Student VISA Information For Study USA Aspirants

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amit_wadhwa

Student VISA Information For Study USA Aspirants

Author: amit_wadhwa

Visa Information (US)

Student Visas to the USA are categorized into two types namely M-1 visa for vocational students, and the F-1 visa for academic students. Most of the international students planning to study in the USA opt for F-1 visa. Let us look at the different aspects that one needs to accomplish to get an F-1 Visa.

Qualification for a Student Visa (F-1)

To qualify for an F-1 student visa, you first must have been accepted at a school approved by the U.S. government. You must be also coming to the U.S. as a bona fide student pursuing a full course of study. Your intended school program must lead to an objective such as a degree, diploma, or certificate.

The following list gives all the prerequisites to qualify for an F1- Visa

Admission into the US schools or colleges (SEVIS I-20)
Bona Fide Student
Full Course of Study
Knowledge of English (TOEFL/IELTS)
Adequate Financial Resources
Intent to come back to Home Country

1. Admission into the US schools and colleges?

Undergraduate Schools in the US

Upon completion of K-12/High School, Students who intend to join college or university must attend what is referred to as an Undergraduate School. These schools offer either a Bachelors Degree. or an Associate Degree. The U.S undergraduate schools require that their all applicants take one or more standardized tests which include SAT [Scholastic Aptitude Test] and TOEFL (Test of English as Foreign Language).

Graduate Schools in the U.S

Upon completion of Bachelor's Degree, a student can advance his education by pursuing Masters Degree in the Graduate Schools of the Unites States. The graduate schools in the United States offer two classes of degrees: Master Degree and Doctorate Degree (also known as PhD)

Students Intend to study Masters or PhD in US have to give certain exam based on their Course & Specialization.

GRE[Graduate Record Examination] : Science stream

GMAT [Graduate Management Admission Test] : Business & Management.

To access more information and study material regarding these exams please join the respective communities on Learnhub.

Based upon your performance in these tests, your academic profile and the course that you intend to pursue you must select the colleges and apply to them. Hunting down the colleges that cohere with one's own educational, financial and geographical requirements is of cardinal significance. Despite the fact that there are many universities in the United States, you can find your favorite school with the aid of our popular US School Finder Tool

For more information on how to choose universities and apply to them, join our Study USA community

Student visas are issued only to students who will attend U.S. schools that have received prior approval from USCIS for enrollment of foreign students. Virtually all public and accredited private colleges, universities, and vocational schools have been approved. To become approved, the school must take the initiative and file a formal application with USCIS.

If you do not plan to attend a public school or a fully accredited college or university, before you apply for either an F-1 or M-1 visa you should check to be sure that the school you have selected has been approved by USCIS to accept foreign students.

Once the school has accepted you, it will issue you a certificate called SEVIS I-20 that you must use to apply for the F1-Visa.

2. Bona Fide Student

Although it should go without saying, your intentions in coming to the U.S. must truly be to study. The U.S. government is on the lookout for people who use a student visa as a means to gain entry to the U.S. for other purposes. This visa has come under particular scrutiny since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, because some of the terrorists were on student visas. In addition, the U.S. immigration authorities are always concerned with preventing people from entering the U.S. who have no intention of leaving. (Many students either overstay their visa illegally, or apply for a green card when their studies are over, for example through marriage or a job offer.)

3. Full Course of Study

As a full course student who undertake the on-campus course and complete the required percentage of attendance. Also, on-campus employment under the terms of a scholarship, fellowship, or assistantship can be considered part of your full course of study. Other than the general rules, however, the time requirements of full-time enrollment vary depending on the type of program you're enrolled in.

Undergraduate college or university programs. If you are an undergraduate at a U.S. college or university, you must be enrolled in at least 12 semester or quarter hours of instruction per term. An exception to this is if you are in your last term and need fewer than 12 semester hours to graduate.

Postgraduate college or university programs. If you are a graduate student, full-time studies are whatever the designated school official says they are. For example, a graduate student may be working on a dissertation and taking no classes at all, but still be considered a full-time student, if the designated school official approves.

4.Knowledge of English

To qualify for a student visa, you must know the English language well enough to pursue your studies effectively. Most U.S. colleges and universities will not admit students whose native language is not English until they first pass an English proficiency test such as the TOEFL. Tests can be arranged in your home country. Your chosen school in the U.S. will tell you if such a test is required and how to go about taking it.

Usually, consular officials let each school decide for itself who is and is not qualified to study there. Still, during the consular interview at which your visa is approved or denied, the official will be listening closely to your ability to understand and communicate in English.

Occasionally, even when a school is willing to admit you without a strong knowledge of English, the U.S. consulate may refuse to issue a student visa because it thinks your English is not good enough. You may still be able to satisfy the consulate if the school you plan to attend is willing to supply English language tutoring or, alternatively, offers a course of studies in your native tongue.

5. Adequate Financial Resources

You must show that you have enough money to complete your entire course of studies without working. At the time you apply for a student visa, you must have enough cash on hand to cover all first year expenses. In addition, you must be able to show a reliable source of money available to pay for subsequent years. This is normally accomplished by having your parents or other close relatives promise in writing to finance your education, and submit proof of their ability to do so.

6.Intent to Return to Your Home Country

Student visas are meant to be temporary. At the time of applying, you must intend to return home when your studies are completed. If you have it in mind to take up permanent residence in the U.S., you are legally ineligible for a student visa. The U.S. government knows it is difficult to read minds. Therefore, you can expect to be asked for evidence showing that when you go to the U.S. on a student visa, you are leaving behind possessions, property, or family members as an incentive for your eventual return. It is also helpful if you can show that you have a job waiting at home after graduation. Of course, if you're young and just starting college, you may not have many such ties-the important thing to emphasize is that it's also too early in your life to have formed a firm intent to leave your home country and settle in the United States.

If you are studying to prepare yourself for an occupation in which no jobs are available in your home country, the immigration authorities would, in the past, have had a tough time believing that you were planning to return home.

So, once all these 6 tasks are accomplished successfully you can definitely expect to take your flight to the USA.

Let us outline the F1- Visa application procedure now

Step 1: SEVIS I- 20 Form

You can't start the visa application process until you have been admitted to a USCIS approved school. You'll need to get started well in advance. Start contacting schools at least a year before you plan to start your studies. Most students submit between five and ten Applications to a mix of schools, including some that they know they have a good chance of being admitted to.

Once a school has accepted you and you've indicated that you will attend (usually by paying a deposit), the school will send you a Certificate of Eligibility form, more commonly called a SEVIS I-20. At the same time, the school will be required to notify the U.S. consulate in your home country.

F1 - students will get what's called SEVIS I-20AB. When you receive the form, review it carefully and advise the school if it contains any errors. Then you will need to sign the form

Step 2: Applying at a U.S. Consulate

Anyone with a Certificate of Eligibility (SEVIS I-20) from a U.S. school indicating acceptance by the school into a full-time program can apply for an F-1 at a U.S. consulate in his or her home country. You must be physically present in order to apply there.

Your application will consist of government forms as well as documents that you collect yourself. You can either get the forms in advance (download them from the State Department website or pick them up from a U.S. consulate), or get your documents together, go to the consulate, pick up and fill out the forms and submit your application on the same day.

You can normally apply 90 days or less before registration will begin at your school. Because of processing delays, it's best to apply as soon as you can within that 90-day window. In fact, some consulates have been known to accept applications before the beginning of the 90-day window, to allow time for security clearances and other sources of delay. Check with your local U.S. consulate regarding its application procedures. Many insist on advance appointments. Just getting an appointment can take several weeks, so plan ahead.

Before your appointment, you'll need to pay a fee and your school may take care of processing this fee payment for you. Otherwise, you have to pay the fee, either online or by mail. To submit the form online, go to www.fmjfee.com, complete the online Form I-901, and pay with a credit card. To submit the form by mail, download it from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) website at www.ice.gov/graphics/sevis/pdf , and mail it, together with your check or money order drawn on a U.S. bank and payable in U.S. currency, to the address indicated on the form. For more information on these requirements, see www.ice.gov/graphics/news Once you get a receipt for having made this payment, you'll need to use it for your consular interview.

Step 3: Check List for the Visa Application

Please refer to Checklist for US VISA

Step 4: Attending Visa Interview

You should pay the the SEVIS fee (SEVIS I-901 fee) and obtain a SEVIS fee payment receipt. The receipt is required at your visa interview. During the interview, a consular officer will examine the forms and documents for accuracy. The consular officer will verify your I-20 record electronically through the SEVIS system. Your documents proving your ability to finance your education will be carefully checked, as will evidence of ties to your home country. During the interview you will surely be asked how long you intend to remain in the United States. Any answer indicating uncertainty about plans to return home or an interest in applying for a green card is likely to result in a denial of your student visa.

Normally, the result of the interview i.e. the approval or denial of the Visa is done straight away after your interview. But, because of new security requirements, the approval of your visa may be delayed. The consular officer will need to compare your name against various databases of people with a history of criminal activity, violations of U.S. immigration laws, or terrorist affiliations. This can add weeks or months to the processing of your visa, particularly if you come from a country that the U.S. suspects of supporting terrorism.

If all these activities are performed with utmost care, you are bound to get your visa to the United States for a great educational experience.

Sample of Visa interview questionnaire Click here

Key Features of F-1 Visa

Once you've been accepted by a U.S. school, the application process is reasonably quick and straightforward.

You may come go to the U.S. as a fulltime academic or language student enrolled in a program leading to a degree or certificate.

You can transfer from one school to another or switch academic programs by going through a simple procedure to notify USCIS.

You may work legally in a part time job on campus. Also, you may get special permission to work off campus if it is economically urgent or if the job provides practical training for your field of study.