Visa application process for studying in the United States

Visa application process for studying in the United States

The U.S. study visa is the last obstacle for students to study abroad. Obtaining a U.S. visa is a crucial step for successfully studying in the United States. Below I will share with you the application process for a U.S. study visa, hoping to help everyone!

The first step is to determine the visa application category

According to your destination The U.S. purpose and identity determine the U.S. visa category to be applied for.

Step 2: Determine the scope of the consular area

The purpose of dividing the consular area is mainly to facilitate management. Chinese citizens can apply for a visa at any consulate or embassy. If you are applying for a U.S. immigrant visa, you must go to the Guangzhou Consulate regardless of your place of residence.

The third step is to buy a phone card

Go to CITIC Industrial Bank to buy a prepaid encrypted phone card. Use the card to activate the visa information call center service, obtain visa information and make an appointment for a visa interview. time. Credit card, debit card, bank draft and postal transfer. If paying with a credit card or debit card, the user must enter your credit card or debit card number according to the recorded instructions after dialing the reservation phone number. Payment can also be made by bank draft or postal transfer. The center does not accept personal checks.

Step 4: Make an appointment for an interview by phone

After you have an encrypted phone card, call the Visa Information Call Center to make an appointment for the interview. Remember not to call the U.S. embassy or consulate again. Make an appointment. The phone number of the Visa Information Call Center is: 4008-872-333.

Working hours: Monday to Friday: 7:00am-7:00pm, Saturday: 8:00am-6:00pm.

Make an appointment as early as possible. In view of the increase in visa review requirements and the extension of processing time, the Visa Office of the US Consulate recommends that all applicants should apply as early as possible according to their personal itinerary.

Step 5: Payment

Before coming to the consulate for an interview, each applicant should first go to the designated CITIC Bank branch to pay the visa application fee of RMB 938. Once the application fee is paid No refunds will be given.

Step 6: Fill out the visa form and prepare supporting materials

The US Consulate will launch a new online application form (DS-160 form). Free download from the U.S. Embassy website.

The U.S. Consulate will give priority to applicants who use the online application form.

Prepare various visa materials.

Step 7: Fingerprint scan and interview

The consulate will conduct a fingerprint scan for most non-immigrant visa and immigrant visa applicants before the interview. The specific date will be determined after the technical preparations of each embassy and consulate are completed and the necessary equipment is installed. The interview begins after the fingerprint scan is completed.

Even applicants who meet the requirements for exemption from interview need to go to the visa office of the US consulate to have their fingerprints scanned.

Visa applicants please pay attention to your appearance and appearance. Your appearance and conversation should be consistent with your identity when applying for a visa. Please bring all the prepared visa materials and check the materials to be submitted again. Visa applicants should arrive at the visa office of the US Consulate to wait for the interview according to the time scheduled by telephone. Please note that those who are late for more than 30 minutes will not be allowed to enter.

Please pay attention to the safety instructions for visitors: Visa applicants are only allowed to bring with them the main documents related to the matter they are inquiring about and limited personal belongings when entering the visa section of the U.S. Consulate. Visitors are not allowed to bring cell phones, pagers, wallets, briefcases, handbags, etc. into the consular office. The Visa Section of the U.S. Consulate will deny entry to the consulate to all visitors who violate the above regulations.

After arriving at the consulate, you will have the opportunity to explain your reasons for traveling to the United States and present supporting documents. It is important to answer the consul's questions truthfully. Many applicants often miss the opportunity to obtain a visa by concealing the true facts about their income, employment or family status, even if these facts would not have a negative impact on their application. Applicants should not submit forged documents, such as fake invitation letters, company licenses or ID cards. It is a serious consular violation for an applicant to tell lies and provide false documents, which will result in the applicant being permanently ineligible to travel to the United States.

After the interview, please don’t forget to retrieve your important documents. Especially for invitation letters, applicants often forget to pick up the invitation letter or the visa officer does not return it to the applicant. The purpose of the invitation letter is that the immigration officer may ask you to show it when you are inspected when entering the United States.

Step 8: Obtaining a U.S. Visa

Since fingerprint results need to be checked to issue a visa, which requires additional time, the consulate cannot process approved non-immigrant visa applicants. We also provide same-day passport return service. In the future, applicants will receive their passports and visas via EMS, which will replace the original method of collecting visas after interview approval.

As for the fees and procedures related to the new regulations, we need to wait for the announcement from the US Consulate.

After obtaining the visa, please immediately check whether the visa issued to you is different from your application. Such as visa validity period, visa category, number of entries, visa notes, etc.

Things to note: Think calmly about your materials or what aspects in your answers to the visa officer failed to prove that you have no intention of immigrating. The only way to get the visa officer to reconsider your application is to apply again. When applying again, the applicant must reschedule an interview, repay the visa application fee, and resubmit the application form. During the re-interview, the applicant must present persuasive new evidence showing that the applicant has close ties to China. Do not mail or deliver relevant materials directly to the consular office. U.S. study visa application process - interview

Purpose of going abroad

The first thing is whether the purpose of going abroad is clear. This question includes the applicant’s understanding of the major, why he wants to go to the United States, and what he wants to study in the United States. For example, when a computer science student graduated from college, he suddenly discovered that he liked media and wanted to study in the United States. I easily scored high on the GRE and was admitted to a university in the United States. But he was still denied a visa. ?The visa officer’s meaning was very clear. The gap between IT and media was too big, and he himself had no clear plans for his future study and career. ?

Suggestion: In order to convince the visa officer that you have clear study purposes and plans, your answer must be combined with your actual situation and the characteristics and development status of the major you are studying, as well as future prospects. Application prospects explain the reasons for going abroad to the visa officer. In response to the visa officer's inspection in this aspect, there are three parts in the core content design of the visa that can provide a strong counterattack to the visa officer's judgment of immigration tendency. These aspects are: the knowledge gained through professional studies, the problems encountered while studying at home, and the advantages gained by studying in the United States.

Return plan

The second one is the reason for return and return plan in the core design of the visa. How to effectively prove that you will definitely come back from the United States in the future has become the most important factor in obtaining a visa. For example, what is your career blueprint? What do you plan to do after completing your studies? Does the major you studied in the United States have development potential after returning to China?

Suggestion: Both the reason and plan for returning to China should include what you have learned. Closely integrate your major with the domestic market to show the visa officer that your major will make a big difference in the country in the future, and you can get rich returns after returning to the country. This effectively refutes the visa officer’s suspicion that the applicant has immigration tendencies.

Return on capital

Return on capital is also a very important issue. For example, if you spend almost all your family’s savings to study in the United States, the visa officer will be suspicious of you. The visa officer may ask, can you make back your education investment after returning to your country? At this time, the return on your education investment can be explained from two aspects.

Suggestion: For applicants with very good family conditions, you must first emphasize that money is not a problem for you at all. You have long-term career goals, and this goal must be achieved in China.

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