US VISA Process

 

          The first thing to do after you get an admit in a US university is to apply for your F-1 Visa, Its a lengthy process and i would advice you to start your visa application process as soon as you receive your i20. You would be required to pay Rs.6700 odd in any HDFC branch in and around your place. Then you have to pay $200 as a SEVIS fee online, you can access the form using this link Sevis Fee.Please note that you should have a printer attached to your computer while paying the fees as you will not be able to access the form later. You can use this form as a proof for payment of the SEVIS fee.  You will receive a pay receipt from the sevis office that will be sent to your home., which you will receive in approximately 1 month.  Go to any Kodak showroom and get a US Visa specific passport size photo, make sure you get a soft copy of the photo in a CD as you will be required to upload it in the DS-160 form. .After this go to the US-Consulate website and fill the DS-160 form which is a pretty long one, fill this form honestly. Please note that this form will expire in twenty minutes and so save this form as you finish a part of it. After this fix an appoinment with the US Consulate. Only a few dates(5 to 6) will be available for the interview at a time and the dates will be released as they get filled up.

Preparation for the interview:

              Consolidated Financial document: One can get a consolidated financial document from a recognized Chartered Accountant and ask him to give a statement of your assets, parents income and Savings. Include as much as you can, ideally make sure that the amount quoted is more than the amount specified in your i20.

              Take Print Outs of your Resume and Curriculam Vittae. Incase you get a Pink Slip, you will be asked to submit a copy of both these documents.

              Loan Sanction Letter: If you are taking a loan from a bank, make sure you get a loan sanction letter from the branch manager.

Documents to be taken:

• i20             
• Consolidated Financial Docs
• Appointment Letter
• Passport
• Few Passport Size photos
• Sevis Fee Printed receipt
• 10th, 12th Marksheets
• GRE, Toefl marksheets
• HDFC Blue Receipt
• Assets Documents
• Loan Sanction Letter

                      I wish you all the best for your interview. Good Luck. Be calm, Confident, and be Honest everything will go smoothly. It will be a very short interview, hardly 2 Mins. Reach the consulate office half an hour before your appointment time.