United States of America is very popular in the world as the land of dreams and hopes which has allured many people across the globe to migrate from their countries and this is still trending. This is because America promises better educational and career opportunities along with a great lifestyle, all of this is possible due to stable and strong economy. Every year many of the aspiring Indian youngsters go to the US to have better qualifications and learnings so that they could also have a successful professional and personal life. However, owing to the complex and intricate policies and procedures, it is not easy to get the student visa for USA but your choice of a strong and capable Study Visa Consultant such as Abroad Gateway will make it smooth and easy for you.
Things you need to know about the F1 visa (student visa)
- You must be aware that you need to score good bands in the IELTS test to prove your English proficiency to go to an English speaking country but do you know that you can go to America with or without IELTS. This is undoubtedly true, if you do not want to sit for the IELTS exam then you need to have certain other eligibility criteria.
Conditions for going without IELTS:
The medium of instruction (MOI) in the junior and senior level must be English.
If you have cleared 12th from CBSE board then you need to score overall 70% marks and at least 65% in English. However, if you have pursued it from other state boards like Haryana or Punjab board then you are required to have 60% in English as well as overall.
- To apply to any of the university in the USA, you need to procure 3 letters of recommendations from your last educational place, be it school (if going after 12th) or college (if going after Bachelor). Also, in case you have work experience then you need to have 2 LOR from the workplace and 1 from the university. In case your work experience is 5 years or more then you should have all 3 LOR from the office. Make sure that these LORs are from separate individuals.
- The next significant piece of document is a well written SOP stating clearly your purpose which along with all the other documents is required while applying to the university to get the Admission letter. As soon as that is received, I 20 form is applied which is based on the funds. As a general practice you are not expected to pay any tuition fee here but it varies as per the university rules. Some universities ask you to pay a minimum amount such as 1000USD to be paid at this moment which is then adjusted in the cost of living expenses. Also, you are required to submit the proof of funds available to cover the rest of the cost in the account. One day old funds are acceptable. Even 3rd part funds are acceptable.
- Post the above procedure, I 20 is received which is also referred as offer letter. At this juncture the visa is filed by filling up the DS-160 form and a fee for that must be paid which is 185 USD. Along with this the SEVIS ID (Student and Exchange Visitor Information System) fee is also paid which comes out to be 350USD which is valid for one year, so advised to be paid at a later date. After all these formalities, file is submitted.
- Interview with the visa officer at the embassy is the key to the student visa for USA and therefore must be handled well. For this you have to book a slot using the DS-160 number and SEVIS number present on I 20. You can do that before submission of the DS-160 form.
- Finally, you ought to be well prepared for the visa interview so that you can answer confidently and accurately. Any ambiguity or doubt could lead to rejection, so be very clear about the facts and intentions. A good Student visa consultant such as Abroad Gateway understands its importance and prepares the students for this so that the outcome is favorable which is evident from their success rate.
- Lastly, you need to know the result of the interview to know if you got the approval or not which is delivered to you then and there. That’s the best thing about the Americans, they are open and straight forward. If your visa is approved you will receive your passport through courier within 15 to 20 days.
As it is clear from the above discussion, the process is quite complicated for a layman to understand, that is the reason it is suggested that you hire the best Visa Consultants in Chandigarh for this purpose who is trustworthy and proficient in the job.