Applying for a Student or Exchange Visitor Visa

1. Contact your local U.S. Consulate or Embassy (www.usembassy.gov) to schedule a visa interview. Specify whether you are applying for an F-1 visa (for degree-seeking students) or a J-1 visa (for exchange students and visitors). It is important to apply as soon as possible. When making your appointment, confirm what documents you need to bring and which fees need to be paid. Some consulates require documentation in addition to the list provided below.
2. Pay the visa application fee by following instructions on your local U.S. Embassy's or Consulate’s web site. Pay the SEVIS fee (www.fmjfee.com). Some consulates may require an additional fee to schedule your visa interview.
3. Complete the DS-160: Online Nonimmigrant Visa Application
4. Prepare and bring the following to your visa interview:
   • A passport valid for at least six months after your expected entry to the US
   • Form I-20 (for F-1 students) or DS-2019 (for J-1 exchanges) from the St. Mary’s Undrgraduate or Gradiate Admission Office (sign the form in the space provided)
   • St. Mary's admission letter
   • Completed visa applications (DS-156, DS-158, and, if applicable, DS-157)
   • Two passport-style photographs measuring 2 inches by 2 inches with a white background
   • Receipt for the visa application fee
   • Receipt for the SEVIS fee (The consulate will accept the receipt printed from your computer if you paid online and have not received the official receipt by mail. If you do not have a receipt, the consulate may be able to see your payment electronically if your fee payment was processed at least 3 business days before your interview.)
   • Financial evidence that shows you have sufficient funds to cover your tuition and living expenses during your study program
   • Any information proving you plan to return to your home country, such as proof of property, family, or other ties to your community

Sources: NAFSA: Association of International Educators, http://www.nafsa.org/; US Department of State, www.usembassy.gov/

10 Points to Remember When Applying for a Nonimmigrant Visa

1. Ties to Your Home Country Under US law, all applicants for nonimmigrant visas, such as student visas, are viewed as intending immigrants until they can convince the consular officer that they are not. You must therefore be able to show that you have reasons for returning to your home country that are stronger than those for remaining in the United States. "Ties" to your home country are the things that bind you to your home town, homeland, or current place of residence: job, family, financial prospects that you own or will inherit, investments, etc. The interviewing officer may ask about your specific intentions or promise of future employment, family or other relationships, educational objectives, grades, long-range plans and career prospects in your home country. Each person's situation is different, of course, and there is no magic explanation or single document, certificate, or letter which can guarantee visa issuance. If you have applied for the US Green Card Lottery, you may be asked if you are intending to immigrate. A simple answer would be that you applied for the lottery since it was available but not with a specific intent to immigrate. If you overstayed your authorized stay in the US previously, be prepared to explain what happened clearly and quickly, with documentation, if available.


2. English
   Expect that the interview will be conducted in English and not in your native language. It is a good idea to practice English conversation with a native speaker before the interview, but do NOT prepare speeches!


3. Speak for Yourself
   Do not bring parents or family members with you to the interview. The consular officer wants to interview you, not your family. Be prepared to speak on your own behalf.


4. Know the Program and How It Fits Your Career Plans
   If you are not able to explain the reasons you will study in a particular program in the US, you may not succeed in convincing the consular officer that you are indeed planning to study, rather than to immigrate. You should also be able to explain how studying in the United States relates to your future professional career when you return home.


5. Be Brief
   Because of the number of applications received, all consular officers are under considerable time pressure to conduct a quick and efficient interview. They must make a decision, for the most part, on the impressions they form during the first minute of the interview. Consequently, what you say first and the initial impression you create are critical to your success. Keep your answers to the officer's questions short and to the point.


6. Additional Documentation
   It should be immediately clear to the consular officer what written documents you are presenting and what they signify. Lengthy written explanations cannot be quickly read or evaluated. Remember that you will probably have less than 3 minutes of interview time.


7. Not All Countries are Equal
   Applicants from countries suffering economic problems or from countries where many students have remained in the US as immigrants will have more difficulty getting visas. Again, be prepared to explain why you will return home following your study in the US.


8. Employment
   Your main purpose in coming to the United States should be to study, not for the chance to work before or after graduation. While many students do work off-campus during their studies, such employment is incidental to their main purpose of completing their U.S. education. You must be able to clearly explain your plan to return home at the end of your program. If your spouse is also applying for an accompanying F-2 or J-2 visa, be aware that your dependents cannot, under any circumstances, be employed in the United States. If asked, be prepared to address what your spouse intends to do with his or her time while in the United States. Volunteer work and attending school part-time are permitted activities.


9. Dependents Remaining at Home
   If your spouse and children are remaining behind in your country, be prepared to address how they will support themselves in your absence. This can be difficult if you are the primary source of income for your family. If the consular officer believes that your family will need you to send money from the United States, your student visa application will probably be denied. If your family does decide to join you at a later time, it is helpful to have them apply at the same post where you applied for your visa.


10. Maintain a Positive Attitude
    Do not engage the consular officer in an argument. If you are denied a student visa, politely ask the officer for a list of documents he or she would suggest you bring in order to overcome the refusal, and try to get the reason you were denied in writing.

Source: NAFSA: Association of International Educators, www.nafsa.org/