F1 Visa application guidelines 2013 • 1. (by Sudesh Kumar Agrawal) Last Updated: 13:35 (dd/mm/yyyy hh:mm) Please follow the guidelines at your own risk.:P The guidelines pertain to F-1 Visa; for other types some of the steps may be same. Also some steps might differ slightly even for the F-1 Visa. Don’t forget to check the hyperlinks. Do not forget to keep an online backup of all your documents.

Step 1: Wait for your I-20 You’ll probably need to upload some financial statement along with your admission letter to get it. Talk to your International Advisor — he may help you in getting it issued early. You have two options for delivery — US mail and Express Delivery.

Bluetooth Range Extender Software there. US mail takes 2–3 weeks while the Express Delivery takes 1 week (actual time span though they’ll claim 2–3 days). You need to create an account at University Express Mail Services. The service charges you around $53–$60 (there two options). Once the I-20 is issued you’ll get an email stating the same and they will wait for 2–3 days for the express mail service to collect your I-20, fail, they send it through the normal US mail service. Step 2: Pay the SEVIS fee of $200 ($1 = ₹ 57 regardless of the exchange rate on that date) Once the I-20 is issued you’ll receive the SEVIS ID and the SCHOOL CODE in the mail itself. So, you can pay the fee even before the I-20 arrives.

Most applicants, including children, are required to pay a Machine Readable Visa (MRV) fee to initiate their U.S. Visa application. Please check the Scheduling your interview web page on our web site for more information on regards to receipt activation timelines. DO NOT open a new window. Once your transfer has taken place you will receive an email saying the MRV Fee Receipt has been activated. Log in and schedule an appointment for the interview and OFC. “Offsite Facilitation Center (OFC) locations are used by the visa applicants to submit biometric information including their fingerprints.

However, you can wait for the I-20 to arrive. You’ll have to print the digital receipt for the OFC (Offsite Facilitation Centre) and the Consular Appointment. Do not forget to collect the hard copy of the SEVIS receipt although it is not required for the VISA interview (Consular Appointment). Step 3: Fill the non-immigrant or the DS-160 form. After creating your application note down your APPLICATION ID and the answer of your security question so that you can retrieve your application later and complete the form in multiple sittings. You’ll require your Surname and DOB also to retrieve your application. There is an option of saving your form as.dat file to do the same.

You can start filling this form even if you have not yet received your I-20; however you require your I-20 to complete it. You should not need more than 2 hr to complete this form. It is advisable to print the complete application while you are reviewing it though you do not require it.

After you have completed filling out the form you’ll see a confirmation code (which probably will be the same as your application id). Print the confirmation receipt which you’ll be requiring for the interview.

The photo thing is still not clear to me. On my confirmation page the photo tag has the following written on it — 'Photo will be taken at the ASC.” This may mean that they will click you or it could also mean that we have to get ourselves clicked but do not have to paste the pic with glue and that they will take it during the first appointment. Step 4: Pay VISA FEE of $160 (for F1). Create an account. Fill the form.

Most of the fields will be automatically filled but do check if they are correct. For example, in my case I found at the end that I was filling the IMMIGRANT FORM.

You require your Confirmation No of DS-160 • here (SEVIS ID, Name of the University, and University ZIP code too). You have several options to pay. I chose NEFT (National Electronic Funds Transfer). So, further guidelines are based on the assumption that you have chosen this option. NEFT typically takes place in batches between 9 AM – 7 PM on weekdays (don't remember for weekends). So, if you transfer after 7 PM on a weekday, the actual transfer will take place in the morning the next day. A new tab/window will open when you choose the NEFT option.