All about USA Student Visa

The United States has been continuously ranked among the top choices for international students planning to study abroad. If you are one who is aspiring and already got into your dream university, you need to apply for a student visa in order to realize your study abroad dream. According to USCIS or US Citizenship and Immigration Services, around 2,32,850 Indian students went for higher studies in the USA by 2021.

So if you are among the ones willing to apply for a US student visa, here you get all the information regarding the USA student visa requirements along with its costs, processing time, and many more.

Table of Contents

1. Latest Updates on US Student Visa

2. Types of US Student Visa

3. Requirements For US Student Visa

4. Cost of US Student Visa

5. How to Apply for a US Student Visa?

6. Where to Apply for a US Student Visa?

7. US Student Visa Processing Time

8. US Student Visa Interview Process

Latest Updates on US Student Visa

According to the United States' new law, those students who are fully vaccinated are exempt from the pandemic restrictions. The US Department of Homeland Security has also added twenty new STEM programs. This help the university students to extend their optional practice training up to thirty-six months compared to the twelve months before, to begin the work right after graduation.

Types of US Student Visa

There are 3 different types of students visa in the USA, which has been discussed below.

F1 Student Visa

Students who are applying for a program of more than 18 hours of study in a university will have to apply for the F1 Student Visa. This may include all the undergraduate programs and graduate courses like MBA, MS, etc.

J1 Exchange Visitor Visa

This type of Visa is for students, visiting scholars, or lecturers who are pursuing an exchange program. This is generally sought after by the working professionals who are looking to get into the US on an exchange program. These include a 10-month vocational training or some research fellowship etc at the university.

M1 Vocational/Non-Academic Student Visa

The M1 Vocational Student Visa is for students who are reserved for vocational and training schools. While the application process for both F1 and M1 visas is almost the same, they vary based on the person entering. This visa is a timestamp and one cannot overstay their visit at the university.

Requirements For US Student Visa

To apply for a student visa students are needed to carry various documents. The documents should be related to your academics, and financials, along with some visa documents. Here is a quick checklist of various documents need to submit.

Academic Documents

● Academic Transcripts from high school

● Bachelor's degree

● Letter of Acceptance

● English Language Proficiency Scores

● Standardized Test Scores

● Provisional Certificates

● LORs, and SOPs

● Work Experience

Financial Documents

● Bank Statements (Proof of I-20 fund)

● Letter of Employment

● Sponsorship Letter

● Taxes return from past 3 years

● Loan approval letter (if required)

● Statement from CA

● Scholarship letter (if available)

Visa Documents

● Valid Passport

● DS-160 Printed Copy

● Interview appointment letter

● SEVIS fee receipt

● An I-20 form

● Visa payment fee confirmation slip

Cost of US Student Visa

The US Student Visa is split into two parts which are the SEVIS Fee and the visa application fees. The complete breakdown of the USA student fees costs for different visa types is given below

Type of Fee	​F-1 Visa Type	​J-1 Visa Type	​M-1 Visa Type
SEVIS Fee	350 USD	220 USD	​350 USD
Visa Application Fee	160 USD	160 USD	160 USD

How to Apply for a US Student Visa?

Here is a step-by-step guide that will help you to apply for a student visa in the United States.

● Get the I-20 form from your applied university or college.

● Pay the required SEVIS Fee before starting your US Student Visa process.

● Receive the SEVIS Fee Receipt and fill up the DS-160 visa form.

● Submit the visa application fees.

● Book an appointment for your biometrics and the Visa interview.

Where to Apply for a US Student Visa?

The application process for US Student Visa is completely online mode. However, students are required to visit the biometric and the US interview center in order to complete their student visas from India.

The US embassy and consulate addresses for the visa interview process are given below.

● The US Embassy at New Delhi, Shanti Nath, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi 110021.

● The US Consulate General at Mumbai, C-49, G-Block, Bandra Kurla Complex, Bandra East, Mumbai- 400051

● The US Consulate General at Chennai, 220 Anna Salai, Gemini Circle, 600006

● The US Consulate General at Kolkata, 5/1 Ho Chi Minh Sarani, 700071

● The US Consulate General at Hyderabad, Paigah Palace, 1-8-323, Chiran Fort Lane, Begumpet, Secunderabad 500 003

US Student Visa Processing Time

The US Student Visa process can take an average time of 2 to 3 weeks and may go up to 2 to 3 months too depending upon the application and the type of visa you applied for. The F1 Student Visa students may expect the visa processing time to be of shorter duration than some other visas. Once you get a positive response from the US visa consulate, you can expect to receive the hard copy in 2 or 3 days. Also, keep in mind that the I-20 form of visa may be issued before 120 days of the commencement of the US programs.

US Student Visa Interview Process

The visa interview is the last step in the process of a student visa. Having a positive response will assist you in getting hold of a student visa as soon as your visa interview ends. You must carry all the visa interview documents in your interview. Do keep in mind that the questions that are mostly asked in the US Student Visa interview mostly focus on the intent of coming back, and your awareness regarding the program, university and finances, etc. Once your visa process end, you can expect to get a stamp on your US student Visa.