GUIDELINES FOR THE F1 VISA (STUDENT VISA)

There are categories for student visa, F-1 and M-1. The F-1 visa permits students to enroll in a full-time course of academic study, leading to a degree such as the Bachelor, Masters or Doctorate, Degree. The M-1 visa is for non-academic or vocational education for duration less than a year, and it includes courses of study in fields such as gemology, aviation, language studies, etc. All students joining Dilip Oaks Academy apply for F-1 visa. The I-20 form issued by the university and a valid Indian passport are two essential documents for obtaining an F1 (student) visa. Your passport must be valid for at least six months from the date of travel. Once you receive I-20 forms from all the universities offering you admission you need to decide which university you wish to join and schedule visa interview date accordingly. In case you wish to change the university, you will have to cancel the appointment and schedule a new appointment again. Alternatively, you can also carry the I-20 form (original and photocopy) of the new university and request the counsel officer to change the name of the university on the day of interview. It is important to check the accuracy of the information printed on the I-20 form, specially: date of birth, date of commencement, date of completion, duration of the course full name, country of origin, name of the university and course In case of mistakes contact the university immediately and request for the corrected I-20 form. You can apply for student visa not earlier than 120 days before the date of commencement of your course as indicated on I-20 form of your selected university e.g. if the date of commencement of the course is 15th of August 2013, you can apply for visa interview any time after 17th April 2013. You need to appear at the Consulate in person to get the visa. You are not allowed to appoint an agent to act on your behalf. The decision to grant or deny an F1 visa is taken on the basis of the individual assessment of the consulate officer who interviews you.

STUDENT AND EXCHANGE VISITOR INFORMATION SERVICE (SEVIS):

Student and Exchange Visitor Information Service (SEVIS) has been introduced by Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). SEVIS entails the following: 1. 2. Universities must be registered under SEVIS. I-20 of such universities will have a bar-code (SEVIS ID No.:) which will also be recorded with SEVIS and accessible to the consulate as well as the immigration officer at the port of entry.

Before appearing for the interview at the consulate for F-1 visa, you need to pay SEVIS charges of US $200. The fee must be paid in-time to ensure that the payment can be deposited and recorded in SEVIS prior to the scheduled visa interview. To allow for adequate processing time, the fee must be paid at least 3 working days prior to the visa. This amount should be paid through credit card by accessing www.fmjfee.com. You will have to fill-up an online form and print the SEVIS fee receipt immediately. Note: without a valid SEVIS fee receipt you will NOT be permitted to attend the VISA interview.

WHERE TO APPLY FOR F1 VISA?

Applicants residing in the states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa, Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh for the last six months should apply to the U.S. Consulate General, Mumbai. Applicants residing in the states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Pondicherry for the last six months should apply to the U.S. Consulate General, Chennai. Applicants residing in Andhra Pradesh for the last six months should apply to the U.S. Consulate General, Hyderabad. Applicants residing in North India and East India should apply to the U.S. Consulates located at New Delhi and Kolkata respectively.
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Address of U.S. Consulate General, Mumbai: U.S. Consulate General, Mumbai C-49, G-Block, Bandra Kurla Complex Bandra East, Mumbai 400051 Phone: (022) 2672-4000

VISA APPLICATION FEE

Visa Application Fee ($160) at exchange rate ( 57) is 9,120/- (subject to change, please check the website before you pay the amount). This fee is payable in cash at any branch of Axis Bank or Citibank, Ground Floor, Onyx Tower, 37/3 Ghorpadi, Nr. Westin Hotel, North Koregaon Park Main Rd, Pune 411001. While visiting the bank, please carry the Receipt for Payment which includes CGI Reference Number required to pay the visa fees, without which you will not be allowed to pay the visa fees. The bank will issue visa fee receipt including a two-barcode sticker. This receipt has a Bank Reference Number which is required to schedule an appointment. NOTE DO NOT CARRY THE DS-160 FORM AND CONFIRMATION TO THE BANK

SCHEDULING AN APPOINTMENT
The fee receipt gets activated within 2 working days from the date of payment of visa fees at the bank. Thereafter, you should schedule an appointment online (www.ustraveldocs.com) as per instructions given below.

RESCHEDULING/CANCELLING AN APPOINTMENT
Applicants are limited to the number of times they can change an appointment. To change an appointment you should log on to your profile on www.ustraveldocs.com You can log on to this website for more information

OFFSITE FACILITATION CENTRE (OFC)

Biometric information including fingerprints and digital photographs is collected at the Offsite Facilitation Centre (OFC). Hence you will have to schedule an appointment at OFC prior to your appointment at the Consulate. You are required to appear in person for the appointment at the OFC hence schedule the OFC appointment at least one day before the interview appointment date. This will save your trip in case the consulate is not located in your town.

OFC LOCATIONS
MUMBAI Trade Center, Gr. Floor, G Block, Bandrakurla Complex, Bandra East, Mumbai - 400051 HYDERABAD 1-A-384/385, Gowra Grand, S.P.Road, Begumpet, Secunderabad 500003 DELHI S - 1 American Plaza, (Hotel Eros Managed by Hilton), International Trade Tower, Nehru Place, New Delhi 110019 CHENNAI No 3, Cenotaph Road, Teynampet, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600018 KOLKATA Jasmine Tower, 31, Shakespeare Sarani (1st Floor), Kolkata 700017

DOCUMENTS TO BE SUBMITTED TO OFFSITE FACILITATION CENTRE (OFC)

1. 2. 3. Valid Passport DS-160 confirmation page Appointment confirmation page
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DOCUMENTS REQUIRED AT US CONSULATE MUMBAI ON THE DAY OF APPOINTMENT

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
A printed copy of your appointment letter,

DS-160 confirmation page One photograph taken within the last six months (2 inches X 2 inches), Current and all old passports Original visa fee payment receipt. 6. SEVIS fee receipt 7. Original I-20 form duly signed 8. Evidence of financial resources 9. Income tax returns of last 3 years 10. Original Test scores GRE, GMAT, TOEFL, IELTS etc. 11. Original Bachelor degree or High school Diploma along with mark-list 12. Students of Art, Design or Architecture are advised to carry their portfolio Please reach the consulate at least 30 minutes before the time of appointment. After entering the Consulate, submit your passport, receipt and appointment letter. Thereafter you will be handed over a token. When your token number is called, go to the assigned window to be interviewed by the US consulate officer.

ON GRANT OF VISA
1. As per the instructions it seems that the passport with visa can be delivered either to your address or you can pick up the documents from the pick up locations in 7 working days. However, it is usually delivered in 2-3 working days. Currently the only option seems to ' Pick up'the documents from the pick up location. Hopefully, it will change in the future. Therefore you should select a pick up location closest to your home. The US Consulate in Mumbai might permit personal handover of passport on the same day. Please enquire once you are at the consulate. In case you don' t take the delivery of the passport within 10 business days, it will be returned back to the Embassy / Consulate where you were interviewed. In such a case please contact the Customer Care for further assistance.

2. 3.

IN CASE OF VISA REFUSAL

If your application is rejected, the last page in your passport will be stamped "Application Received" with the date and location of the rejecting consulate.

SECURITY MEASURES AT THE US CONSULATE

Following are not permitted inside the US Consulate: 1. All bags except - a plastic bag containing your application related papers and a small purse for ladies. 2. All electronic items including mobile phones. 3. All smoking material like cigarettes and lighters.

STANLEY CONTACT DETAILS

For queries related to filling the DS-160 form, payment of visa fees, scheduling/changing visa appointments you can contact STANLEY Email: Telephone: Skype: Online Chat: TIMING: support-india@ustraveldocs.com 91-120-6602222 or +91-22-67209400 user name: ustraveldocs-india www.ustraveldocs.com Monday - Friday: 8:00 am to 8:00 pm Sunday: 9:00 am to 6:00 pm
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F1 VISA ONLINE APPOINTMENT PROCEDURE

1. Fill up the DS-160 form 2. Create a profile on: www.ustraveldocs.com 3. Choose the Schedule Appointment option 4. Select Visa Type (Nonimmigrant visa) and click ' Continue' . 5. Select your state of residence and click ' Continue' . 6. Select Language of Interview (English) and click ' Continue' . 7. Select Visa Category (Students and Exchange Visitors) and click ' Continue' . 8. Select Visa Class (F-1 Academic or language studies) and click ' Continue' . 9. Confirm entered details and click Continue 10. Enter your personal details such as passport details, contact information and mailing address. You will have to enter the DS-160 Confirmation Number received after filling the DS-160 form (AA followed by eight characters) and click ' Continue' . 11. Since you are applying for F1 visa (without any dependents) skip this step and click ' Continue' . 12. Specify ' Document Delivery' city and click ' Continue' to go to the Visa Fee Payment screen 13. Click on the Click here for all payment option link and select your mode of payment (Over the counter CITI, AXIS BANK) enable pop ups on your browser. 14. A Receipt For Payment will be created with a CGI REFERENCE NUMBER, required to pay the visa fees. You must carry this to the bank at the time of payment of visa fees, without which you cannot pay the visa fees. Do not carry the DS-160 form or confirmation to the bank. 15. The bank will give you a receipt of visa fee payment which will include the Bank Reference Number. The receipt usually takes 2 working days to activate. 16. After the receipt is activated log on to www.ustraveldocs.com and enter visa fee receipt information (BANK REFERENCE NUMBER) and click ' Continue' . 17. Alternatively, if your activated fee receipt number is already displayed, you don' t need to enter it any more. Just click ' Continue' . 18. Select Schedule Consular Appointment and click ' Continue' to schedule a visa appointment at the consulate. 19. Select Schedule OFC Appointment and click ' Schedule OFC Appointment' 20. After you have scheduled both appointments you will see the appointment confirmation screen. 21. You can print the appointment confirmation screen as the appointment letter. You can also enter your registered email address and click on ' Email Appointment Confirmation' . You can click on ' Printable Version'and download the PDF version of the appointment confirmation letter.
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EXPLANATORY NOTE
1. Financial Resources Student is required to show liquid assets equal to the total cost of education for one year mentioned in the I-20 form. Liquid assets include funds in bank (savings, recurring, fixed deposits), postal savings, loan from bank, Public Provident Fund, General Provident Fund, shares and mutual funds, etc. Ideally the amount should be at least 10% to 20% more than that mentioned in the I-20 form. You are allowed to include liquid assets of the sponsor as well as all the family members. Bank loan is also accepted but the loan amount should be commensurate to the income and assets of the sponsor. In such cases you need to show the official documents of the loan approval. If the bank loan amount is more than 7,50,000, the officer generally asks for the income tax returns of the sponsor to verify the repayment capacity. We strongly recommend that the sponsor keeps at least 30% to 40% funds in the form of bank deposits (savings account and fixed deposits.) Passbooks/account statements of savings accounts must have several entries. It is better to start transferring funds into your account 2 to 3 months in advance. You cannot deposit lump-sum amount within a few days unless you have a valid proof (e.g. sale of fixed assets, shares). Cash deposits of large amount should be avoided since visa officer can ask for evidence of source for these entries. Also, as far as possible, avoid entries in round figures e.g. 1,00,000 or 2,50,000 unless you have supporting documents, otherwise it may lead to suspicion. If your sponsor has more than one bank account, passbooks/account statements for all his bank accounts must be presented. Ideally, you should not have more than 3 to 4 savings accounts. It is also necessary to carry original fixed-deposit receipts of all the banks and PPF passbook if any. Bank documents in Marathi, Gujarati, and Hindi are also accepted at U.S. Consulate, Mumbai. Very rarely does a consulate officer demand a liquid back up for the cost of second year of study. Even if the student does not have adequate liquid assets, the consulate officer may sometimes grant a visa if his academic performance is good along with a high GRE score and if the university is well known. 2. Income Tax Returns There is no specific guideline regarding the taxable income of the sponsor, but ideally it should be more than 5 lacs per annum. Otherwise your visa application can be rejected on the grounds of inadequate income. Salaried sponsors must have original income tax returns and photocopy of form 16 given by their employer. Self-employed sponsors (businessmen/professionals) must have original income tax returns, along with income statement and balance sheets. If the sponsor is retired and is not filing income tax return, if possible, carry a letter received from the employer of the sponsor indicating all the retirement benefits he has received from the employer at the time of retirement. You can also carry the last income tax return filed by the sponsor while he was employed. If the sponsor is an NRI, income tax return is not required. Student should carry photocopy of the sponsors passport, letter from the employer abroad stating sponsors annual income and original bank statements from Indian banks as well as foreign banks, if any. In case of joint sponsors, income tax returns of all the sponsors are required. Sometimes sponsors have only agricultural income, which is not taxable. You should take a certificate from a Tahasildar about your total land holdings and the annual income from the land. Relevant documents regarding land holding (7/12 extract) must be enclosed. Your sponsor can also obtain a certificate from a Chartered Accountant certifying his annual income with a clear note that this income is not taxable. It is also possible to file a no-tax return for your agricultural income in consultation with a Chartered Accountant.

3.

Sponsor In most cases the I-20 form does not mention the name of the sponsor but just states family funds. During application, if you send the bank letter of someone other than your parents, the name of that person can be printed on the I-20 form. But nevertheless, at the time of visa interview you can change the sponsor and show any other person/s including your parents as sponsors. Generally consulate officers accept both parents as joint sponsors. In such cases the income of both parents can be clubbed together, if both parents are income tax payers. If the income of your parents is in-adequate, any other family member e.g. brother, sister, grandfather, grandmother can sponsor you either individually or jointly. Even brothers or sisters of your parents can sponsor you. But in that case they must explain their interest in your sponsorship. If a close relative is not able to sponsor, you can take sponsorship from any other known person. But in that case the sponsor should have a sound income and substantial liquid assets. They must also give a letter explaining why they are interested in sponsoring you. However it is entirely up to the discretion of the consulate officer to accept a sponsor other than parents. Therefore as far as possible, take sponsorship from your parents. Show other sponsors only if it is unavoidable.

4.

Probable Questions Asked by the Consulate Officer a) How many universities have you applied for? b) How many acceptances and rejections have you received? c) Why have you selected this university? d) What is the profession of your sponsor and what is his income? e) How much money does he have in his bank account? In addition to these standard questions, consulate officer may also ask other relevant questions. You must give honest and confident answers. If your GRE score is more than 320 or if you are joining a high-ranked university, it is quite possible that consulate officer may not ask for any documents nor would he ask many questions. The same applies for students who receive full or substantial financial support from the university. The consulate officers generally check the following: I. GRE and TOEFL scores II. Income of the sponsor declared as per income tax returns for last three years. III. Bank balance (saving as well as fixed) and liquid assets. If student is applying to an expensive university (US $30000 and above) visa officer is likely to check the financial documents.

STATEMENT OF LIQUID AND FIXED ASSETS OF MR. __________ AND FAMILY

(To be prepared on plain white paper or letterhead of the sponsor) LIQUID ASSETS 1) Savings Bank Accounts (Names of Banks and A/c Nos.) 2) Fixed Deposits Names of Banks (Enclose list of fixed deposit receipts of each bank) 3) Public Provident Fund Account (Names of Banks and A/c Nos.) 4) Postal Savings 5) Educational Loan Total Funds available in Bank 6) General Provident Fund 7) National Savings Certificates 8) Shares (Valued on date at Mumbai Stock Exchange rates.) 9) Mutual Funds 10) Company Deposits 11) Any other liquid assets Total Liquid Assets FIXED ASSETS 1) 2) 3) 4) Residential House / Flat (Address) Open Residential Plot (Address) Business Premises (Address) Agricultural Land (Address) Total Fixed Assets Total Assets ____________ ____________ ____________ ____________ ____________ ____________ _____________ ____________ INR ( US $ @

NOTE: You are not allowed to include cash and jewellery in the above statement. The consulate discourages bringing property documents. The officers rarely have time to check property deeds. Also, statement from a Chartered Accountant is not required. Nevertheless, students can carry original property documents if they want.

(PREFERABLY ON THE LETTER HEAD OR ON A PLAIN WHITE PAPER. STAMP PAPER IS NOT REQUIRED)

SPONSOR'S CERTIFICATE

Date: 15th Wednesday, 20 Name: Address: Tel. No.:

This is to certify that I am willing and able to provide necessary financial support to my son / daughter / nephew / niece Mr./Miss ____________________________ while she / he studies at (Name of the university) _______________________ for a ____________ degree in the field of _________________ for __________ years.

Signature of the Sponsor Name of the Sponsor

NOTE: If both the parents are sponsoring the candidate, they can give sponsor certificate jointly. The sponsor letter need not be notarized or taken on a stamp paper.

ORDER OF DOCUMENTS TO BE CARRIED FOR VISA APPOINTMENT

Folder 1: a) b) c) d) a) b) c) d) e) a) b) c) d) Passport (including old passports) I-20 Form SEVIS fee receipt, Visa fee receipt Interview appointment letter. Statement of liquid and fixed assets All passbooks or bank statements of savings accounts Original fixed deposits receipts Postal savings passbooks P.P.F. passbooks Provident Fund Statement received from the employer Mutual funds statements DEMAT account printouts of your share holdings (preferably with valuation) N.S.C., company deposit receipts, etc.

Folder 2:

Folder 3:

Folder 4: Folder 5: Folder 6:

Income tax returns of the sponsor for the last 3 years (original copies) Original GRE/GMAT/SAT and TOEFL score reports a) b) Original mark lists and degree certificates (H.S.C. onwards) Copy of college/university transcripts

Folder 7: Folder 8:

Relevant and important correspondence with the universities. a) I-20 forms/admission letters received from other universities. b) Rejection letters received from universities Sponsors certificate

Folder 9:

Folder 10: Documents related to Fixed Assets (Optional)

* A variety of piano folders are available in the market which usually includes 15 to 20 sections in one file. Costs of folders vary between 100 to 300 and are available at any stationery store.

GUIDELINES FOR FILLING THE DS-160 ONLINE VISA APPLICATION FORM

Before you start filling the form, please keep your passport and a copy of your I-20 with you. You must also ensure that you have your correct digital photo (JPEG image file) to upload on the form. The DS-160 times out after every 20 minutes and your data for the section you are working on will be lost. To safeguard against this, click the Save button after entering data on every page. Make sure you note the Application ID displayed in the top right corner of the form (in red). This will be needed to retrieve your application. After completing the DS-160 form, a confirmation page with an alpha-numeric barcode will be generated (CEAC Barcode). Print this page using a laser printer. Ink-jet or dot-matrix printers are not allowed. Once you have printed the confirmation page, hit the Back button and email yourself a copy of the confirmation as a backup. The emailed file will be in PDF format, and would require Adobe Acrobat Reader to view or print. You may also print the DS-160 form at this time for your reference. PROCEDURE FOR FILLING THE ONLINE DS-160 FORM (https://ceac.state.gov/genniv/) Select location where you will be applying for your visa Start a New Application PERSONAL INFORMATION 1 Surname: Given names Full name in Native Alphabet Have you ever used other names Do you have a telecode that represents your name Sex Marital Status Date of Birth City of Birth State/Province of Birth Place of Birth Select city from drop down list (e.g. INDIA, MUMBAI) Click on ' START AN APPLICATION' Enter surname as per your passport Enter first & middle names as per your passport Select ' Does Not Apply' Enter if applicable OR select ' NO' Select NO Select Male OR Female Select one from drop down list Enter DOB as per your passport Enter as per your passport Enter state of birth Select country from drop down list Click Next: Personal 2 PERSONAL INFORMATION 2 Nationality Do you hold other Nationality National Identification Number US Social Security Button US Taxpayer ID Number Select from drop down list Select YES or NO as applicable Click ' Does Not Apply' Click ' Does Not Apply' Click Does Not Apply Click Next: Address and Phone Home Address State/Province City Postal Zone/ Zip Code Country Is your mailing address the same as your home address Home Phone Work Phone Work Fax Number Email address Enter complete residence address Enter state of residence Enter city of residence Enter postal code Select country of residence (e.g. India) Select YES if same or else select NO and enter your current address Enter landline/mobile number Enter if applicable Click ' Does Not Apply' Enter complete e-mail Click Next: Passport
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Passport/Travel Document Type Passport Number Passport Book Number Country/Authority that issued Passport Where was Passport Issued State/Province Country Issuance Date Expiration Date Have you ever lost a passport or had one stolen

Select REGULAR Enter your passport number Click ' Does Not Apply' Select country from dropdown list e.g. India Enter as per your passport Enter if printed on passport Select country from dropdown list e.g. India Enter passport issue date Enter passport expiry date Select YES or NO as applicable Click Next: Travel

Purpose of Trip to the US

Select 'Academic or Language Student (F)' from the dropdown list. (If you make a mistake here and Select STUDENT (F1) from the dropdown list Enter the date Enter the duration Enter the address of the university you plan to join from the printed I-20 from e.g. Georgia Institute of Technology College of computing Atlanta Georgia 30332 Select from drop down list, and enter the address under this option Select YES if same. If NO enter the sponsors address Select from the dropdown list
select the incorrect visa type you will have to fill the form again.)

Specify Intended Date of arrival in US Intended length of stay in US Address where you will stay in US Street Address Line 1 Street Address Line 2 City State Zip Code Person/Entity paying for your trip Is the address of the party paying for your trip the same as your Home or mailing address Relationship to this person

Click Next: Travel Companions Are there other persons traveling with you If not traveling with family members, Select NO

Click Next: Previous US Travel Have you ever been in the US Have you ever been issued a US Visa Select YES or NO as applicable (if yes, enter details as requested) Select YES or NO as applicable (if yes,

Have you ever been refused a US Visa

you must have complete details of the previous visa issued, keep a photocopy handy for reference) Select YES or NO as applicable (if yes, enter rejection date, visa type and the consulate city where the visa was rejected)

Click Next: US Contact Contact Person Surname Given Name Organization Name Relationship to You Address & Phone of Contact Street Address Line 1 Street Address Line 2 Enter surname of your Graduate advisor Enter name of your Graduate advisor (refer I-20) Name of the university you plan to join Select ' School Official' Enter the address of the university you plan to join As printed on I-20 form e.g. Georgia Institute of Technology College of computing
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City State Zip Code Phone Number Email Address

Atlanta Georgia 30332 (404) 894-3152 (you can find this on the university Enter the university email (you can find this on the
university website) website)

Click Next: Family Information Fathers Full Name and date of birth Surname Given name Date of birth Is your father in the US Mothers Full Name and date of birth Surname Given name Date of birth Is your mother in the US Do you have any immediate relatives... Do you have any other relatives Enter surname Enter name Enter the date of birth Select YES or NO as applicable Enter surname Enter name Enter the date of birth Select YES or NO as applicable Select YES or NO as applicable Select YES or NO as applicable

Click Next: Work/Education/Training Primary Occupation i. If studying or have completed your education select STUDENT and enter details of last college attended ii. If working, select your area of work from the drop down list iii. In case you have resigned select NOT EMPLOYED and specify the reason (e.g. to pursue MS in mech engg at Stanford University) Click Next: Work/Education: Previous Were you previously employed Have you attended any educational institution at secondary level or above Select Yes or NO as applicable Select YES and enter all education details up to 12th Std. starting from latest first

Click Next: Additional Work/Education/Training Information Do you belong to clan or tribe Provide a list of languages you speak Have you travelled to any countries within last 5 years Have you belonged to, contributed to or worked for any professional.. Do you have any specialized skills. Have you ever served in the military Have you ever served in, been. Select NO Enter relevant information If yes, select name of the country from the drop down list Select NO Select NO Select NO Select NO

Click Next: Security and Background Security Information Answer all questions in Part 1 to 5 honestly

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Click Next: Additional Point of Contact Information Additional Point of Contact Information Enter the name, address and contact information of 2 people who can vouch for you. They cannot be family members so please choose 2 friends or neighbors.

Click Next: SEVIS Information SEVIS ID Name of School Course of Study Street Address Enter ID mentioned on your I-20 form Enter name of the university Enter program name (e.g. MS in Mech Engg) Enter university address as printed on I-20 form Click Next: Photo Upload Your Photo Select your Photo Photo passed quality standards Confirm Photo Review all details entered Click Upload Photo button Click ' Browse' button and select your photo Click Next: Continue Using This Photo Click Next: REVIEW Confirm details entered in all sectionsand click next until you reach the end of the reviewsection Click Next: Sign & Submit Did anyone assist you in filling out form Enter Your Passport Number Enter Code as shown ' Sign & Submit Application' Button Select ' NO' Enter exact passport number Enter the code shown in the box on the right Click on the button to submit application

Click Next: Confirmation

IMPORTANT - Print the Confirmation page only on laser printer by pressing ' Print Confirmation' button at end of the page. Print DS-160 form for your reference You should also e-mail the confirmation on your address as a backup using the given option

You must carry the Confirmation for your US visa interview After submitting the DS-160 form online you must schedule an appointment on www.ustraveldocs.com. Following documents are required for scheduling visa appointment: 1. DS-160 conformation (CEAC Barcode) 2. Visa fee receipt 3. I-20 form 4. Passport After scheduling your appointment, print the interview appointment letter, checklist and guidelines.

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Do I have to be fingerprinted? All visa applicants, except those travelling on official government business or who are under 14 or over 79, will be required to submit electronic impressions of all ten fingers. Before the visa interview, the applicant will be asked to electronically scan the four fingers and a thumb of each hand. Applicants with a cut, blister or other temporary skin injury on their fingers, may not be issued a visa until their finger heals before they can be fingerprinted. The scanned fingerprint data collected at OFC will be compared with fingerprint scans at the US port of entry to prevent the misuse of US visas by impostors and by those wanted for serious offences. However, please remember that all visa applicants, regardless of their age or visa category, will require an interview. What address should I mention on form DS-160, if my current home address and my address on the passport is not the same? You must mention your current home address in India and not the address printed on your passport. I have received my Student visa, when should I travel? Students (F1 or M1) may travel within 30 days of the commencement of the course of study as stated on your I-20 regardless of how early your visa was issued. I have taken a loan from a bank to cover my tuition. Do I still need to show other financial documents? In such a case, please bring official documents, which verify the loan approval and not just the application. You must prove that funds are immediately available to cover the first year' s costs, and show evidence that funds will be available for all subsequent years. Also since Indian banks ordinarily give educational loans of relatively modest amounts, the application must still demonstrate additional liquid assets and any financial documentation you provide should be in support of this. This applies to all student visa applicants. Can I work on a student Visa? An F-1 Visa holder may accept employment on-campus, but working off-campus during the first year of study is rarely permitted. In certain cases, INS may grant permission to accept off-campus employment after one year. Except for temporary practical training, an M-1 Visa holder may not accept employment at all. Neither the spouse nor children of the student may accept employment at any time. What if I receive an I-20 from a better university after getting F1 visa? If you have obtained your visa and need to change the name of the university on your visa, you have to go through the complete process once again by scheduling a new appointment after paying the application fee and service charges. Is there a quota for the number of student visas issued each year? No, all qualified students receive visas.

AIRLINE TICKET BOOKING GUIDELINES

Immediately after getting visa you must book airline ticket. July and August is a very busy season. Hence, generally the rates are higher during this period. If you book a ticket earlier you might get a good deal from the airline. You need to provide the following details to the travel agent at the time of booking your ticket: a) Your final destination - This is the place where your college or university is located (e.g. Sacramento, Los Angeles, etc.). This will help the agent to plan your international and domestic flights using the most economical and convenient routes. b) Your preferences regarding: Airline (Delta, KLM, Air India, British Airways etc.) Food (vegetarian / non-vegetarian) You should book a flight, which reaches your destination during daytime so that you can safely reach your university before sunset.
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