let us know the different types of educational visas the US government provides.  

  Types of student Visas  

For your visa to be successful just a partial knowledge will not suffice, it is important to know all the various types of student visas and which variant you will be opting for. So, to compare different types of visas will make you a well-versed person. Let us know them now:  

1. F1 visa  

 F1 visa is the most common student visa available for educational programs that need 18+ hours of study every week. This visa is opted by the students applying for MBA, MS and other graduate programs. This visa allows the students to apply for permission to work off campus for up to 12 months, which is commonly known as Optional Practical training (OPT). The closed ones who include the spouse and children of a person with F1 visa can obtain their F2 dependent visa, but they cannot work in the US unless they have their own separate study or work visa in the country.  

1. J1 visa  

J1 visa is an exchange visitor visa which is issued to students, teachers, lecturer and other scholars as part of their exchange programs. This is also the visa opted by the working professionals who come to visit the country. Here the spouse and children can also accompany but must possess a J2 dependent visa.     

1. M1 visa  

 M1 visa is for the students who enroll for technical and vocational institutes. The persons under this visa are not allowed to work for the entire time period. This visa comes with time stamps.  

 What is SEVIS?  

 Before knowing about the visa process, one must know about the US security system called SEVIS. This is an often discussed and is confused among the students, so let’s know about it here in brief:  

  The Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) is the web-based system that the U.S. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) maintains information regarding students who come under F1, J1, M1 and their dependent visas F2, J2.   

 Payment of Fee  

 

Fee under student Visa usually includes:   

SEVIS charges the visa,  

application fee and  

The MRV (Machine Readable Visa)  

All the fees are as per the country’s specification. Consult CareerCheq GoAbroad for more!  

Required Documents 

 

Place all your required documents at one place before starting the process and try understanding use of each, because when you feel the burden of the process this understanding can help you solve a particular riddle you’re facing. Knowledge doesn’t go to waste, so try understanding each patiently. Let’s see the list of documents to get ready with:  

• Original passport with six months of validity  
• DS-160 copy- which is the application form for visa. 
• Receipt of SEVIS fee payment. 
• Form I-20 given by the registered university for the course enrolled 
• Visa Payment confirmation receipt  
• Appointment letter   
• Bank statements (3 years)  
• Original mark sheets or provisional certificates  
• Score sheets of examinations such as GMAT, TOEFL or IELTS. 
• Salary or pay slips (if working). 

Application Process 

 Now comes the important step to take, the application process:  

• Usually, the process starts as soon as you receive your Form I-20 from the enrolled university. But remember before even starting your application process it is advised to pay your SEVIS fee first, although you can pay it between the application process as well.  
• So, when you receive the Form-I20 and SEVIS fee receipt, you can apply for the DS-160 Visa form and pay the prescribed charges, once you apply you can immediately print out the confirmation page.   
• Later step is to book your Biometric and interview appointments. For this you must visit personally and get the photograph taken for the visa. You will also scan your fingerprints for the biometrics on the same day usually, but this can vary as per need. 

Interview process  

 This is the final and important process to show all your efforts which you have put until now. So, it is advised to be in the right state of mind and speak cautiously.  

Once you book your interview appointment and biometrics you will be attending the interview on the selected date. Mostly the interview revolves around your educational choices, bank statement, course details, university options, intention of returning to your home country and other personal details. If the interviewer is convinced about your vision of studying abroad, your passport will be allowed for visa.  

 Usually, F1 visas will be granted around 120 days before the enrolled course starts. One cannot travel to the USA before 30 days of the course starts.  

Hope this blog is helpful to you, CarrerCheQ GoAbroad wishes you all the luck in the universe to successfully receive your student visa and reach your dreams for greater tomorrow.  

 Best of Luck ☘