Destination America

Your Way of Approach In the Visa Interview!

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a) Try to be positive of your outcome and try to prepare for the worst of your nightmares.
b) Try to smile while answering and tell relevant facts that might put the VO in state that he may reward you with a positive result.
c) Try to present your strengths which will project you as a good student and you are yearning really hard to get your higher studies completed with flying colors.
d) Try to focus on his accent and reply aptly and without any controversial issues. Because you yourself will let you performance down.
e) Try to vibe confidently with the VO. Because he is the one who is going to decide the outcome.
f) Don’t be tensed or worry about the outcome. It’s a great pleasure to be with an Officer and agree that even if the outcome has gone the other way.

Most Commonly Asked Visa Interview Questions

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Why USA?
Why MS?
Which University?
How did u come to know about this university?
Why you chose this university? Why only this university?
How many schools you applied? And how many you got admissions and rejections?
What is your area of interest or specialization?
Explain something about your area of interest? How it’s going to help you later?
Who is going to sponsor your education?
What is your father’s occupation? What is their annual/monthly income?
How will they pay for your education?
What is your academic background? About your under-graduate percentage? How many backlogs you had in your under-graduation? Why?
About your Scores?
What is your role in under-graduation project? Tell about it?
What is your career plan? What will you do after completion of your Masters?
Will you come back to India? Why you will come back to India?
Can you show me proof of your funds? Can you show CA statement?
Can you show me the transaction of your funds?
Can you show me your IT returns?
You are taking all the saved money of your parents. How will they live or survive?

Types of Visa

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There are three types of student visas. Of these, the F-1 and the J-1 are the most common.

F-1 (Student Visa). The F-1 visa is for full-time students enrolled in an academic or language program. F-1 students may stay in the US for the full length of their academic program plus 60 days. F-1 students must maintain a full-time course load and complete their studies by the expiration date listed on the I-20 form.

J-1 (Exchange Visitor Visa). The J-1 visa is issued for students needing practical training that is not available in their home country to complete their academic program. The training must be directly related to the academic program. The J-1 visa obligates the student to return to their home country for a minimum of two years after the end of their studies in the US before being eligible to apply for an immigrant (permanent residence) visa.

M-1 (Vocational Student Visa). The M-1 visa is issued for students attending non-academic trade and vocational schools. The M-1 visa is valid for at most one year. Recipients of an M-1 visa may not change fields of study. Switching from an M-1 visa to a F-1 visa is not permitted

Employment while on the student visa

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Do not count on being able to scrape up the funding after you arrive in the US. Getting a job is not an effective means of financing an education in the US. There are numerous restrictions on employment by foreign nationals, and some types of visas prohibit it entirely. Even when employment is permitted, it is usually limited to no more than 20 hours per week. Most international students are limited to on-campus employment. Your spouse will probably not be allowed to work.

Even if you are able to find work, you will not be able to get a job that pays well enough to cover all your expenses. The typical on-campus job will pay no more than $1,000 to $2,000 during the school year, and a similar amount during the summer vacation.

If you are studying on an F-1 visa, you may not accept off-campus employment during the first year of study. You may, however, take an on-campus job to help pay the bills. You are limited to 20 hours a week while school is in session, provided that you do not displace a US resident. (The test for displacement is whether the position is normally filled by students.) Full time employment is allowed during vacations if you will be returning to school at the end of the vacation period. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) permission is not required to accept on-campus employment, but you must first apply for a Social Security Number and complete a Form I-9 (Employment Eligibility). You may also need to get authorization from the foreign student advisor.

Graduate students who are participating in a cooperative education program are sometimes allowed to work for an off-campus employer who has an educational affiliation or research contract with the school. The employment must be required for the degree.

After the first year of study, a student on an F-1 visa may ask the INS for permission to accept off-campus employment. Permission is often granted if the student is experiencing severe economic hardship through no fault of their own, such as major currency fluctuations, loss of financial aid, loss or lack of availability of on-campus employment, unusual increases in tuition or living expenses, unexpected financial changes in the student's source of support, and unexpected medical expenses. The student must be in good academic standing and enrolled as a full-time student, and the foreign student advisor must certify the student's Form I-538 (Certification by Designated School Official). The student must submit Form I-765 (Application for Temporary Employment Authorization) and filing fee, along with the certified Form I-538 and the student copy of Form I-20, to the INS for work authorization. The employment authorization will be valid for one year.

Students on M-1 visas may not accept any form of employment, except for a temporary internship for practical training purposes.

Working while on a B-2 (Tourist) visa is grounds for immediate deportation.

Spouses and dependents of students admitted to the US on M-1, F-1, and J-1 visas may apply for M-2, F-2, and J-2 visas, respectively, in order to accompany the student during their stay in the US. Spouses and dependents of M-1 and F-1 students are not allowed to accept employment or engage in business while in the US. Spouses and dependents of students admitted on a J-1 visa may seek permission to work as a J-2 visitor. Individuals on a M-2, F-2, or J-2 visa may study on a full time or part time basis, but may not receive financial aid.

After you graduate, you might wish to work temporarily in the US. To do so, you will need to obtain H-1B status. Your degree must be in the area of expertise required for the position. You must have an offer of employment from a US employer. The employer must file paperwork to petition for H-1B status for you.

Maintaining visa status after arrival

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If a student on a F-1 visa is not able to complete their studies by the expiration date on the I-20 form, they must apply to the school's Foreign Student Advisor for an extension 30 days before expiration. Extensions are normally granted for academic and medical reasons so long as there have been no violations of visa status.

It is possible to transfer schools after arrival on an F-1 visa. You will need to notify your current school of the transfer and obtain an I-20 form from the new school. You will complete the student certification section of the I-20 and must deliver it to the foreign student advisor at the new school within 15 days of beginning attendance at the new school.

If you are changing majors at your current school, you do not need to notify the INS. If you are changing degree programs (e.g., from a bachelors degree to a masters degree program), however, you will need to get a new I-20 and submit it to the foreign student advisor within 15 days of beginning the new program.

Documents required for obtaining the visa

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A nonrefundable application fee (You should find out the exact amount before going to the consulate and carry exact change if possible).

An application Form OF-156, completed and signed. Blank forms are available without charge at all U.S. consular offices; You may also download the forms over the web.
A passport valid for travel to the United States

One photograph 1 and 1/2 inches square (37x37mm) for each applicant, showing full face, without head covering, against a light background; and
For the "F" applicant, a Form I-20A-B. For the "M" applicant, a Form I-20M-N.

[These forms are sent by the institutions where you have applied and upon acceptance they send you these forms.]

Sponsorship letters

Student visa applicants must establish to the satisfaction of the consular officer that they have binding ties to a residence in a foreign country which they have no intention of abandoning, and that they will depart the United States when they have completed their studies.

Visa procedure

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1) Get your passport made. Follow this link for detailed information regarding how to obtain your passport.
2) Acceptance of the applicant by an institution of learning for a full course of study is essential. Evidence in support of this requirement consists of a Form I-20 (Certification of Eligibility) filled out by the accepting school, and signed by the applicant and presented with the visa application.

3) You may need to show the proof of financial support if you or your parents are going to fund your studies in USA. A bank letter may be necessary. You might want to find out from your embassy about the types of documents they may accept regarding the proof of financial support.

Get an "Affidavit of Support" form from the U.S. Embassy or Consulate if the studies are going to be sponsored by your relatives or others who are currently in USA. Complete this form with information about your sources of financing (letter of sponsorship), and submit it along with your other documents. The embassy may require a letter from the bank that holds the funds.

4) Obtain all the necessary documents mentioned above. Now, you are ready to go to the U.S. Consulate for a visa interview. If your visa is rejected twice, you may need to apply by mail. You can apply for a student Visa not earlier than 90 days before the registration date specified on the FORM I-20. If the registration date is already passed or the applicant cannot reasonably expect to arrive at the school by the registration date, the applicant should obtain an amended I-20 or a letter of extension from the issuing institution stating by what date the applicant may arrive.

If you prove to the Consular Official’s satisfaction that you intend to come to the U.S. solely for the purpose of study and will return to India upon completion of the program, a visa stamp will be affixed to a page in your passport. You should apply for a multiple entry F-1 student visa. With a multiple entry visa you can travel between US and India during the duration of your stay in the Unites States. See proof of non-immigrant intent

The basic steps for applying abroad

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--Identifying country, universities and the course of your interest.

--Request universities for Application forms

--Taking various required tests.

--Arranging and preparing Essays and recommendation letters

--Completing and Sending Application forms along with required documents

--Reporting various test scores to the universities

Application Requirements

Once you start receiving application forms and material, go through the material in detail and check the application deadline, minimum scores required in the standardized tests, recommendation letters needed and other such information.

Tabulate all these requirements and compare them with your objectives and group the universities under three categories:

Schools that seem to match your requirements.
Schools that are not suited to your needs.
Schools that do not completely fit in any of the above two categories.
Eliminate schools in Group 2 and check out in detail again the universities in Group 3. You can try and focus on departments that you would most like to attend and the school rankings in that field and any special facilities that the school may offer you in that field. Try and make a list of schools on basis of fresh and more specific criteria like:

Objectives of the program and kind of methodology as well as approach
Admission / Entrance requirements
Availability of assistantships and funds in the field of your choice
Research facilities
Location Profile of students enrolled
Narrow down your list to about 6-8 universities to whom you intend to apply.
Once you have decided on the universities to apply to, you have to start filling up the application forms. The forms will ask for your personal details, academic record, official transcripts, various essays, personal achievements, extra curricular activities and recommendation letters.

Objective Criteria

--Best program curriculum, length of program, choice of courses
--Best funding offer or best program with respect to costs
--Cost of living
--Strength of related departments/program
--Subjective Criteria
--Overall reputation of university/department/program
--Location-region, safety of neighborhood
--Climate
--Social life
--Facilities available
--Accommodation & housing

Study Expenses and Financial Aid in USA

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To afford an education in United States of America (USA) is generally expensive. Renting a flat or making any other stay arrangement, day-to-day expenses and tuition fees of the entire course, together constitutes an expensive affair. Careful financial planning is a must-to-do part of your entire study abroad plan. It is a must to prove that you have adequate funds to lead the student life in the US to be allowed immigration by the US embassy. The embassy will ask about the living expense coverage, health insurance and university's tuition fee affordability and related expense issues too. The tuition fee structure varies from school to school. Generally, the private institutes are costlier and the state or public universities charge nominal fee, but this is not mandatory.

To get the prior knowledge about the fee structure, see the catalogue or the brochures of the concerned school or university and complete your financial plan. Two years of community colleges are also not much expensive in general. The living cost, like any other country, varies from place to place in the US. Living in and around urban areas in any part of the US is more expensive than living in smaller towns or rural areas. This is applicable for the fee structures of education as well. Budgeting for study abroad experience in the US needs pre-planning along with continuous changing according to the needs till your course gets completed. Major expenses for a foreign student in the US countries can be your renting, insurance coverage and the fee payments to the school. Everything else comes next. Financial aids are available to all competent students and students are advised to seek for such aids by researching different resources.

Master's Degree Programs in USA

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Eminent scholars and great academicians around the world recommend students to pursue their master's degree, irrespective of their field of study, as it can help them gain ample knowledge of their subject. A master's degree can also help the students to comprehend their career life as better professionals. An advanced degree such as a US master's degree or US doctorate or a PhD degree, can make you move ahead with 'expert qualities' in your academic career. Master's program in the US universities and schools are typically of one-year duration or more depending on the subject or course and offer degrees namely MBA, MS or PhD. Admission to a graduate program or a master's program usually requires a minimum of 16 years of formal education from the land of the US. That is, 12 years combining primary and secondary schooling and further 4 years of college education.

The US master's degree is a graduate school degree that generally requires two full years of graduate school coursework to complete. Unlike students pursuing a bachelor's degree, students in a master's degree program will complete courses that are highly focused in their field of study. As such, students must have already decided on their major before applying to a master's degree program. If you are heading for studies and career in the US, a master's degree may be necessary. For example, if you are seeking for a position as an economist to work in any government body or if you are interested to teach at any American university or if you want to become a medical practitioner, you need to be a master degree holder in the respective discipline.

Essay and SOP Procedures

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Almost all American universities will ask the students to write essays as a part of application procedure on different topics. The university may ask you to write an essay about 'your personality' or 'achievements in the past educational life' or 'future objectives' or 'other individual goals' among other things. SOP or Statement Of Purpose and application essays are crucial features of application in USA that speaks about your individual personality as a best student. Essays are one among the many other important admission criteria on which the decision to give admission to the student is based upon. Through these essays, the admission officers can visualize your personality, abilities and interests, which cannot be observed from standardized application. The moment you decide to apply for American universities and US based schools, start sharpening your best writing qualities to enhance your personality.

There are recourses available these days to train you on how to improve your writing skills to write the SOP essays. There are lots of institutes that prepare students for this. Hone your skills by getting an opportunity to write sample essays by enrolling there and get you skills evaluated there before you write the original application. There are online facilities also that will help you sharpen the SOP essay writing skills and develop your essay writing proficiency. There are many study abroad admission cases, where the perfect application essays have helped the students to get admission in top US universities in spite of scoring less in the standardized entrance tests such as GRE and TOEFL. So, stay geared to give great importance to these application essays to earn the admission to the desired University easily.

College Admission Procedures in USA

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Compared to other countries, admission procedures of US universities, schools, colleges and institutes are highly competitive for international students. The procedure is even more competitive in the top educational institutes. To earn admission in the top and high-ranking schools in USA you must have:

* Good grades,
* Adequate financial support either by achieving scholarships or merit based financial aids,
* Completed challenging coursework, and
* Good command over the English language.

Apart from the above said qualities, students must be competent enough to fulfill the individual schools' eligibility criteria because most of the US schools follow separate admission guidelines that foreign students have to follow. For the overseas students, a good score in the entrance exam can secure admission in the top US schools and universities. Since the admission for international students is highly competitive and unpredictable in the USA, it is always better to apply for more than one college. Many of the American schools will ask the students for recommendation letters from their past educational organizations for admission. Some schools in the USA admit students on the basis of application essays. So, while applying to the schools, ensure that you write the application essays with best of your writing skills.

Student Visa Details for USA

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Any international student who wants to enter US student should get legal permission from the country, by applying to a nearby US embassy or consulate. There are mainly two types of student visas that exist for studying in the USA. 'F1 Visa' is the 'Student Visa' meant for students who enroll in any academic or language program. The students who get this F1 visa are allowed to be there in the country for the entire duration of the course and sixty more days. 'J1 Visa' is the second kind of student visa for pursuing studies in the USA, generally called as 'Exchange Visitor Visa'. This is issued for students needing practical training that is not available in their native country to complete their academic program.

In the latter case, the training must be directly related to the academic program. The J1 visa obligates international students to return to their native land for a minimum of two years after the completion of their studies in the US before being eligible to apply for an immigrant or permanent visa. The essential and most important documents generally required for getting the US student visa are a valid passport given by the country you belong, your recent passport sized photographs and a non-immigrant visa application available from the Consular section.

Evidence of financial ability to cover the costs of the education and maintenance involved is needed and visa fee is to be paid in the currency form of your native country by a Bank Draft. You will be asked to provide details like income details of your parents, your average annual living expenses, details of your and your parents' property assets and sources of funding for your education other than from the university or the school. However, the students are advised to seek the help from the respective embassy offices or consulates for the exact details.