Universities, colleges and other schools in the United States continue to be interested in welcoming students from all countries.

After being accepted as a full-time student at a college, university or English language school in the US, the school will send you a document called the Form I-20, which is required to apply for an F-1 visa.

If you are going to be an exchange visitor, the organization or US government agency that is sponsoring you will send you a DS-2019 form, which will be used to apply for a J-1 visa.

1. First, your school or university will send you a form confirming your acceptance to an institution authorized by the US Citizenship and Naturalization Service (USCIS) to enroll nonimmigrant students (the I-20 for F-1 visa or the DS-2019 form for the J-1 visa). You must read and sign this form.

2. Second, you will need to schedule the visa interview and pay the mandatory fees. Student visas can be issued up to 120 days before the course start date shown on the I-20 form. Exchange visitor visas can be issued at any time prior to the date shown in DS-2019. You must apply for a visa as soon as possible.

A fee of US$350 (SEVIS fee) is currently charged for F and M visa applicants and US$220 for most J visa applicants. You may pay this fee with an international credit card.

You will also need to pay an additional visa application fee of US$160.

Payment can be made at the US embassy or consulate in your country, or at a bank designated by the embassy. Specific information on where to pay the visa application fee can be found on the website of the US embassy in your country.

3. Third, the United States uses the nonimmigrant visa application form, DS-160, which must be completed online. https://ceac.state.gov/genniv/. You will be required to upload your photo when completing the DS-160 form online. Your photo must be in the format explained in the “Photography requirements” section:

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-information-resources/photos.html

If you are unable to upload the photo, please take it with you when you go to the interview. Some embassies may request an extra photo for the interview.

4. Be prepared to provide all your information quickly and completely. If you are unable to answer questions in English, or if the consular officer does not speak your language, you can ask for an interpreter. Speaking English is not a requirement to obtain a student visa. In fact, thousands of students come to the United States every year to learn English.

The US Department of State (DOS) has implemented an online tool for immigrant and nonimmigrant visa applicants to track visa application progress: https://ceac.state.gov/CEACStatTracker/Status.aspx .

Financial capacity

To live and study in the United States, you must have adequate and demonstrable financial capacity. Visa applications are generally more likely to be approved when there is financial support from family, employers or sponsoring institutions in your country.

“Intent to return”

Most student and exchange visa applications are approved. The most common cause for an application to be denied is when the person applying for the visa cannot prove to the consular agent that he will return to his home country after completing his studies in the US. This rule is called Section 214.b.

You must present all required documents, including the I-20 or DS-2019, form DS-160, and SEVIS fee payment receipt. You must also bring any documents that show how you will pay for your studies and why you will return to your country. Some examples of such documents are previous passports showing foreign travel, pay stubs, bank statements, family documents or school transcripts.

If the visa is denied...

If your visa is denied, there may still be a way to reverse the situation. You may request a review of the decision. Most of the time, you will have to provide extra documents that were not presented with the initial application. In some cases, the consular agent may ask for additional documents such as proof of employment or that you are a property owner or business owner. You must provide any extra documents that are requested.

A fax or email from your US school to your US Embassy or Consulate detailing your qualifications and asking them to reconsider the decision may be helpful in the successful appeal process. The fax must be sent to the Head of Nonimmigrant Visas at the consular post in question. Fax and telephone numbers are available on the Department of State website at usembassy.state.gov.

See “Contact us.”

Six tips for your visa interview

• Wear social clothes

• Be specific when responding to

Questions

• Bring bank statements or

proof of employment

• Provide details about your plans

of study

• Stay calm and act professionally

• Tell the truth

After the visa is approved, you should receive it within a few days!