Getting
Visa
Following sites will be helpful to
prepare for visa:
http://travel.state.gov/
http://travel.state.gov/visa_services.html
http://travel.state.gov/visa_services.html#niv
Index:
1. Documents required for Visa
2. When & how to get visa
3. Number of attempt allowed
4. Brief about visa oral exam & expected
Q & A
1) Documents required for Visa:
i) Passport
ii) Admission letter and I –20 (if going for
F1 visa, else similar document from company) and other letters indication
financial support / aid (if any).
iii) Latest mark sheet / degree certificate.
iv) GRE, TOEFL score sheets.
v) Two D.D.s of same
amount of visa fees. Details can be obtained on phone. 1st one is
non-refundable application fee (approx. $45.00). The second is the fee for visa
processing (after you get visa).
vi) Financial support certificate/s: I-20 indicates the annual cost of living + tuition.
Also the amt. waived out of the same, and the total amt. we need to arrange. It
has 2 parts:
a) Tuition fees: It is in the range
$10,000(Univ. located @ small town) to $30,000 (located in CA, NY, etc). It
also depends on the type of University (public or private). This cost is
mentioned in the application packet.
b) Living costs: It is in the range
$300(Univ. located @ small town) to $600 (located in CA, NY, etc) per month,
including phone call bills to India, cooking gas, electricity, grocery &
rents. The living cost shown in application packet is approximately twice of
this ($1000-1200). ¶ Here is the problem:
In I-20 they mention living cost according to their standards ($1000-1200 per
month). We need to show this amt (& not actually required = $300-600)
o If the univ. offers tuition waiver,
the first part is taken care of & we need not worry for that. Then we need
to make arrangements for living expenses only.
o If the univ. offers RA / TA / GA or
any such funding, it mentions the amount offered. Usually in this case we need
not show any amount in bank!!!
Say, unfortunately, neither tuition waiver
nor funding (RA / TA) is offered. Here we have to make arrangements for both
the living as well as tuition expenses (as mentioned on I-20). It should be as
follows:
[ The total expense (living + tuition) of one
year should be arranged as liquid asset (cash) in the bank
a/c of the person/s sponsoring you (generally you & your family members),
as listed on I-20.
[ And the total expense of the second year
should be shown as assets such as house, land, property, fixed deposits,
shares, etc.
· There should be a certificate from CA,
giving the total amt/ assets as summery on 1st page & their
details on next pages (a sample copy will be uploaded soon).
· There have to be copies of tax returns,
salary certificate, etc. of the sponsorers.
2) When & how to get visa:
i) When: Visa is needed at the time of
getting air ticket. Also if there is a rejection on 1st attempt, to
keep some time for 2nd & 3rd attempt, a safe date for
applying for visa is 4-5 weeks prior to the date of flight.
ii) How: It is required to apply for
visa at the nearest American Consulate. The offices usually work from
8.00 am to 5.00 pm. But the interviews are taken 8.00 to 12.00 (pls. Check
this, as they keep on changing the timings procedure. They have website and
they also can be contacted on phone). Usually if you go in the line @ 5.00 am,
you will finish the interview at around 9-10 am & will get visa at 4-5 pm
same day.
3) Number of attempt allowed:
In total there are 3 legal attempts for
applying for American visa. First two are in person interviews. The third one
is drop box, here we have to drop the application in a box & they contact
us through post.
The word "legal" is tricky as I
have heard that some people obtained visa through back door entry, but don’t
know the details!!
4) Brief about visa oral exam:
Some of the important Q & A.
|
No. |
Question* |
Answer |
|
1 |
In which university you are going |
Name of univ, & state |
|
2 |
Which dept & course |
Name of dept & course (MS, PhD, MBA….) |
|
3 |
Why this univ & course |
As this univ has excellent course work, research, opportunities, etc. Interdisciplinary program. Mention some of your topics of interest that are same in the univ. |
|
4 |
What are your plans after this |
DO NOT say that want to stay in US. If you are going for MS, do not say that I’m thinking of PhD. Say that want to come back to India as soon as I complete the course & join some company. Here if you have letter from any institute / company, saying that they might or will hire you after your course, nothing like it. |
|
5 |
Family background |
Father, mother, their occupation, sisters, brothers, etc. |
|
6 |
Who is going to sponsor you & why (if other than family member) & how. |
Family. Need to state all the major sources of funds. |
These
are usual Qs. Now comp & E&TC people need to
be alert sometimes because
they might get into technical details (as they have some knowledge) of your
research, course work etc.
* You should be prepared to show the
documents immediately whenever asked for.
If
you have any further questions, comments feel free to contact me at siddharthpat@yahoo.com.
