VISA PROCEDURES FOR USA

What is a Visa? A visa allows a foreign citizen to travel to a U.S. port-of entry and request permission from the U.S. immigration officer to enter the United States. It does not guarantee entry into the U.S.

Applying for a Visa – Key Points to Keep in Mind. In order to apply for a visa at a U.S. embassy or consulate, you must first have a generated document (either an I-20) issued by a U.S. college or university & SEVIS (Student and Exchange Visitor Information System). You will be required to submit this form when you apply for a visa.

The U.S. academic institution or program sponsor will provide you with the appropriate SEVIS-generated form only when you have been academically admitted to the institution or accepted as a participant in an exchange program.

The institution or program sponsor will also send you additional information about applying for the appropriate visa, as well as other guidance about beginning your academic program in the United States.

Once you have all the required documentation, you may apply for the visa, even if you do not intend to begin your program of study for several months. It is best to apply early for the visa to make sure that there is sufficient time for visa processing.

Planning Ahead for the Visa Process, Not Just Your Academic Admission One of the most important things you can do to ensure that you will be able to arrive in time for the start of your educational program in the United States is to plan well in advance, not only for the academic portion of your U.S. program, but also for the visa process. This means you will need to request and receive the appropriate visa-qualifying document (either an I-20 or DS-2019) from the U.S. institution or program sponsor well in advance of your planned departure to the United States. You will also need to make an appointment for your visa interview.

Applying for a Visa – Key Points to Keep in Mind Among the things you’ll need to do is pay the SEVIS fee, pay the visa processing fee (the procedure will differ from one U.S. Embassy/Consulate to another, so and make an appointment for the visa interview (again, procedures will differ, so visit the website of the U.S. Embassy).

You should also make sure you have all the documentation you will need when you go for the interview, including the visa-qualifying document (I-20 or DS-2019), financial support documents, proof of payment of the SEVIS and visa fees, and a completed visa application form.

Ensure that you complete the visa application correctly by following the Department of State website procedures carefully.