Tips on getting your visa

An in-person (face-to-face) interview is usually required of those applying for a student visa for the first time. You are encouraged to apply for your visa as soon as you can to avoid delays (June, July, and August are usually the busiest months). Allow several weeks for planning and getting an appointment for the visa. You can call the embassy or go to the embassy web site for information and instructions.

What to bring to bring the Embassy when you report for your interview:

• A Form I-20 (included with your acceptance letter from your University or College)

• A completed DS-158 and DS-156 non-immigrant visa application with a photo of each person applying (forms available at embassy)

• A passport valid for at least 6 months beyond your expected stay in the US.

• A receipt for the visa processing fee for each applicant

• Financial documents (such as bank books, account statements, tax documents) that show you have sufficient funds (money) to cover tuition and living expenses during your time in the US. The embassy official might need evidence that there are no restrictions on the transfer of funds that would prevent the funds from being made available during your projected stay.

• Proof of your relationship to your spouse and children if you are married and/or have children.

• Evidence that you have strong economic, social, family, or career ties to your home country. If you are applying for an F-1 or any non-immigrant visa, you must provide evidence that you have a residence in your home country, that you intend to return to that residence, and that you intend to leave the US when your course of study is completed.
  

Preparing for your interview

Your interview will be conducted by a U.S. consul (embassy official). Since your interview may be very brief, you will make a more positive impression if you prepare in advance and bring all the required documents. You must listen carefully and answer all the questions the official asks, even if some questions seem unusual. During the interview, you must convince the official that you have good reasons for wanting to study English in the U.S. and that you intend to return to your country or to study another subject when you complete your English studies. Therefore, be prepared to provide thoughtful answers to questions related to these points. Before your interview, consider your reasons for wanting to study English in the US. For example, you might focus on your professional development, how you expect to use English when you get back to your country, and why it is important for you to know English. You might also consider how the interactive teaching methods found in U.S. English language programs and first-hand knowledge of the American culture and interaction with many native speakers can help you learn English quickly and efficiently. If you intend to study another subject after you finish your English program, be ready to mention which subject you hope to study, to demonstrate your knowledge about the University or College that you have applied to, and to explain why you are choosing this school. Unconvincing reasons for granting the visa include wanting to visit friends or family or reasons that are educationally insignificant.

What to do if you do not get a visa

If your visa is denied, you can re-apply. The most frequent reasons for a visa refusal are that the applicant was unable to present a convincing statement of his/her reasons for wanting to study English in the U.S. or that s/he fully intends to return to his/her home country. Therefore, if you re-apply, you might consider these points more completely and discuss them in a different way than you discussed them in your first interview. You may need to more completely discuss your commitments at home, such as those to your family, job, or property, and to discuss how any of these have changed since you first applied. Visas are rarely granted to applicants whose applications are rejected twice. Additional information is available at the Department of State and the USCIS web sites.