New Procedure Included in U.S. student Visa Processing

PRLog (Press Release) - Nov 12, 2008 -
Procedure to apply for Student Visa (F1 Visa):
The following is the chronological process that can help the applicants to apply for US student visa:
•          The procedure starts with the application for the admission in US University. Once the university grants admission for the students, a Form I-20 (Certification of Eligibility) will be issued for the students and will be presented with visa application.
•          Get an appointment with the US Embassy [You can apply within 120 days before the reporting date of university], so that you can make arrangements for the visa interview.
•          Get ready with all the required documents (which are mentioned above) to support the application procedure.
•          Pay the SEVIS (Student and Exchange Visitor Information System) fee along with the visa processing fee. It has to be paid while slotting your date for visa appointment which is not refundable.
•          Appear in-person for the visa interview with confidence and show all the documents asked by the visa officer.
•          Show the proof of financial assistance, which may be considered through the bank statements and other financial documents.
•          If the tuition fee and the whole expenditure are sponsored by relatives or anyone other than the parents, students have to get an ‘Affidavit of Support’ and have to be submitted with other enclosures. In case of funding through bank loans, Embassy requires a letter from the bank that holds the funds.
•          Answer for all the questions asked by them gently and with politeness.
•          If you satisfy the visa officer and ensure that you are not intended for immigration in USA, they will surely issue US visa to you.

Visa Fee Information:
To slot a date for visa interview, students have to pay the visa fee for the Embassy either by Cash/Demand Draft favoring “US Embassy - Visa Fees” Selected HDFC Banks(List of banks). The bank drafts issued by cooperative banks will not be accepted. The visa fee may include the following payments:
•          Application Fee: Nonimmigrant visa application processing fee (USD $131 @44/- Rs. 5764/-), Form DS-156, DS-157, DS 158.
•          SEVIS Fee: Payment of US $100 for the SEVIS fee.
•          VFS Service Fee: The service charges amounts to Rs.322/- that includes Rs. 310/- of VFS fee and Rs. 12/- of Bank charges, in addition to 12% of service tax and 0.36% of Education Cess Tax.
(When going to HDFC Bank, it is efficient to carry a photocopy of the applicant's passport.)

Scholastic Requirements
Students planning to study in US universities have to successfully complete the required education for enrolling a study program. Apart from that students have to prove their proficiency in English language and the relevant subject of the course by undertaking the standardized tests such as, IELTS, TOEFL, GRE, GMAT and etc. If in case student couldn’t attain the required level of test score, they have to take a special English language program in the university.

Financial Requirements
Students should prove that they have ample amount of financial resources that can be managed to defray the tuition fee and other living expenses for the entire period of education in United States. Usually students require two financial credentials to evaluate the ability to pay the entire expenditures:
•          Letter of financial guarantee from the sponsor, the postal address, contact details of the sponsor and relationship with the student, and also the sponsor amount that is willing to pay throughout the education program.  The letter should be signed and dated
•          Bank Statement of the Sponsor, showing that there are ample financial resources currently available to cover the whole estimated expenditure of student’s tuition fee and living expenses


Photo Requirements
When submitting the visa application form it is essential to attest a passport size photo consistent with the absolute requirement of US consulate. The photograph has to be an unmounted full face picture, with the dimensions of 50 sq.mm i.e., 2/2 inches, where the applicants head has to be in the center of the frame. It has to be taken not before the last 6months. The photo has to be affixed to the application form by stapling or glued.