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| UNITED
STATES : VISA INFORMATION |
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VISA PROCESS
Passports
Your passport must be valid for at least six months beyond
the end of your intended stay in the US.
Before leaving for the US, make a photocopy of the page
containing your photograph and the passport
number. If your passport is lost or
stolen, this will make it easier to replace the passport.
Keep the
photocopy in a safe place, but do not
carry it with your passport.
If your passport is lost or stolen, notify your embassy
and the police immediately.
Visas
A visa is a grant of permission to enter the country.
Most non-U.S. citizens who wish to study in the United
States will seek an F-1 (non-immigrant) student visa,
but there are other visa types that are sometimes authorized
for those who study in the U.S.
The US entrance requirements are as follows :
You must be healthy. No inoculations are required to enter
the US, unless you were recently in a country
with epidemics such as cholera and yellow
fever. HIV-positive people are not allowed to enter the
US.
You must be law-abiding. Criminal behavior is grounds
for deportation.
You must be able to support yourself financially during
your stay.
You intend to leave the US after you complete your studies.
Here is a short description of the different visa types
that involve study :
F-1 (Student Visa). The F-1 visa is for full-time students
enrolled in an academic or language program. F-1
students may stay in the US for the
full length of their academic program plus 60 days. F-1
students must
maintain a full-time course load and
complete their studies by the expiration date listed on
the I-20 form.
J-1 (Exchange Visitor Visa). The J-1 visa is issued for
students needing practical training that is not available
in their home country to complete their academic program.
The training must be directly related
to the academic program. The J-1 visa
obligates the student to return to their home country
for a minimum
of two years after the end of their
studies in the US before being eligible to apply for an
immigrant
(permanent residence) visa.
M-1 (Vocational Student Visa). The M-1 visa is issued
for students attending non-academic trade and
vocational schools. The M-1 visa is
valid for at most one year. Recipients of an M-1 visa
may not change
fields of study. Switching from an M-1
visa to a F-1 visa is not permitted.
Of these, the F-1 and the J-1 are the most common for
international students.
If the foreign student advisor believes you have the resources
necessary for study in the US, he or she will send you
a Form I-20 (Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant
[F-1] Student Status). You will need to submit this form
with your application for a student visa to the American
embassy or consulate. You will also have to provide proof
of proficiency in English (unless you are enrolling in
a language program). You will also need Form OF-156 (Non-Immigrant
Visa form available from US consular offices), a valid
passport, a 1-1/2 inch square photograph (37 mm x 37 mm)
showing full face against a light background, and the
visa processing fee.
Sufficient Financial Resources
To get an F-1 visa approved, you will need to demonstrate
that you have sufficient funds to pay for the first year
of study and that you have resources available to cover
the rest of your educational program. For an M-1 or J-1
visa, you will need to demonstrate that you have sufficient
funds to pay for all tuition and living costs for your
entire stay in the US.
The information you provide on the I-20 form (F-1) or
IAP-66 form (J-1) will be scrutinized very carefully by
both the foreign student advisor at the school and the
INS. If you don't have the resources necessary for study
in the US, you will not get a visa.
You should know where your money is coming from before
you jump on a plane. Several schools require proof that
you have enough money for the entire course of study even
for an F-1 visa, because too many international students
are forced to return home after only a year of study.
If your education will be sponsored by a US citizen (e.g.,
a relative), the relative will need to fill out a Form
I-134 (Affidavit of Support). This form requires them
to pay your expenses if you can't. A Form I-134 filed
by someone who isn't a relative doesn't count as much
as a Form I-134 filed by a relative.
Proving Non-immigrant Intent
You may need to establish that you intend to return to
your home country after your studies are complete. You
may need to demonstrate economic, personal, social, and
cultural ties to your home country.
Some of the methods of doing this include :
Providing a list of the names, addresses, ages, and occupations
of close family members who remain in the
home country.
Providing documentation of financial ties to the home
country, such as ownership of real estate.
Providing evidence of job prospects in the home country,
such as a letter from a potential employer.
Providing an explanation of why equivalent educational
training is not available in your home country or as
suitable.
Likewise, if you have close relatives or financial interests
in the United States, you may have difficulty
getting a visa. If a consular officer
believes that you intend to immigrate to the US, the officer
must, as a
matter of law, deny the visa.
You may be required by the INS to post a Departure Bond
to guarantee your departure.
Changing Visa Status after Arrival
The B-2 visa (Tourist Visa) is not considered a student
visa for full-time study.
Studying in the US on a B-2 visa is grounds for deportation.
Switching from a B-2 visa to a F-1 or J-1 visa after arriving
in the US is extremely difficult, and may be
grounds for deportation or prosecution
for visa fraud.
If you intend to enter the US with a B-2 visa and possibly
switch later to a F-1 or J-1 visa, be sure to get
the visa with a "Prospective Student"
stamp on it. You'll probably need to supply a copy of
a letter of
admission before they will grant you
a B-2 visa with a "Prospective Student" stamp
on it.
As a general rule, if you intend to enter the US as a
student, you should get a F-1 or J-1 visa. If you decide
to change status after arriving in the
US, you should wait at least 60 days to avoid presumptions
of visa
fraud.
In order to apply for a visa at a U.S. embassy or consulate,
you must first have a SEVIS (Student and Exchange Visitor
Information System)-generated document (either an I-20
or DS-2019) issued by a U.S. college or university or
Department of State-designated sponsor organization. You
will be required to submit this form when you apply for
a visa. The U.S. academic institution or program sponsor
will provide you with the appropriate SEVIS-generated
form only when you have been academically admitted to
the institution or accepted as a participant in an exchange
program. The institution or program sponsor will also
send you additional information about applying for the
appropriate visa, as well as other guidance about beginning
your academic program in the United States.
When to apply?
An applicant may apply for a student visa not earlier
than 90 to 120 days before start of course. Interviews
are mandatory for visa applicants in some countries like
USA. The time taken for the visa process depends on each
consulate’s verification procedures. Interview appointments
for student visas of the US and UK are usually given within
a week of application, Australian student verification
takes almost 12 weeks, while Canada takes six to eight
weeks.
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