F1 visa is the student visa that is required by a foreign national to be able to study in the USA for long duration (full-time academic course). It is a well-known fact that getting visa for USA is a difficult task due to very strict immigration policies and complicated procedures. It is suggested that you take the assistance of a good US Study Visa Consultant to carry out the process for you so that you do not face any challenges. Let us make it a little easy for you so that you know it better and understand the guidance of your student visa consultant.
- The first and most important step to get any student visa is to get the offer letter from the educational place for the enrolment because on the basis of that only the visa can be applied. To get the Enrolment Confirmation letter you need to fill the application form and attach all the required documents with that like the educational credentials, proof of funds, English proficiency test scores etc. It is essential that you have all of them ready in the required format. After the submission of the application, you need to wait to get the confirmation of enrolment.
- As soon as you get the Enrolment Confirmation letter, you should apply to the university to get the I-20 form. Usually there is no charge for this but it still depends upon the university, if there is a fee for that, you need to pay that. This is a numbered form issued only by the universities authorized by the SEVIS to do so.
- When you have the I-20 form with you then you have to fill the DS-160 form which is the visa application form online and pay the MRV fee (Machine Readable Visa Fee) and wait for the confirmation. The payment needs to be made as per the instructions provided.
- While you are waiting for the MRV confirmation, you need to fill I-901 form and pay SEVIS (Students and Exchange Visitor Information System) fee. It is required to be able to enter US as a student and it is a non-refundable fee. It keeps record of all the students who go to the USA to study.
- Once you get the MRV confirmation, you are expected to book the appointment for biometrics at Visa Application Centre (VAC)and visa interview at embassy or consulate (New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and Hyderabad) by visiting the Non-immigrant Visa Application Website.
- As per the appointment or schedule, go to the visa application center for the Biometrics registration of the finger prints. You need to carry a print of the DS-160, MRV fee receipt and SEVIS fee confirmation with you at this moment.
- After the Biometrics is done, go for the Visa interview to the embassy carrying the print of the DS-160, MRV fee receipt and SEVIS fee confirmation and all the other relevant documents with you. This is very important so you must have all the correct answers and you must answer the questions confidently in the interview so that the visa officer is convinced about your candidature.
- Now, you just need to wait for the visa approval and receiving the confirmation for that. Lastly, you get the stamped passport through mail.
- Once you get the visa, you are supposed to make the payments to the University for the Tuition and other expenses and make your travel plans to fly out to America which is called the land of dreams and hope.
Hope the step by step process to apply for the Study Visa for the USA is clear to you know and you understand the terminologies used. Please find below the approximate cost of applying for this visa which is the latest one. Be clear that this does not include the tuition fee, loving cost or any other expenses.
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F1 Visa USA – Estimation of Student Visa Application Cost |
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| University Application Fee | If Applicable |
| I 20 Fee | If Applicable – Depends on the university |
| Machine Readable Visa Fee (MRV) | 185 US Dollars Axis/Citi Bank branch – NEFT/IMPS (details provided in payment instruction) |
| SEVIS Fee | 350 US Dollars (Visa/Master, credit/debit card accepting international payments) |