Source: Yahoo Groups. Corrections and improvements are welcome.
Visa - the deciding stage , Visa Checklist , F1 Visa - Instructions
U.S.A. STUDENT VISA
The
student has to take a prior appointment for the Visa interview. This can be
done online - Visit the website: http://www.visa-services.com/interim-student.htm
Select
the appointment date online, courier the demand draft for the fees along with
the documents. The U.S. consulate will then email you the fee receipt and
Appointment Letter.
You
can visit one of the Application Centres?
at Mumbai / Ahmedabad / Pune with the following documents:
?#060;/span>
|
1. Passport, valid
for minimum 6 months beyond visit. 3. A fully completed
supplemental visa application form DS-157. (Only for Male Applicants) Click here to download
the form. 5. One passport-sized
photograph, front facing with light background 7. Photocopy of Form I-20 signed by the student. |
|
Important!
Applicants may require longer lead time during peak seasons and holiday
seasons, and therefore are advised to take an appointment as early as
possible. |
|
|
Please report not
earlier than 15 minutes prior to the appointment time. Remember to carry
your passport, Appointment Letter and Fee Receipt! Important! Security regulations
do not permit you to carry any electronic items (including cell phones and
pagers), smoking material, or any kind of bags (except a small ladies purse,
and a plastic bag to hold your application papers).
Supporting Documents
1. Form I-20 in original signed by the student.
2. Evidence of your financial resources (see below).
3. Original Bachelor degree or high school diploma along with mark sheets.
4. Relevant test scores, e.g. TOEFL and SAT, GRE, GMAT or LSAT.
A note on Financial Resources
At the interview, the Officer will need to see:
* Liquid assets sufficient to pay for the entire 1st year of
your education.
* Readily available funds to cover the remaining year(s) of
your study.
To
establish your financial resources, you should bring to the Consulate:
1. Original tax returns for the past 3 years (specifically Form 16).
2. Original bank records for the past 3 years, and/or fixed deposit statement
of your parent or sponsor. (Although anyone may sponsor
your education,
the Consular Officer will be more convinced if your
parent or close
family member finances your studies)
3. If you receive a scholarship, it is noted on the I-20 and
favorably considered
by the Officer.
4. The US Consulate discourages applicants from
bringing property deeds or certified copies of
financial documents.
What happens inside
the consulate:
1. You will first clear security check.
2. You will then be issued a yellow colored envelope.
3. You will then submit your passport and the envelope at the Intake Window,
where you will be issued a token.
4. After receiving the token please be seated to await call to an interview
booth by announcement of name and token number.
IF Visa is granted:
Your
passport will be returned to you within 2 working days after your personal
interview at the American Consulate.
Your passport will be delivered to you at home address noted on the visa form
unless you have indicated that you require the same to be returned at your
office address.
At the time of delivery of your passport you will be required to handover the
Airway Bill issued to you by Blue Dart when collecting your application pack.
Blue Dart will not deliver the passport if the Airway Bill is not surrendered.
It is not essential for the passport holder to receive the passport in person,
however the receiving person must have the pick up Airway Bill.
If
Visa is Refused:
The fees
paid by you includes an Issuance Fee of $75 (Rupee equivalent).The Issuance Fee
is refundable to you if visa is refused.
The Consul will return you your passport and an envelope containing the Demand
Draft for Rs. 3675/- that you have submitted towards the Issuance Fee.
You have to cancel the Demand Draft for Rs.3675/- with your issuing bank.
If this is your first refusal and you intend to re-apply, you can re-use this
Demand Draft provided the draft is still valid at that time.
|
Visa
Application Centres are located at: Counter Timings: |
|
|
|
|
Visa Application centres will be open on all 2nd and last
Fridays when the consulate is closed for applicants.
FOR VISA INTERVIEW - MUMBAI CONSULATE:
American Consulate General
78, Lincoln House, Bhulabhai Desai Road,
Breach Candy,
Mumbai ?400 026
Tel: (91 22)
2363-3611
Fax: (91 22) 2363-0350
Operating Hours: 8:30
a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday-Friday (Closed on 2nd and last
?Friday for
applicants.
Following is the list of things that you are supposed to carry along with you to the consulate on the day of VISA interview. This information is to the best of my knowledge as far as Consulate in Mumbai is concerned.
NOTES:
1. All the above mentioned documents should be carried in Original, except wherever specified.
Q.What is a Summary Statement?
A. This lists all your assets and their worth in US Dollars and Indian
Rupees. It also lists the Total Annual Income of your family members as per the
last Income Tax Return Filed. This is especially necessary for the Consulate
Office at Mumbai where the officers have openly stated that they don’t value CA
Statements.
Q. Who should be the sponsor?
A. Ideally, it should be your parents. Even if you don’t have the funds with
you, try to borrow funds from your relatives, friends etc for the bank
statements and then you can return the money. The entire amount borrowed should
not be deposited in the bank all of a sudden. I would also recommend you to
often pick some money in units of 5000 or 10000 to make it appear as if the
account is an active one, and all the money belongs to you. As far as really
paying for your education is concerned, you can take a loan or take support
from some other sponsor. But try to show to the officer that you have not taken
a loan and no external person (not even your uncle / aunty) is sponsoring you.
It should be your parents only.
Q. How to show funds for the finances?
A. The most ideal scenario would be to have the amount equivalent to the first
year's expenses in your savings account and the amount equivalent to your
second year's expenses in your fixed deposits and/or provident funds and or
other liquid assets. Other assets such as property, stocks, bonds will then
serve to show that you are well to do. And it will pose you no problems as far
as finances are concerned. Make sure that you can show that there is sufficient
amount left even after your second year's expenses so that he does not think
that you will have nothing left after your education.
Q. Can I show more than 1 bank account?
A. Yes, you can. No one keeps 10-12 lakhs in a single
account. So it’s ok to split it up into multiple accounts. But make sure that
your bank statements are issued on the same date. This is just to avoid the
Consulate Officer from thinking that you have simply rotated the same money
from one account to another.
Q. Which should have more funds? Savings a/c or fixed deposits?
A - Ideally, the amount should be in savings as
indicated above. It would make sense to break your FDs and put the money in
your savings. Its because they directly see the entries in your Passbook as to
what is the amount reflected by your current savings. They interpret the
current savings as the money that you have to spend for immediate expenses.
Q.?How do I
cover up the recent Huge Passbook Entries?
A. It is quite natural that none of us have 10 to 15 lacs in our bank accounts (usually!!!). So people get the money from their friends or relatives and deposit it into their accounts for some days. But then big, fat deposits at dates closer to the date of your VISA Interview create a doubt in the Officer's mind. As it is they are well aware that Indian people take money from their relatives and show it as their own. So the best thing is to have frequent transactions well before the date you have decided to appear for the VISA Interview. Besides depositing money, also have frequent withdrawals to show that it is an active account.
QUESTIONS LIKELY TO BE ASKED BY THE VISA OFFICER:
REPLY: I applied to 8 Universities
REPLY: I got 5 admits, 1 reject and I am
still awaiting replies from 2 Universities.
?REPLY:
My 1st Choice is University of Maryland-College Park
REPLY:?As per your details. But
always try to speak out the better score first. Like if you have a good TOEFL score, say 280, and a GRE of
1000, speak out your TOEFL first and then GRE. Keep it short. So let the answer
be: " TOEFL 280, GRE: 1000". Thats it. as much as he asked for. Makes
his job easier.
REPLY: Sir, we have a percentage system
and I have secured 62% in my Bachelor Of Engineering
REPLY: VJTI College affiliated to Mumbai
University
REPLY: Sir, My Bachelors Degree was in
Computer Engineering
REPLY: Sir, I want to pursue M.S. in
Computer Science / Telecommunication / Electronics Engineering
REPLY: University Of Maryland ?College
Park
?10.Who
is planning to sponsor you?
REPLY:?As mentioned in your
I-20. If you have a scholarship, say that. Else in case the I-20 says
"Family funds" say that, and you may add that sir, my father and my
mother are supporting me for my higher education.
11.Why
do you plan to do MS / MBA?
REPLY:?I feel
that higher qualifications give a better place, a better standard in today's
competitive world. I feel that I have a good knowledge of my field, but a bit more technical knowledge
will serve me greatly, when I come back here and join the industry.
?#060;/span>12.Why do you
wish to study in the US and not in India?
REPLY: In India, education is mainly theoretical
whereas in U.S., there is more stress on Project work and Research Work. Also,
very few reputed Universities in India are offering the course, which I am
interested in. OR
REPLY: The courses in the field I am interested in are not being offered
(or very few institutions offer such courses). In addition to that the research
going on is something I would like to be associated with. (Speak about the
facilities as well). Talk about a few researches being conducted in that field.
Technical words work out well when other things don’t.
13. Why did u select this
University?
REPLY:
This question can be best answered when you do a bit of homework about your
university. Browse the Web page of the University, visit the pages of the
professors, go through their projects. Now remember some of the key words, like
the project a professor X is working on. Mention something about the project if
the officer is listening and is giving you time to explain. When you do such
things, they think that you are pretty serious about your studies and are
really into it. Well, some people believe in mentioning about the rank of the
university, or the student to faculty ratio. Well, all these things don’t
affect how you are interested in it. You can say all these stuff such as rank
and all, but you have to state what interested you and it should be something
about research or academics. You can also show letters of correspondence with
your University professors. MY answer to this question:
"Sir, the first and foremost factor for
selecting this university was the course being offered. Telecom at UMCP is a
cross-disciplinary course. Besides technical knowledge, this course also
enhances the managerial skills, which is the demand of the present-day telecom
industry. So while the professors from Computer and Electrical department will
be teaching me Signal Processing, Encoding, Communication techniques, and
Networking, at the same time the experts from School of Public Affairs will be
imparting me knowledge of Present day competition in Telecom industry, staff
management and resource management."
IF time permitted, I would have added:
"Sir, UMCP is located within Baltimore-Washington DC area, one of the greatest concentrations of research facilities and intellectual talent in the nation. "Library of Congress", "the National Archives" and "the Smithsonian Institute" are some of the biggest research institutes and libraries which the students will enjoy having frequent interactions with. What else could a Student ask for??" (Remember, here you need to mention about the course contents in this University which attracted you.)
14.
Your passbooks show that a large amount of money has recently been
?
Deposited. How would you explain that??
REPLY:
We normally do not keep large sums of money in the Savings a/c since we earn a
higher rate of interest when we invest them in Bonds / Fixed Deposits. You can
also say that you had invested in private firms because they provide higher
interest rates around 13% per annum as compared to merely 8% given by
Banks.?
?15. What
does your father do? (What if my dad has taken the VR?)
?REPLY:
Well this does have a specific reply, but then you can put it as "Sir, My
father is working with a German collaborated company for the past 25 years as a
Manager in XYZ department. The long reply helps over here. If your father has
taken a voluntary retirement, don’t mention that he has retired. Well there are
two approaches to this. One, say that your father worked with this company for
the last 30 years and now has his own consultancy dealing with (insert some
financial or technical terms). OR, Say that your father worked as Asst
Mgr./Mgr./GM with some company for the past 25 years, took a VRS and now has a
consultancy of his own. Never show him to be idle, because that means your
income has drastically reduced and works as a negative point.
?16. Do
you have any relatives in the US?
REPLY:
If none of your Blood relatives (like Father, Mother, Brother, Sister, Husband,
Wife,) are in U.S., firmly say “NO? If anyone of the above is in U.S., tell
the truth. Don’t say ?My Uncle / Aunt / Cousin / Family friend is in U.S.?
unless they are your sponsors.
?17. Your
brother/sister is studying there too. How will your parents support
Both of you?
REPLY: We
have a flourishing Business of Garment Exports since last 20 years and my
family has the necessary finance to fund our education.
?18. Why
is your GRE score low?
?#060;/span>REPLY: You
can say that you think your score is average and on the basis of that the
university has given you the admission. You can also mention that "This
score is considered to be ideal for the Engineers (if you are one). Or
according to what you are. You can always build up a story, saying that the GRE
Score interpreter sheet says that. As Such Engineers don’t need to have an
extraordinary VERBAL Score, if the other sections complement it. You can show
that the other sections are stressed upon by universities while selection for
admission (Say this only when you think the situation is getting tense).
If you have a low VERBAL score, but a good TOEFL
score, you can always say that "Please look at my TOEFL score Sir, I have
done well at that". Besides GRE is just one of the many aspects that the
universities look at for admission (Say this line only when you think you are
drowning).
REPLY: Be really well prepared for this question.
This answer is not fool proof, but its you who can make it seem so. The basic
things are:
Your field is on a roll in INDIA
Your field has great opportunities
You get better opportunities once you do your MS
Show foreign companies coming to INDIA investing in
your field
State some technical words expressing the
advancements in your field
"Sir, Telecom industry is booming today in
INDIA. Various Multinational companies like HUGHES, Orange, AT&T,
Hutchison. are investing huge amounts of research funds and are looking forward
to launch advanced Telecommunication Systems in INDIA. Besides them, various
Indian Telecom Giants like RELIANCE TELECOM, Bharti Telecom, VSNL are also
investing?huge money into this field.
Sir, I believe that better technical knowledge will help me to achieve greater
heights in this field, having deepened my technical knowledge after completing
my higher studies, I wish to get into this seemingly vast arena of Indian
Telecom Industry"
I was also selected by RELIANCE TELECOM, but sir,
deeper technical knowledge would surely enable me get better results in the
competitive field, and I have seen that there is a dearth of persons with
greater technical know-how in this field, and whosoever has it will be
benefitted highly. So I wish to complete my MS and strengthen my technical
know-how and grasp the opportunity"
OR:
REPLY: I plan to start the Export Division in my
Family Business when I come back.?Sir,
Indian Garments are renowned worldwide and there is a tremendous demand
Overseas for our product.?
?
REPLY: This generally occurs because people having
done their BE in Civil go on to pursue MS in Computer Science. I am giving this
reply specifically for transfer to Computer Stream. Sir, during my third
semester, when I was introduced to programming languages, I had a great
exposure to computers. I gradually developed a liking for it and wished to
deepen my knowledge in it.
I mastered a number of languages on my own, and am
also into Web Designing and software debugging (push in technical words).
I always had it in my mind, that once I strengthen
myself in my field, I will go on to enhance my skills in the field of
Computers.
Always try to show that you have an interest for that
subject. Never project that you are taking this up because the market is
strong. This is because you are changing your stream. They might end up
thinking that you just used your BE to get to this stage and that you did not
do that on interest. They'll think you are not strong mentally and not a
serious student. Show that you do everything with your interest, you even did
your BE in Civil or any other field because you had interest in it, and now
Computer Science is your interest too.
REPLY: This question often decides your ability to
pay for your expenses. They think that money can be put into banks, but annual
income is a proof, which they heavily rely upon to decide the?parent’s capability to spend for his
educational expenses.
Whatever the officer asks. 1) What is your father's
annual income? OR 2). What is your family's annual income? The moment the words
'Annual Income" creeps in, state your complete family annual income, i.e.
If your mother is also an earning member, if you have agricultural income, if
you have rental income plus the interests and dividends...State all of them
together. Don’t commit the blunder of stating just your father's income. Many a
times it hampers your chances if it seems low to them. Obviously a total sum of
mother's income, your father's income, agricultural (if u have), rental income
will be much more than a single one. And if they ask for the IT returns, hand
over both of your parent's return statements, plus the agricultural papers plus
the rental receipt (duplicate) at the same time. And if he/she just argues (usually
they don’t) that you were asked about your father's income then say, "
Sir, My family is sponsoring me. Along with my father, my mother is also an
earning member and an income tax payer.
22.You
look like Potential immigrant OR I don’t think you will come back to
India
REPLY: This is a real tricky question. Many lose their senses as how to
tackle this question. Stay calm and think what all you can say like:"I am
from a very well-to-do family and money is not at all essential for me. I stand
to inherit a lot from my parents (say this if u have lots of property) so
staying and working in the US is out of question. The only thing i lack is this
Masters (or whatever degree) which will make me a better software professional.
As far as opportunity is concerned, because of the recession most of the
Multinational Companies are turning to the Indian companies for their software
solutions. Most of the Indian companies have tie-ups with US Companies (give
some examples). So I am certain that with my degree, I will get an equivalent
opportunity and pay packet in India.
OR
REPLY:?We are well settled in
India having our own Business where we have over 50 employees working with us.
With the contacts that I will be able to develop during my stay in U.S., I am
confident that I will definitely succeed in starting the Export Division. So
there is no reason why I should stay back in U.S. and search for a job.
?#060;/span>
The most important factor is "CONFIDENCE".
Whatever the answer be, if you are confident and show that you are not nervous,
that will really help you get through. Complete Documents, Convincing Skills,
Confidence and Presence of mind is what you have to demonstrate. These are the
keys to getting through the interview successfully. Many do get through because
of sheer luck, when some of the casual officers just seem to be in a hurry to
get through with the troop of VISA aspirants facing their counter.
But then I believe that your parents do all the job
of putting together all the financial documents and stuff. The only thing you
need to do is to put a confident self of yours over there.
Its not that all the questions I have put here are
the only ones, they might come up with any other questions. But then presence
of mind and spontaneity is what helps under those situations. You have to be
prepared with an answer the moment he shoots a question at you.
Don’t make a face as if you just committed a sin.
Hand over the documents and look at him eye-to-eye. Eye contact is very essential.
Remember, the answers mentioned above may differ from individual to individual
as per circumstances.