Introduction

Students should bring following with them to the visa appointment:

Passport Visa fee or proof of visa fee payment Federal SEVIS Fee payment receipt US non-immigrant visa application form confirmation (DS160) Institutional admission letter Institution-issued SEVIS I-20 Test scores and academic records Proof of English proficiency Proof of financial support Evidence of ties to the home country Any other documents required by the embassy or consulate Additional supporting documents as advised above

Students for U.S. student visas are required to appear in person for an interview : At the U.S. Embassy (New Delhi) or Consulate ( Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad). At the Offsite Facilitation Center (OFC) and You must schedule the OFC appointment at least one day before the interview appointment date. You can schedule both appointments online using website www.ustraveldocs.com

Fill an online form i.e. DS160 available on the CEAC (Consular Electronic Application Center) website : www.ceac.state.gov Student has to pay US Visa Fee US $160 at a designated branch of AXIS Bank or Citibank before scheduling the Visa date. First create a profile : www.ustraveldocs.com Student has to block the date from the website www.ustraveldocs.com and finally get a printout of the Interview Appointment Sheet. Student has to pay online SEVIS Fees (The Student and Exchange Visitor Information System) of US $ 200 through credit card only www.fmjfee.com

Student has to pay US Visa fees at a designated branch of AXIS Bank or Citibank before scheduling the Visa date. Student needs to submit Receipt for payment online generated slip to bank to make the payment. Visa Application fee is $160 shall be paid in Indian Rupees i.e. Rs.10,560 @66. This fee is non refundable & non transferable. Once the payment has been made, bank will provide you bank reference number . This reference number is also needed to block visa interview appointment. Student can block the visa interview & OFC date after 3 to 4 hours of visa fee payment.

US Visa Application (Form DS160) has to be completed online for your visa. For this one has to log on to U.S. Department of State website: www.ceac.state.gov (Consular Electronic Application Center) Select a location where you will be applying for this visa. Start Application : Application form DS 160 Carefully follow the instruction & fill the application. Once Student has completed the DS-160, print the confirmation page. Right Side of the application is reflecting barcode (known as the CEAC barcode). You will need this barcode, in addition to the Axis Bank / Citibank Fee receipt reference number, to confirm your visa interview appointment

After filling the DS 160 properly, start blocking the visa interview date. Visit : www.ustraveldocs.com -----> Apply for U.S. Visa ----->Schedule your appointment with the US Embassy / Consulate. Axis Bank / Citibank bar code and Consular Electronic Application Center bar code is required for blocking the date. (be careful while entering this code) After blocking the dates download Interview Appointment page and a checklist page.

Student has to Schedule Offsite Facilitation Center appointment. This appointment will allow you to have your fingerprints and photo taken. This appointment must be at least 1 day before your visa interview appointment at the Embassy or Consulate. For your Offsite Facilitation Center appointment, Student will need to bring: A passport valid for travel to the United States Your DS-160 confirmation page. Your appointment confirmation page.

Visa interview appointment at the Embassy or Consulate. Following Student visit to the OFC to have photo and fingerprints taken, Student will then visit the U.S. Embassy or Consulate on the date and time of visa interview.

The student should have at least first year of tuition fees in liquid balance such as saving account, fixed deposits etc. The remaining of the tuition fees can be shown through Education Loan/ Fixed Deposits. Income Tax Returns of Sponsor (usually Parents) of students going for Masters/ Bachelors Degree should be in the range of 6.0 to 8.0 lacs at least. Sponsor of Applicant - Parents / Paternal Grand Parents /Maternal Grand Parents / Spouse is acceptable. The Sponsorship of other relatives makes the case weak.

Once the Student has received his Offer Letter i.e. I-20, he has to block the interview date and has to face personal interview. The points which a Visa Officer is looking while assessing the student are - Is he a Genuine Student ? Is he a Potential Immigrant ? Is he Financially Capable? Has he applied for relevant course? Cant he pursue the respective course in India? Does he intent to return back to India? Why USA ? Why this University ?

The key to a successful student visa is to have the 3 Cs right: CONFIDENCE COMMUNICATION CLARITY The student should be counseled psychologically and technically and should be prepared for the visa interview

Visa applicants whose fields of study or country of origin appear on the Department of State Technology Alert List will be checked against databases maintained by the FBI. This security procedure will delay the issuance of the visa substantially. The Technology Alert List consists of a Critical Fields List as well as a Department of State list of designated State Sponsors of Terrorism. Critical Fields List : Nuclear Technology, Rocket System and Unmanned Air Vehicle Subsystems, Navigation, Chemical, Biotechnology and Biomedical Engineering, Remote Sensing, Imaging, Informatio

The general guidelines/sample for visa procedure in detail are given in separate file which include : DS-160 Application Form DS-160 Confirmation Page Receipt for Payment to Bank Payment Acknowledgement from Bank Visa Appointment Confirmation Harmonium Folder Mock Questions - Student Visa USA Security Clearances