General information regarding visa issuance abroad

For the most part, getting a visa in your home country is the same, whether you seek F-1 or J-1 visa status. The only difference lies in the forms required for each type of visa. The forms necessary for your visa type are indicated in the list of documents that follows.

If you have received from us Admission Package and a Certificate of Eligibility, you will have to apply for an F-1 student visa at the American Embassy or Consulate in your country.

If you have received the DS-2019 Certificate of Eligibility, you will have to apply for a J-1 student visa at the American Embassy or Consulate in your country.

Among the documents you will need to prepare will be:

1. Your acceptance letter to the University where we enrolled you at, and your Certificate of Eligibility for the F-1 or J-1 visa or a DS-2019 issued by the University, School or College we enrolled.

2. Your SEVIS fee receipt notice (Form I-797).

3. A passport valid for travel to the United States and with a validity date at least six months beyond your intended period of stay in the United States. If more than one person is included in the passport, each person desiring a visa must make an application.

4. Application forms DS-156 and DS-158, completed and signed. Some applicants will be required to complete and sign the DS-157. Call your local American Embassy or Consulate to find out if this is required for you.

5. One photograph 1 and 1/2 inches square (37x37mm) for each applicant, showing full face, without head covering, against a light background.

6. Your means of financial support during your stay in the United States. This must be sufficient to assure that all school and living expenses will be covered without the need for employment. These expenses are estimated on the your Certificate of Eligibility (for F-1 category) and on the DS-2019 (for J-1 category) and the financial documents you provided to us at Global Exchange and or Immigration Services to receive your Certificate of Eligibility

6. Your means of financial support during  or DS-2019 should be sufficient. These could include proof of:

· Financial aid given or disbursed by your home government.

· Your personal funds.

· Funds from your family (including an affidavit of support Form I-134 from any U.S. permanent resident or citizen).

· Funds from other persons or sponsors (including an affidavit of support Form I-134 from any U.S. permanent resident or citizen).

· Funds from any scholarships, e.g. academic or athletic, from College or University you re enrolled at.

6. Your intention to maintain a foreign domicile and leave the U.S. upon completion of your studies (“bona fide nonimmigrant intent”). Students, particularly when they are young and single, are seen by many consular officers as prime candidates for overstaying their authorized stay and remaining indefinitely in the United States. Therefore, you must be very careful to document thoroughly your ties to your home countries — ties sufficient to give some assurance that you will leave the United States and return home at the end of your studies. These could include proof of:

· Close family relationships in your home country.

· Community ties — your participation in community events.

· Property and economic interests in your home country.

· Career potential — It is important to show that the education that you will obtain in the U.S. will give you a tremendous career potential in your home country. Letters from a potential employer are ideal. More likely, you might be able to provide letters from labor market experts recounting the potential for people with the degree sought by the student, or the shape of growth in the field in the alien’s home country.

7. A $131 nonrefundable application fee.

During the interview, the consular officer will review your documents carefully to affirm your financial capability, nonimmigrant intent, and that you will enroll in a full course of study when you arrive. If you are accepted to an academic program, the consular officer can ask that you converse in English and read the requirements for F-1 students from your Certificate of Eligibility, or J-1 students from the DS-2019, as a test of your English skills. Expect to be questioned regarding your intentions to study in the U.S. and be careful to affirm that you intend to leave the U.S. after completing your degree.

In most cases, you will have to make an appointment for your visa application and interview. At this time, it is wise to get a definite list of what you will be required to bring to the interview as it can vary slightly from person to person and country to country. For more information about the F-1 process online, check the U.S. Department of State Web site for foreign students.

Persons seeking J-1 status may check the exchange visitors' section of the State Department’s Web site. Note that exchange visitor visa applicants are encouraged to apply early.

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