VISA PROCEDURE

F1 visa is the most hyped thing in the entire Masters process. A lot has been said about the process, most of that sounds very irrational. In my opinion earning F1 depends on the individual and not on Lady luck (he he ).

I got my F1 on 14 May 2008 .This is what I did to get F1.

To book the Visa Date follow the procedure given below.

Pay the Visa Application Fee.

1) You must pay the Application Fee (US $131 payable in INR equivalent at consular exchange rate. Visa Application Fee at current exchange rate (Rs. 44/-) is Rs. 5,764) and VFS Service Charge at a designated branch of HDFC bank before applying for a visa. Do carry a photocopy of the passport while going to the bank. You need to submit the passport photocopy along with the application fee. For Pune the address of HDFC bank that accepts cash is given below.

Plot No.3, CPS 870
Bhandarkar Institute Road
Pune -411004
Banking Hours

Weekdays :
9.30am to 3.30pm

Sat :9.30am to 12.30pm

2) You will get 2 receipts from HDFC bank a pink colored receipt and a blue colored receipt that will have a code on it called bar code. The bar code will get activated in 2 working days.

Book Interview Appointment (Visa Date )

Normally June and July are the busiest days for the consulate. So I preferred to book an earlier date on May 14. I got Interview appointment at 8:15 AM which is pretty early. Usually morning appointments do not slip the schedule, and you don’t have to wait too long for your interview.

1) After your bar code gets activated go to the following site to book the visa date.

https://www.vfs-usa.co.in/ApplnForms/FeeDetails.aspx

2) Do the required and fill up the forms DS-156, Ds-157 and DS-158.

If you want to see my DS forms for reference email me.( Restricted Access ).

3) After filling out the three forms the last page prompts for the SEVIS number. It is recommended to pay the SEVIS fee before u schedule an appointment because it takes 15 days to get the SEVIS fee receipt .Although you get an online confirmation/receipt and it is ok even if u carry the online confirmation print at the interview but the safest way is to pay it earlier and carry the fee receipt that comes to u by courier.

Submit Documents to the USVFS APPLICATION CENTRE.

It is recommended to submit the following documents at the application centre before 5 working days but I suggest submitting these documents as soon as you can. I did submit all these documents 14 days before my visa interview.

In Pune the application centre is located at

Sohrab Hall,
Opposite Jahangir Hospital,
Near Pune Railway Station
Pin 411011.

Submit the following documents :

1. DS-156 in original signed and with photo affixed.

2. DS-157 in original. if you are 15-55 years of age

3. DS-158 in original, signed.

4. Photocopy of Form I-20 / DS2019.

5. Proof of payment of SEVIS Fee Receipt I-901.

6. Photocopy of passport data pages (1st and last page).

7. Photocopy of the passport pages bearing “Observation” or “Remarks”.

8. Photocopy of Interview appointment letter.

9. Original HDFC fee receipts (Yellow / Blue copy).

10. Dependents applicants: photocopy of principal applicant’s Form I-20 / DS2019

11. Dependants must submit a photocopy of the principal applicant’s visa

12. Applicants applying for a visa renewal are required to submit a clear

photocopy of the previous visa

Points to Remember:

1) Do Sign the I-20 form.

2) Do sign DS-156,157,158.

3) The column named Full Name in Native Alphabet ( Column number 3 in DS-157)

cannot be filled online. So do not forget to write it on the Ds-157 print that u will submit at the application centre.

Prepare the Required documentation.

Ohh now this is the toughest part in the whole process. The VO seldom asks for the documentation file but we have to prepare it well. The way I had arranged my file is as follows. A lot of people say that u got to carry harmonium file but in my opinion simple folder that we use daily is also good enough provided that you know which document lies where.

The way I arranged my visa is as follows.

Folder 1 :

1) I-20

2) Passport

3) Interview Appointment letter

4) HDFC pink receipt.

Folder 2 :

1) Statement of Liquid and Fixed Assets

2) Sponsors Certificate.

Folder 3:

1) Bank Pass books ,FDs and supporting material like mutual funds , bank statements etc.

Folder 4:

1) Admit from the university that u have chosen .

2) Letter from the university stating scholarship

3) Relevant correspondence from the university like mail from the profs etc.

Folder 5 :

1) IT returns of the sponsor . ( 3 years arrange them in descending order with the returns for 07-08 on the top).

2) Prepare an annual income summary.

Folder 6:

1) Degree Certificate and Marksheets of all years of engineering.

Folder 7:

1) Transcripts and HSC and SSC certificates

Folder 8:

1) Experience letter from the employer.

2) Pay slips

3) Appointment letter (This is something that I had taken u don’t need it if u have experience letter.)

Folder 9:

1) Admits from other universities and relevant correspondence.

Folder 10:

1) Evaluation report of fixed assets.

Please add any additional documents that you feel are necessary and arrange the folder structure according to your convenience. That was how I arranged it.If u have any queries mail me at rujutaranade@gmail.com