How to apply for a USA F-1 Visa?

The USA F-1 Visa process is complex and has multiple steps. Every year, thousands of Pakistanis apply for study abroad opportunities in the USA. Some of these lucky students and individuals get admission on scholarships while others are admitted based on their financial statements.

Nevertheless, if you have secured admission to any USA-based university, and have formally received your admission offer letter, there starts a lengthy and somewhat convulsive process for you to start your journey of getting your USA F-1 VISA interview date.

In this guide, we will discuss in depth the visa process and which process is best suited for you and how the study abroad visa process works.

This F-1 study visa guide, however, is not final and you may need to consult your visa consultant or you can get help from our experts at Uni-Guide for a hassle-free process.

So without further wasting time let’s dive into the process.

Prepare your documents list for USA F-1 Visa

Once you have received your admission letter or offer letter, your race against time has started and you need to be aware of some of the documents and processes. For the process to complete you need to have your documents in order.

An admission letter from your university is not of any use for the visa process until your university offers you an I-20 letter which is a formal way of saying that you have been recognised by the university as a formal student.

You need the following documents to apply for the visa process.

• Admission letter from University
• I-20 letter from University
• Apply for DS-160
• Pay Sevis Fee (I-901)
• Apply for the Visa interview process and pick a date for the interview

We will go through each step one by one.

Step 1: Get your Admission letter and I-20

After you receive your admission letter from the university, you will need an I-20 form to apply for a student visa. You can either wait for the university to email you the I-20 form within 20 days of your admission, or you can request the admission committee or the university admission office to issue you one as soon as possible. The I-20 form is a document that confirms your eligibility to study in the United States.

Step 2: Make an account on the Department of State for Ds-160

The second step in applying for a nonimmigrant visa is to create an account on the Department of State website and fill out the online application form DS-160. This form will ask you for personal and travel information, as well as details about your education, work, and family background. You will also need to upload a digital photo that meets the requirements for visa photos. After you complete and submit the form, you will receive a confirmation page with a barcode that you will need to print and bring to your visa interview. For the Ds-160 application you need to make an account and keep the credentials of that account safe and always remember your password.

To make your account for DS-160 visit https://ceac.state.gov/genniv/.

 

Step 3: pay your SEVIS fee

This step is crucial for your visa application process and requires your careful attention. You must complete your SEVIS application and pay your fee before you fill out and submit your DS-160 form. The SEVIS fee is a mandatory charge that covers the cost of maintaining your student record in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS).

You can visit https://www.fmjfee.com/i901fee/index.html to pay your fee and make sure you save all the information and keep a record of all your documents. You also need your I-20 to know your SEVIS ID against which you will pay your fee.

 

Step 4: Submit your DS-160

After paying your SEVIS fee and filling out your DS-160 form, submit it and keep a copy of the confirmation page. Make sure all the information you provided is accurate and consistent with your personal and professional history. Any discrepancy or error may cause delays or denial of your visa application.

 

Step 5: Apply for a visa interview date

If you have reached this far, congratulations you are almost done with the process, however, there are some critical things still pending. One of these critical things is the payment to get an interview date. For that, the US embassy has designated private entities for each country. For Pakistan go to https://portal.ustraveldocs.com and schedule your appointment for the interview. You also need to pay a fee for that table of which will be placed below for more information.

 

Final Step: Go to the embassy for an Interview

The final step in the visa application process is to go to the embassy for an interview. You will need to bring your passport, confirmation page, appointment letter, and any other documents required by the embassy. The interview will be conducted by a consular officer who will ask you questions about your purpose of travel, your ties to your home country, and your financial situation. The interview usually lasts about 15 minutes and you will be notified of the decision at the end of the interview or later by email.

 

Additional information:

As you are applying for an interview, there are some fees and charges that you must pay in order to schedule your visa interview. Here is a fee for various steps:

SEVIS Fee: 350 USD

Visa Appointment Fee: 160 USD

 

Bonus Tips:

• Always keep your documents organised as the visa officer has a limited time to interview you
• Always keep your visa-related documents with you while you are in the embassy
• When you have reached the US Embassy, keep at least 10,000 PKR with you for travel to and from the consulate as there are special shuttle services that you have to choose and travel with
• Your Passport must have more than 5 years of expiry date as it will lessen your visa delay or rejection chances.
• Always show strong ties with your country and intent to return back to Pakistan once your education is complete.

Too Complex for you? Get in touch with Uni-Guide to get help with your F-1 Visa process. Our expert Visa consultants are here to help you with the process without worrying about anything. So give us a call and book your appointment today.