Today, I attended a US VISA information session organised by USIEF Mumbai. It was great to get a clue about how the VISA interview process works straight from a consular officer working at the US Consulate General, Mumbai. This session upended many of my assumptions, especially about financial documents. If you missed this session, here are some notes that can help you.
Once you receive one or more admits, follow these steps to obtain a student VISA:
1. Request an I-20
- An I-20 mentions the total cost of education, any scholarships that you received and the total duration of your program. Keep it safe. You will need to carry it every time you travel back to India.
- You can ask for I-20s from all the universities that you’ve been admitted to. But, for the VISA appointment, you have to select one.
- As soon as you get your I-20, get your VISA appointment!
2. Complete your DS-160
- This form is available at http://www.ustraveldocs.com/in
- Fill it yourself, because you need to know the exact details you filled in the form and is likely to be asked during the VISA interview.
3. Pay the VISA fee = $160
4. Schedule the 2 appointments
- Biometrics
- This date should be at least 1 day and no more than 14 days before the interview appointment
- Interview
- This date should be no more than 120 days before the date on which your program expects you to be at the university, and is usually the start of the program. This is mentioned on your I-20.
- Note that
120 days < 4 months
5. Pay your SEVIS fee = $200
- Known as Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) SEVIS I-901 Fee
- Pay at https://www.fmjfee.com
- Do this before you go for the VISA interview
- Carry the receipt of this payment during the VISA interview
6. Go for the interview
The Interview
The interview is a verbal communication process. You should be able to explain anything that is asked by yourself. If you get stuck, take a breath and try to answer. The essence of the interview is to prove that:
- You intend to study
- Know your scores like GRE, academics, etc.
- What you know about the course you’ve been enrolled in?
- Why do you want to study?
- What do you intend to do with the degree?
- You are prepared for study
- How did you narrow down to the universities that you applied to?
- Did you take the entrance exam? For example: GRE
- Did you talk to the Graduate School’s Director, seniors?
- Essentially, you should’ve done your research about the course.
- You can pay for your study
- No need to carry financial documents!
Documents do not prove that you have the finances, as they can be forged. You should be able to talk about your finances. So no bank statements, tax returns, etc. - They have about 2 minutes with you and they don’t want to see any documents. If they are unsure, they will put your application on hold and ask you to send the documents for verification.
- Be well informed about your family’s finances. This will be asked and you should be able to talk about it. You need not have a lot of money, but you should have a plan to pay for your study, be it using a loan, relatives, community, etc.
- You should have the first year’s total amount as per your I-20 in any liquid account like savings, fixed deposit, etc. that can be withdrawn at a moment. For the next year’s payment, you should have sufficient funds, but they could be in the form of gold, equity, etc. However, you should have a strong backup plan in case the value of equity plummets, and you should be able to talk about it with the officer if asked.
- No need to carry financial documents!
Additional Notes:
-
The earliest you can travel is 30 days before the start of your program. Else, the US immigration will send you back. See I-20 for the date of the start of program.
-
If you don’t enroll in a university, the SEVIS expires and VISA gets cancelled automatically. There’s no need to cancel your VISA if you don’t go.