| Visa Information |
To schedule an appointment for US visa interview, log on to VFS website www.vfs-usa.co.in
Helpline no for Visa Facilitation Service (VFS) for the Southern region: 044 - 4231-6767
VFS email address or inquiry is info@vfs-usa.co.in |
Visa Appointments & Visa Processing
There are two non-immigrant visa categories for persons wishing to study in the United States. The "F" visa is for pursuing academic studies and/or language training programs, and the "M" visa is for non-academic or vocational studies.
SEVIS : All students must pay this fee. SEVIS stands for Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) program and it requires schools and exchange programs to verify the enrolment status of all continuing and new foreign students and exchange visitors. However the visa cannot be issued until student SEVIS fee has been paid. All applicants applying with I-20 forms are required to provide the SEVIS I-901 fee receipt as proof of payment. Log on to www.ice.gov/sevis for further details.
Visa Appointment and Payment of Fee: To confirm a visa interview appointment online, students need to pay the following fees and obtain a Visa Fee Receipt from HDFC Bank. When going to HDFC Bank, students must carry a photocopy of the 1st page of their passport.
The fees payable at HDFC Bank per passport are |
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a) Visa Application Fee (MRV Fee): US $131 payable in INR equivalent at consular exchange rate. Visa Application Fee at current exchange rate (Rs. 54/-) is Rs. 7,074/-.
This fee is payable in cash or by DD/HDFC Bank cheque favouring “US Embassy - Visa Fees”. DDs issued by cooperative banks are not accepted
b) Service Charge: Rs.381/- which includes VFS’ service charge Rs366/- & Bank service charge Rs15/- (inclusive of Service Tax @ 12% and Education Cess Tax @0.36%)
IMPORTANT: The fee receipt gets activated 2 working days from date of issue. Do not attempt to take an appointment till then.
Any of the above mentioned fees are not refundable. Students must appear for an Interview within 1 year (365 days) from the date you purchased your fee receipt from HDFC Bank. If students do not appear for an Interview within one year after the purchase of their fee receipt, it will no longer be valid. The receipt is deemed as utilized once the interview has taken place, and cannot be used to make a subsequent appointment.
Important: We recommend students mustcheck the appointment availability paying the visa application and service fee
Photo Specifications:
The photo of each visa applicant must measure:
- 2 by 2 inches (roughly 50 mm square) with the head centred in the frame
- The head (measured from the top of the hair to the bottom of the chin) should measure between 1 inch to 1 3/8 inches (25 mm to 35 mm) with the eye level between 1 1/8 inch to 1 3/8 inches (28 mm and 35 mm) from the bottom of the photo
- The photo must be a full face view in which the visa applicant is facing the camera directly
- Head coverings and hats are only acceptable due to religious beliefs, and even then, may not cover any portion of the applicant's face
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Sample Pictures :
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Documents for F1 (Student) Visa Applicant
Mandatory Documents
- Photocopies of first page, address page and last page of the current passport
- One passport photograph
- Original DS-156, Non-immigrant visa application form
- Original DS-157, Supplementary non immigrant visa application form
- Original Form DS-158
- Original valid HDFC Bank visa fee receipt
- Copy of I-20, approved and signed by the University / Institute authority
- Proof of payment of SEVIS Fee Receipt I-901
Supporting documents
- Original Passport
- Interview appointment letter
- SEVIS generated Form-I-20 in original , approved and signed by the University / Institute authority
- Evidence of financial resources : proof of liquid assets, sufficient to pay the entire first year tuition fee and living expenses as well as proof of readily available funds to cover remaining studies (Supporting documents: original bank records/statements, fixed deposit original + copy, original income tax returns and other proofs of employment or business)
- Original degree certificates with mark sheets
- Original Relevant test scores SAT or GRE or GMAT and TOEFL or IELTS
- Affidavit of support from sponsor (parents)
- Notarised Form I-134 (Affidavit of support) if you are financially supported by an individual who is living in USA along with bank statements, payslips for last 2 years.
Verification & Interview : All students will be interviewed by the visa officer at the US Consulate, the visa officer may ask the students various questions related to their past qualification, why they want to study abroad, their future plans and goals, family background etc to determine the students genuine intentions. Some hints for students:
Hints for the interview:
All students should
- be well prepared and well informed about the University, program of study, costs, on going research in the respective departments; sum up your educational objectives.
- be able to justify his/her choice of studying in the United States and how it would help in pursuing a career, back home in India.
- demonstrate strong economic, social and cultural ties with one's home country.
- be aware of the sponsors' ( preferably parents) vocation, income and nature of work.
- be well acquainted with one's educational qualifications, University, college and credentials from India.
- finally be able to demonstrate that he/she has sufficient funds currently available to pay the entire first year of study, and that funds will be available for all additional years until the course of study is to be completed.
The visa officer is looking for students who are honest ( do not beat around the bush or cook up stories), well prepared ( no parroting ), motivated and confident (not over confident), Spontaneous ( spontaneity comes only when you are well prepared), articulate (does not mean you should speak in slang or put on an accent), clarity in communication, and projecting positive body language ( no nervous behaviour like fidgeting, yawning, chatting, etc). A student should be able to justify as to "why he/she deserves to secure a student visa". |
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