American visa F1 - the procedure for filing documents in the USA

F1 is a type of visa that is intended for study at higher education institutions in the United States.Also, there are certain conditions that must be observed when receiving it.Namely, you do not have the right to work on the territory of this or that educational institution for more than twenty hours a week.

Rules for applying for a F1 visa

Before applying for a visaF1 it is worth learning about some of the rules, namely:

1. You have the right to apply for registration only after the official admission to the university.

2. The cost of obtaining a visa includes: consular fee ($ 160), as well as the compulsory SEVIS fee ($ 200).

SEVIS is a shared database used by the US government to track students who enter the US for their studies.
It should be noted that only the applicant has the right to pay the SEVIS fee, his relatives do not have such a right.

It is worth paying the fees in advance, before the start of the visa application.If the visa is not approved, the funds will not be returned.

1. Foreign students are also eligible to apply for an F1 visa, but schools, in particular primary and secondary schools, should not be funded by the state.An F1 visa can be issued for high school education, but is limited to one year.

2. In case you are married and you have been studying for several years, you have the right to come to the United States with your relatives.But for this, your relatives must apply for an F2 visa.

Documents required to obtain an F1 visa and the procedure for issuing them:

1. To apply for a visa, you need to fill out a form called DS-160.It can be doneusing the Internet on a special website.You must also bring a printed copy to your interview.This is a prerequisite, without this document an interview is impossible.

2. When filling out the questionnaire, you will need to upload a color photo of 5x5 cm format, you will also need it in printed form for an interview, so you should take a photo in advance.By design, it corresponds to an ordinary passport photo (light background, casual clothes)

3. Form I-20 is a document for applying for an F1 visa, it is the main one and is sent to you by the university where you want to gotraining.This is a document confirming your enrollment in the university.

4. Foreign passport, which must be valid for at least six months after the student receives a diploma.

5. Receipts confirming payment of fees.

6. An invitation for an interview in the form of a letter from the institution you were enrolled in.You can agree on it online, through a special website.

There are a number of requirements that must be met when you schedule an interview: foreign passport number, payment receipt number, number that will confirm your completion of the form D-160.

It is worth taking all the above documents for the interview, and they will not interfere with:

1. A document confirming that you canpay for tuition.

2. Document proving that you own your own home in your country.

3. Documents proving your marital status.

4. A document confirming that you are officially invited to the institution of higher education in which you will study.

5. You can also take your own curriculum, according to which you will study.

6. You can also provide the correspondence with your teacher in printed form, if available.

7. Copies of documents with your grades, confirming your level of education, will not be superfluous with translations in English.

8. Documents confirmingyour knowledge of foreign languages ​​(TOEFL, IELTS)

Also papers confirming your achievements, possibly professional experience.Published materials, academic achievements (diplomas, certificates).If you have studied in any other countries, this is also worth pointing out.

The term for consideration of documents is not more than 4 weeks.
If any documents are still missing, your application will be sent for additional consideration.

Behavior in the F-1 Interview

As with any F-1 interview, you must show your confidence...Imagine that you are talking to someone who is simply interested in your life.The visa officer of the American embassy has no intention of not issuing you the long-awaited visa, but he must be sure that you will definitely return home after graduating from this or that educational institution.That is, such tricky questions are possible: "If you are offered a job in the USA after graduation, will you stay?"In no case should you talk about future plans, you just need to prove that you are going there to study and no more.

Also, you must understand, first of all, for yourself, the reason for your departure.Why did you decide to study in this program in the United States, perhaps studying this or that subject will help you get a high-paying job at home - this is a weighty argument for the consulate.Often, to check your level of English and to find out if you are speaking by memorized phrases, you may even be asked about your favorite dish or the name of your Russian teacher.Such tricky questions are rarely asked, but still they are not excluded.Of course, knowledge of English is a huge plus, but if you are going specifically to language courses, then you have the right to ask for permission to conduct an interview in Russian.

Anastasia Gusenkova