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Obtaining F-1 visa

IAU and F-1

IAU is approved by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to accept and enroll foreign, non-immigrant F-1 students for academic degrees and English language training. United States embassies/consulates issue F-1 Visas for all the students from overseas who are accepted for full-time study at IAU. Rules for visa application may vary in each country. Applicants should contact the U.S. embassy/consulate in their home country for the latest instructions on how to apply for a Student Visa. SEVIS school code#: LOS214F01373000

F-1 Visa Application Overview

If an F-1 applicant is currently abroad, and does not yet have a valid U.S. student visa, the applicant generally applies for one at the U.S. embassy or consulate with jurisdiction over their place of permanent residence. Although visa applicants may apply at any U.S. consular office abroad, it is generally more difficult to qualify for the visa outside the country of permanent residence.

 

The F-1 applicant should apply for his/her student visa well in advance of the date they would like to depart for IAU. Remember that they are required to show proof of having paid the Federal SEVIS (I-901) fee when they appear for their visa interview. Holiday and vacation periods are very busy times at the US embassies and consulates worldwide, and it is important for them to have their visas in time to arrive and begin orientation and registration activities no later than the start date on your Form I-20. Appointments are now mandatory for all student visas, and some U.S. embassies and consulates require that appointments be made at least four to eight weeks in advance. The actual visa interview may be as early as 120 days prior to his/her planned arrival date in the United States.

 

All U.S. embassies and consulates have a website where you can read the latest information on visa procedures.


Click here to locate the embassy or consulate near you.
Click here for information on waiting times for student visa appointments.
Click here for more information on how to obtain a visa.
Click here for more information on Study in the States.

Before Applying for Student Visa

The following ten points are from Gerald A. Wunsch and Martha Wailes and are reprinted from the website of NAFSA: Association of International Educators. Carefully read all these points before applying for your student visa. You are well advised to consider the following matters prior to your visa appointment, as you may be asked about each item.

Ties to Home Country

Under U.S. law, all applicants for non-immigrant visas are viewed as intending immigrants until they can convince the consular officer that they are not. You must therefore be able to show that you have reasons for returning to your home country that are stronger than those for remaining in the USA. Ties to your home country are the things that bind you to your hometown, homeland, or current place of residence: job, family, financial prospects that you own or will inherit investments, etc. If you are a prospective undergraduate, the interviewing officer may ask your specific intentions or promise of future employment, family or other relationships, educational objectives, grades, long-range plans, and career prospects in your home country. Each person’s situation is different, of course, and there is no magic explanation or single document, certificate, or letter which can guarantee visa issuance.

 

Strategy for the Interview

Demonstrate convincing reasons for consular officials to believe that you intend to return home after studies in the United States. Emphasize ties to your home country such as employment, family obligations, bank accounts, family members at home, property or investments that you own or will inherit, and clear explanations of how you plan to use your education to help your country or pursue a career when you return home.

English

Anticipate that the interview will be conducted in English and not in your native language. One suggestion is to practice English conversation with a native speaker before the interview.

Speak for Yourself

Do not bring parents or family members with you to the interview. The consular officer wants to interview you, not your family. A negative impression is created if you are not prepared to speak on your own behalf.

Know Your Program and How It Fits to Your Career Plans

If you are not able to articulate the reasons you will study in a particular program in the United States, you may not succeed in convincing the consular officer that you are indeed planning to study, rather than to immigrate. You should also be able to explain how studying in the USA relates to your future professional career when you return home.

 

Strategy for the Interview

Be definite and clear about your educational plans. You should be able to explain precisely what you wish to study and why you chose International American University for your education. Be especially prepared to explain reasons for studying in the United States rather than your country.

Be Concise

Because of the volume of applications received, all consular officers are under considerable time pressure to conduct a quick and efficient interview. They must make a decision, for the most part, on the impressions they form during the first minute or two of the interview. Consequently, what you say first and the initial impression you create are critical to your success. Keep your answers to the consular officer short and to the point.

Supplemental Documentation / Finances

It should be clear at a glance to the consular officer what written documents you are presenting and what they signify. Lengthy written explanations cannot be quickly read or evaluated. Remember that you will have 2–3 minutes of interview time, if you’re lucky.

 

Strategy for the Interview

Be prepared to prove financial ability to pay for your education and living expenses. While some students will be able to work part time during their studies, such employment is incidental to their main purpose of completing their education. You must show the consular officer that you have the annual amount in United States dollars listed on your I-20 or DS-2019 form. Your financial evidence should be in the form of bank statements, affidavits of support, scholarship award letters, etc.

Not All Countries are Equal

Applicants from countries suffering economic problems or from countries where many students have remained in the United States as immigrants will have more difficulty getting visas. Statistically, applicants from those countries are more likely to be intending immigrants. They are also more likely to be asked about job opportunities at home after their study in the USA.

Employment

Your main purpose of coming to the USA should be to study, not for the chance to work before or after graduation. While many students do work off-campus during their studies, such employment is incidental to their main purpose of completing their U.S. education. You must be able to clearly articulate your plan to return home at the end of your program. If your spouse is also applying for an accompanying F-2 visa, be aware that F-2 dependents cannot, under any circumstances, be employed in the United States. If asked, be prepared to address what your spouse intends to do with his or her time while in the United States. Volunteer work and attending school part-time are permitted activities.

Dependants Remaining at Home

If your spouse and children are remaining behind in your home country, be prepared to address how they will support themselves in your absence. This can be an especially tricky area if you are the primary source of income for your family. If the consular officer gains the impression that your family members will need you to remit money from the USA in order to support themselves, your student visa application will almost certainly be denied. If your family does decide to join you at a later time, it is helpful to have them apply at the same post where you applied for your visa.

Maintain a Positive Attitude

Do not engage the consular officer in an argument. If you are denied a student visa, ask the officer for a list of documents he or she would suggest you bring in order to overcome the refusal, and try to get the reason you were denied in writing.

How to Prepare for The Interview

A list of necessary documents:

  1. Passport
  2. Required photo(s)
  3. Visa fee or proof of visa fee payment
  4. Federal SEVIS Fee payment receipt
  5. U.S. non-immigrant visa application forms (unless you will completing it at the consulate or embassy)
  6. IAU admission letter
  7. IAU SEVIS I-20
  8. Test scores and academic records
  9. Proof of English proficiency
  10. Proof of financial support
  11. Evidence of ties to your home country
  12. Any other documents required by the embassy or consulate
Acquire knowledge of the process.

Applicants should get free, accurate information from the U.S. Embassy website in their country. It will give you the specifics of what they will require and expect applicants to know. For example, they must know when to apply. Visas should be applied for no more than 90 days prior to the expected date of arrival at the University as listed on the Form I-20.

 

Be prepared.

Applicants should bring the following to the visa interview: the Form I-20 (issued by our University), all school documents, test scores, the acceptance letter from the University, evidence of funding, bank statements, evidence of real estate holdings, family’s employment positions at home, business card if you work, letters of recommendation for the educational plan, letters from future employers in the applicant’s home country, and any documents that  would help prove ties to the home country and intent to return home. Applicants should be completely familiar with all information on the Form I-20, especially the finance information.

 

Remember that students must present the visa officer with a Form I-20 issued by IAU. Applicants cannot apply for a U.S. visa using another school’s I-20, and then try to attend IAU, as that is considered to be a fraudulent entry by the U.S. Immigration authorities.

 

Answer the questions the officer asks.

Applicants should avoid prepared speeches, and not use a prepared script. They should know their own personal plan or story, develop their own personal career plan, their story of why they are going to the USA, what they plan to study and why they selected International American University, and what they plan to do in their home country after graduation. Sincerity and the reasonableness or plausibility of the plan will be most persuasive. They are looking for evidence that the applicant has given serious thought to their plans. Do they have ambition, and is it believable in the context of their country?

 

Tell the truth.

If the Consular officer thinks the applicant is lying, they won’t get a visa. If they don’t know an answer, they should tell the officer they don’t know. They should ask the officer to rephrase the question if they don’t understand it. This is not a test; it is an interview. They know that English is the applicant’s second language and the applicant may be nervous; stumbling over one question is the end of the interview. However, one dishonest or faked answer could result in the applicant not getting their visa.

Practicing for The Interview

Five Issues With The Visa Interview

The questions you will be asked in your interview will be used to determine the following key issues:

  1. Whether the sole purpose of your travel is to pursue a program of study.
  2. Whether you have the ability and intention to be a full-time student in the U.S.
  3. Whether you possess adequate funds to cover all tuition, living and anticipated incidental expenses without taking unauthorized employment.
  4. Whether you have sufficiently strong social, economic, and other “ties” to your home country to compel your departure from the U.S. upon completion of the planned program of studies.
  5. Whether you are telling the truth.

The Consular officer simply needs to be able to say “Yes” to these five questions to provide you a student visa. Your job is to convince the officer to say “Yes.”

All the questions asked will seek to answer the five key questions above. Some may be designed to directly answer those issues, others are indirect ways of getting an answer. Look at the five issues and think carefully about how you address them. Then write a few paragraphs which answer each of these five questions: sincerely, truthfully, completely, concisely and persuasively. Read the letter out loud to a friend or relative. Re-write it. Read it out again. This is your story. You may or may not have the opportunity to tell some of your story at the interview, depending on the questions being asked. The most important part of the interview is that you respond to the question asked, not that you tell your story. However, having developed your story ahead of time you will naturally be able to tell it if a question relating to it comes up.

Sample Questions That Are Often Asked Of Our Applicants

  1. How did you learn about IAU?
  2. How many other universities did you apply to?
  3. Why did you choose IAU?
  4. Why not a bigger school?
  5. Which school did you graduate from?
  6. Tell me why you want to go to America?
  7. Where do you work now?
  8. How much do you earn now?
  9. What is your academic background and why do you want to pursue this program/degree?
  10. What is this program?
  11. How is the program structured academically and financially?
  12. What is meant by “Internship” on the I-20?
  13. Do you want to work in the U.S.?
  14. What are your resources to pay your university charges?
  15. Why didn’t you apply for a graduate program directly after your bachelor’s degree?
  16. Why don’t you study for this degree in your home country?
  17. What arrangements have you made for your wife (and children) during your absence?
  18. What will you do after you go back to your home country?
  19. Have you taken GRE, GMAT or ESL? If not, why not?

Have a friend or relative ask you these questions and provide responses.

Student Quotes About Their Interviews

Remember, many of our international students did not receive their visa after their first interview. So, don’t be discouraged if you don’t immediately get the result you desire. You can always try again for another entry date. We wish you the best of luck!

  • Student quote #1

    Americans are very straightforward people. When you go to the embassy, be simple. Don’t try to be too polite. When you greet the visa officer just say, “Hi,” and it is good enough. Especially don’t try to persuade them about any point (returning to your home country, etc.), because it causes suspicion. Be honest and realistic, as honesty has a great value for them. There are also a lot of other delicate points. The first time I went for my visa interview, when the officer asked what my plans were for the future, I used the phrase “If I return to Iran, I will…,” She finally told me that “if” was a big “IF” and she suspected I might never return, and she rejected my visa. On my second interview, I used this phrase instead: “When I return to Iran, I will…,” I think it made a whole lot of difference.

  • Student quote #2

    I really don’t know what exactly to explain about obtaining my visa, because it was so easy in Bulgaria. The written questions you sent me with all other documents about how to pass the interview were very useful. In Bulgaria, I think it is not so difficult to obtain a visa because the people that can’t pass the interview are a very small group. To me, the most important things are:

    1. Have good English, and don’t talk too much. Just speak exactly on the question, and don’t try to impress them that you are so smart. These officers are smart enough, and they really can see many things in the one or two sentences that you say.
    2. Have very clear documents. If you can show everything on the documents it is half of the interview.
    3. Be prepared. The officer asked me only two or three questions about what my job is, where I have been working, and how I heard about the University. I think what the officer really wanted to know was why I was going to the USA. Was it to improve my knowledge, or just to get inside the country without any specific reason?
    4. Be confident. Just don’t give any sense of doubt. Take it easy and listen to the questions.
  • Student quote #3

    My visa interview was very brief; it only took about a minute. I think it’s not only because the consul had a lot of people to interview that day, but also because I was ready with all the documents that he asked for (I-20, bank statements, employment certificate, etc.). The supporting documents that the admissions office sent me in preparation for my visa interview helped me a lot. All those reminders, sample interview, and checklists contributed much to the success of my visa interview. One important thing is that one should be honest in what he says, because it would always show in the way he speaks with the consul. Practicing an interview with a friend also helps.

  • Student quote #4

    The thing is you should not care for the interview as your life. You should take it easy and don’t be frightened on seeing the Visa Officer. Just talk to him confidently in such a way that you feel that whether or not you get the visa, it doesn’t matter. It requires more than confidence. Sometimes the visa officer may put you in a tricky situation. Then you should be able to face it boldly by kicking off the ball. My strong advice is for Indians to join in U.S. visa groups, which you can find in the Yahoo groups list. Once you join, everyone will be mailing you their interviews and you can go through hundreds of different interviews and can keep track of the situation at the embassy.

  • Student quote #5

    These were the questions asked to me by the Visa Officer at the Consulate:

    1. “How did you gain admission to the University?”
    2. “What made you want to study again after taking a break of three years after your last degree?”
    3. “What was your TOEFL score?”
    4. “What are your plans after finishing the degree?”
    5. “Who is your sponsor and what is his occupation?”

    Before attending the visa interview, I prepared myself in such a way that every answer of mine should be convincing and to the point. I convinced the officer that as soon as I finish my degree I’ll return back to my home country. This is the most important point and before giving any reply, we should remember this.

  • Student quote #6

    First of all, I was well prepared. I brought all the necessary documents and even had all other supporting documents that I thought would be helpful. The admissions office had specified for me most of these documents in the process of applying to the program. When I first met the visa officer, his first question was, “Who will pay for the education?” I replied, “Some portion will be paid through internship and the rest by me.” He continued by asking whether I have the money or not. I told him that I have money and he wanted me to show him my bank statement, and I did that.

  • Student quote #7

    Getting my visa in Bulgaria was really easy. The interview itself was very easy and fast. The officer just asked me a couple of questions. “What are you planning to do after you graduate?” I said, “I will return to my country and will continue to work for my current employer.” Then she changed the subject and started to ask me about my family and if I have any relatives in the USA. The whole process was about two or three minutes long.

  • Student quote #8

    My experience was interesting, but I want to tell about it by giving some advice.

    1. Take a full set of documents, especially documents from the University which describe your payment plan. Obviously, documents about payment require a bank statement.
    2. Dress neatly and smile.
    3. You should listen to the interviewer’s words carefully, but do not make him feel that you are straining to understand. Usually this is difficult, because of the noisiness of the place where the interview is conducted.
    4. Be prepared to answer any question about the University, about yourself, relatives, previous job, and education.
    5. Be extremely prepared to speak about your future plans. This leads to thinking about what you will do after graduation. Speak confidently and honestly, because the interviewer’s job is to crack your psychic defense. If you are dishonest, they will easily recognize it. Remember a proverb: “The bitter truth is better than a sweet lie.” Of course, speak no unnecessary words. Just answer on what they ask. Every additional word will hamper the progress.
  • Student quote #9

    We did not have any problem getting a visa from the U.S. embassy in Nepal. In my case, the visa officer did not even check the financial statement, which is normally checked by each visa officer. She just turned the pages quickly and asked whether I had enough money to spend for my education. That’s all. I do not think there are any special points to be taken carefully. Only having a genuine attitude is enough. Providing you do not try to use the University’s name as a medium to escape from your country, I think getting a visa will not be a difficult job.

  • Student quote #10

    I handed all my documents to the visa officer including the job agreement I have with my boss. After reading it, he asked nothing but why I chose this school and why I chose a program with curricular practical training. I told him my personal plan, and explained that I’ve compared many universities but no other offered a program that matched both my own needs, and those of my company in China. I explained that this is why my boss has agreed to let me go to study and to re-hire me on my return. I also told the interviewer about my younger brother who is enrolled in a doctoral program at the University of Florida in Computer Networking. The interview lasted about ten minutes. I felt from the beginning that he never planned on giving me the visa, but after he listened patiently to me, he finally relented and said, “Good luck.” So we can still get visas, even in Beijing, even being refused before.

Carmen Villamor, Law Corp.Carmen T. Villamor

Carmen Villamor, Law Corp.
Carmen T. Villamor, Immigration Attorney
Tel: (323) 939-8200
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.carmenvillamor.com
3701 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 1105
Los Angeles, CA 90010

Susan Fox

Perry & Associates, P.C.
Susan Fox
Tel: (818) 849-5905, ext. 226
Email: susan@johnperryandassociates.com
Website: www.johnperryandassociates.com
15915 Ventura Blvd., Suite 303
Encino, CA 91436

Katherina Alznauer

Perry & Associates, P.C.
Katherina Alznauer, Esq., Sr. Associate Attorney
Tel: (747) 233-3770
Email: kate@johnperryandassociates.com
Website: www.johnperryandassociates.com
16501 Ventura Blvd., Suite 400
Encino, CA 91436

Eileen Chun-Fruto

Chun Fruto Law Corp.
Eileen Chun-Fruto
Tel: (213) 674-0599
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.chunfrutolaw.com
155 N. Lake Ave., 8th Flr.
Pasadena, CA 91101

Arek Nizamian

Nizamian & Nizamian LLP
Arek Nizamian, Immigration Lawyer
Tel: (213) 487-7150
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.nizamian.com
3055 Wilshire Blvd. #630
Los Angeles, CA 90010

Aram Kim

ALG Lawyers
Aram Kim, Attorney at Law
Tel: (213) 384-3300
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.alglawyers.com/contact-us/
11835 West Olympic Blvd., Suite 380 E Los Angeles, CA 90069
Los Angeles, CA 90010

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