Visa applications to the US

A bit early, but since it is still fresh in my head I will type it here. When the time comes for you to apply for a visa next year to the US, you can google/search this page and hopefully the information will still be useful by then (and not outdated!).

The best way to be sure about the information about the visa application regardless of what country you need it for is to go to the embassy website. On the embassy website, it will state all the procedures and requirements very clearly. However, for some people like me who want step-by-step procedures on what to do, the following might be helpful. Bear in mind however that this is only for US visa applications and I am a Singapore citizen so it might differ if you dont have a Singapore passport. Do check with the embassy if you are unsure of anything.

Your university will request that you submit some particulars about yourself to them if you are an international student. After they receive your particulars, they will proceed to mail you an I-20 form. This I-20 form will contain all the particulars that you have told them, plus some sort of school verification that allows you to apply for your student visa, F-1.

Upon receiving your I-20, you can go ahead and apply for your US visa. Go to the US embassy website and download the forms DS-156, DS-158, and for guys an additional form, DS-157. DS-156 is to be filled online, so after you have filled in DS-156 you will be given a pdf file of your filled up DS-156 which you have to print out and submit for your visa application.

After you have filled everything out, print out your DS-156, 157 (if applicable) and 158 forms. Pay the SEVIS fee of $200 online, and you will get a receipt. Print that out too. (They will also mail you a copy of the receipt in hard copy. If you get that in time for your visa interview, then well and good, if not then I think it’s ok)

Schedule an online interview through the US embassy website. You MUST schedule an interview or you wont be entertained.

Before your interview:
READ THE US EMBASSY WEBSITE to see what you must bring and what you cant bring. This is very important because if you miss out on any documents, they will just reject your application and your $183.40 will go poof (see next point).

Get a bank draft from a bank for $183.40 processing fee. No $$$ no talk.

On the day of your interview:
It’s just a simple interview of a few questions, so dont be worried, it’s really very simple (felt more like a chitchat session).

Dont arrive late, I dont know if you will be entertained if you do. Dont arrive too early either cos you wont be allowed to queue up until it is your slot.

After the interview:
1. Collect the visa at the appropriate time and day at the embassy.

You are done!