What documents are required for a U.S. study visa? What should I do if my visa is refused?

1. Valid passport: If your passport will expire within six months of your expected arrival date in the United States, or is damaged, or there is no blank visa issuance page in the passport, you must go to Apply for a new passport before your interview. This means that the passport should be valid for more than six months after the expected date in the United States. At the same time, if you have a passport with a previous visa to the United States, including an expired passport, you must bring it with you.

2. One photo: A 2-inch x 2-inch (51 mm x 51 mm) square, color, frontal photo with a white background, taken within 6 months. Photos must meet the basic requirements, otherwise the application will not be accepted.

3. DS-160 form confirmation page: All non-immigrant visa applicants must fill out the DS-160 form online. The DS-160 form is in English, but most columns will have Chinese translations. To use Chinese translation, you can go to the "Select Tooltip Language" column in the upper right corner of the page and change from "ENGLISH" to "Chinese". Move the cursor over the English text, and the Chinese translation will automatically pop up. Except for the applicant's full name, which must be filled in Chinese, the answers to all questions must be filled in English. After checking that the information filled in is accurate, print the confirmation page. And bring this confirmation page with you throughout the visa application process.

4. Original receipt of visa application fee. It should be noted that the visa application fee is non-refundable regardless of whether the visa is issued or not. Two copies of the application fee receipt issued by CITIC Bank must be submitted together with other visa application materials.

5. Completed Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) form and prepare SEVIS fee receipt: Completed Form I-20A-B (issued to F1 students) must be submitted by the school designated official ( DSO) and the applicant’s signature. The name on the form must exactly match the name on the passport and have been entered into the SEVIS system by a U.S. academic institution. You can apply after getting your I20 number, no later than three days before the interview. Applicants for F and M visas must pay a fee of $200 to maintain the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS). After payment is completed, you can print the receipt directly or save the page and print it later. You need to bring the electronic receipt or the original I-797 receipt when you go to the interview.

6. Proof that is firmly binding in China: Provide financial, social, family or other binding documents to help you prove your intention to return to China after a short stay in the United States. For example, real estate documents, car-related certificates, family properties, business licenses, etc.

7. Proof of funds: Proof of funds is used to prove that you have the ability to pay for the entire period of stay in the United States without working. However, it is generally sufficient to exceed the total cost of the first year. The principle is that the more the better, but the source of funding must be clearly explained. There are very few undergraduate scholarships in the United States, and the requirements for students to apply for scholarships are relatively high. Therefore, most students who go to the United States to study for undergraduate studies do so at their own expense. Therefore, whether you have enough financial strength to support your study in the United States is a more important issue when applying for an undergraduate U.S. visa. Funding materials can be prepared: Certificate of deposit: You need to ensure that it is still in the frozen period on the day of visa application. It should not be too close to or exceed the start of school to avoid having to unfreeze it close to the start of school. Parents’ employment certificate: Chinese and English versions, printed on company letterhead. Other property certificates: passbooks, real estate certificates, car certificates, stock transaction records, fund certificates and other auxiliary materials. If the parents open their own company, they need to bring their business license, company introduction, tax forms, etc.

8. Transcripts: Unopened original school transcripts: such as junior high school transcripts, high school transcripts, A level transcripts, etc., also in Chinese and English.

9. Language scores and SAT transcripts: If you have the original transcript, you can bring it. If you don’t have it, you can bring a copy or a screenshot of the official website.

10. Resume: Describe in detail your past experience in academics, activities or internships.

11. Other personal materials: such as published papers, paintings, event photos or personal portfolios, etc.

12. Introduction to the school you will attend: There are so many universities in the United States, and the visa officer may ask for some schools that are not well-known or that LAC does not know much about.

You can familiarize yourself with the school in advance, prepare questions about why this school, and then prepare a brief introduction to the school.

13. Acceptance letter received. From this we can see that there is actually no need to bring the family photos, real estate certificates, etc. that we are talking about, but can we bring such materials? The answer is of course. These materials can express the harmony of your family and the financial status of your family, and they may help you to a great extent. Asked about the family's real estate situation, so once similar questions have been asked, it means that they may be asked. Bringing those materials will always be helpful to you. At least it has a psychological effect. We say that materials can be divided into several parts: personal materials + academic materials + financial materials + others (return plan, etc.). Academics can include school introductions, study plans, etc.; funds refer to all financial resources. We need to understand the reason for preparing these materials, why we should prepare them and make sure we are suitable to submit them. Or what materials are better to submit voluntarily, and what materials are best not to be cited. Have a clear idea.

First, figure out the reason for rejection. Each country has its own visa logic, and the reasons for visa rejection are simply the following:

1. Technical errors: For example, key information is missing, visa fees are not paid, some documents are not signed, etc.

2. Immigration tendency: Judging from the information or interviews, this applicant will choose to stay in the local area after completing his studies, especially in countries such as Canada and New Zealand.

3. Not a real student: For example, the student's academic performance in the country is very poor, almost all have failed, and they have not taken IELTS or TOEFL. The visa officer determines that such students cannot successfully complete their studies.

The ways to find out are: read the submitted materials yourself, recall the details of the visa interview questions, and read the visa rejection letter (usually written very vaguely, but you can check it through special channels, such as Canada allows Those who are Canadian citizens should check the records of the visa officer), consult visa experts, etc.

If you do not understand the reason for visa rejection, do not rush to submit a second visa application. If it is clear, you can modify the material accordingly. For example, if it is a technical error, it can be corrected or supplemented. If it is the second and third situations, you must think about how to submit new materials and new methods in a targeted manner to prove that you have no intention of immigrating or that you are a real student.