Student Visa Info

The number of students participating in foreign exchange programs at the post-secondary-school level in any given year is a surprisingly large number–1.4 million. Of those, approximately one-third of them choose the United States as their destination. The number of exchange students at the level of secondary-school or below is smaller, but still considerable. Hosting foreign exchange students has been a decades old tradition in some circles of American society. Families that have hosted students often form close, lasting relationships with them. Learn how to participate in this experience.

(1). Know what you are getting into. Realize that hosting an exchange student is like adopting him or her for the time they are in this country. These students have financial resources and are almost always covered with medical insurance policies, but their housing, supervision and emotional support come directly from the host family. It is also true that because of cultural differences, exchange students sometimes have difficulty integrating into the hectic and competitive society that exists in American high schools and junior high schools.

(2). Go through a rigorous placement process. Prior to 2006, background checks were optional and at the discretion of the entity responsible for the exchange student’s placement. Following a series of articles from all over the world that documented apparent abuse of students during their stay in the United States, legislation was initiated to establish oversight of the placement process. At that time, many if not most exchange student agencies voluntarily began requiring criminal background checks on the adult members of prospective host families.

(3). Check smaller organizations, and organizations that serve specific populations of students. AYUSA, The Center for Cultural Exchange and The World Heritage Student Exchange Programs are examples of such programs.

(4). Apply with one of the organizations after considering the responsibilities inherent in the program and the type student you would like to host.

(5). Decide which organization you want to use for placement. There are a large number of entities that handle placement of exchange students. Some of these organizations work with designated countries, some with designated religious affiliations, some with specific educational organizations and others without a defined population of any kind. The Council for Standards on International Educational Travel (CSIET) is such an organization. CSIET has a list of vetted programs throughout America.

(6). Check the websites of three of the oldest exchange student organizations: the American Field Service, The Rotary Youth Exchange and The Youth for Understanding Foundation. These organizations have long standing reputations. They place a large number of students.

The subsequent are some sample questions that can be asked at a H1B Visa meeting. These questions are complied from individual’s experience posted in path2usa conversation forum. Since each case is different, be expecting some variation in these questions during your interview. Take them as samples and a training tool.

Questions about Your Intent of Visa

(1). What is the reason of your trip to the United States?

(2). Do you have any relations in the United States?

(3). Why are you changing your Job?

(4). Why do you want to work in the US?

(5). Have you applied for visa for any other country?

(6). Do you know what is the living cost in the U.S. specific to the place where you are going?

(7). When are you planning to travel?

(8). How will you survive for the first month?

(9). Have you been to any other country before?

      If yes, how long was your stay there?

(10). Will you come back to India?

(11). When will you return to india?

(12). Why would you want to return to India?

(13). Is it your first H1B or visa revalidation?

(14). After the conclusion of your visa, what will you do?

Questions About Your Education/Experience

(1). Are you a student?

(2). which university is your degree from?

(3). What was your thesis about?

(4). What is the diff between PL SQL n SQL?

(5). What are the software’s you know? Do you have work experience with them?

(6). What courses did you complete here [Home Country]?

(7). Show me your certificates.

(8). Can I see your educational certificates and experience letters.

(9). Tell me in detail about all the jobs and work experiences and profile.

(10). What’s your highest educational qualification?

Questions about Your Current Company

(1). How long have you been working?

(2). Where are you working currently?

(3). What is your current salary?

(4). What is your current role in the current company?

(5). Is it an Indian company you currently work for?

Questions About Sponsoring Company

(1). What is the company you are going to work for in USA?

(2). Where are you going to work in US?

(3). Why are you joining [New Company]?

(4). How do you know this is a real company?

(5). When did you receive your offer letter?

(6). What will you be working on there? Is it an internal project?

(7). I need a client letter describing your work project.

(8). Tell me what do you know about [New Company]?

(9). When was the US company founded?

(10). Tell me about the project and the company (client) you will be working for?

(11). How did you find out about this company?

(12). How did you contact the [New Company]?

(13). What is the current project you will be working on?

(14). What are your responsibilities and for which client are you going to be working for? Please explain in detail.

(15). Do you have any proof from your new employer regarding your responsibilities?

(16). Do you have any company photographs?

(17). How long has the company been in the current location?

(18). How many rounds of interviews has the USA company conducted?

      What are they?

(19). What is the name of your interviewer?

(20). Can you give me the dates of your interview?

(21). Who are the clients for your U.S. company?

(22). What are the technologies you are working on?

(23). Who is the President/CEO of the U.S. company?

(24). What kind of projects is the U.S. company working on?

(25). What is the annual turn over of the company?

(26). How many employees does the U.S. Company have?

(27). How many rounds of interviews did the U.S. company conduct?

      What are they? 4 rounds (2 technical, 1 HR, 1 manager interview)

(28). Can I see your client end letter and itinerary of services.

Tips

(1). Keep a copy of all your documents.

(2). Answer all questions clearly during the interview.

(3). Upon receiving your visa, carefully check for any kind of mistakes like name, date of birth, type of visa, validity date, etc:

To check the progress on an request, if you have not heard within the current 5-10 working days processing time, please track your application through the VFS website. You will have been given these details and a location number when you submitted your application. If after 10 working days your application is still listed as being at the High Commission then please emails us. We should pressure that candidate should only email after 10 working days have beyond. The only email address What happens next?Once a visa officer has assessed your application, they will choose to:Issue your visa refuse your visa or invite you for an interview. This process is the same whether you are applying for a settlement visa or a non-settlement visa. If an interview is required you will be contact by a member of UK visas staff in Pretoria and you will be given a date and time for your interview.

Where are interviews held?

At the British High Commission in Pretoria

What to take to the interview

Take the interview letter and any original documents (as well as photocopies of these) which you did not send with your application.

After the interview

At the end of the interview, we will tell you whether your visa will be issued, or whether your application has been refused. If we issue the visa You will receive your passport and visa back soon after your interview.

If we refuse the visa

Your passport and other documents will be handed over to you at the British High Commission after the interview or they will be returned to you by VFS with reasons for refusal clearly provided. General informationWe cannot refund visa fees once you have paid them.

You have been accepted at the college of your choice. You are thinking about the courses you’ll take, the people you’ll meet, and the exciting things you’ll do … and then your heart sinks when you hear your friends explain the complexity of getting a student visa. Suddenly, you’re scared: what if, after filling out forms and dreaming about your future, you can’t get a visa? Well relax; you can get a visa. But there are two things you should do to increase your chances of a favorable decision: first, have all the required certification; second, be prepared.

The visa process step by step

Step 1: You must have a valid I-20, which your college will send you after you have been admitted and after you have certified your available finances. When it arrives, check the following:

1 Is your name spelled correctly and in the same form as it appears in your passport?

2 Is the other information correct - date and country of birth, degree program, reporting date, completion date, financial information?

3 Is it signed by a college official?

4 Has the reporting date (”student must report no later than”) passed? (the I-20 expires and cannot be used after the reporting date).

Step 2: If your I-20 is valid, you’re prepared to apply for the visa. In order to issue your visa, the Consular Officer must be satisfied on three counts:

First, are you a bona fide student? The officer will ask about your educational background and strategy in order assess how likely you are to enroll and remain in college until graduation. Be prepared to discuss the reasons you chose a particular college, your anticipated major, and your career plans. Bring school transcripts, national examination results, and SAT or TOEFL scores (if these tests were required by your college) and anything else that demonstrates your academic commitment.

Second, is your sponsor financially capable? Visa requirements differ from country to country, but generally host governments want assurance that you won’t drop out of school or take a job illegally. How can you show that your support is able to finance your education?

Your chances are enhanced if your parents are sponsoring your education. If anyone other than your parents is sponsoring you, you should explain your special relationship with this person, who may be committing tens of thousands of dollars to your education.

Provide solid evidence of your sponsor’s finances. This assures the Consular Officer that adequate funds will be available throughout your four-year college program. If your sponsor’s income is from several different sources (such as salary, contracts or consulting fees, a farm, rental property, investments), have the sponsor write a letter listing and documenting each source of income.

Third, are your ties to home so burly that you will not want to remain lastingly in the host country? Laws generally state that you must demonstrate sufficient economic, family, and social ties to your place of residence to make sure that your stay in the Americas will be temporary.

Economic ties: These include your family’s economic position, property you may own or stand to inherit, and your own economic potential when you come home with a U.S. education. The Consular Officer will be impressed to see evidence of your career planning and your knowledge of the local employment scene.

Family and social ties: How many close family members live in your home country, compared to those living in the States? What community or school behavior have you participated in that display a sincere connection to your town or country? What leadership, sports, and other roles have distinguished you as a person who wants to come home and contribute your part?

And if you’re refused a visa?

If your application is refused, the Consular Officer is required to give you an explanation in writing. You do have the right to apply a second time, but if you reapply, make sure to prepare much more carefully. The Consular Officer will want to see fresh evidence sufficient to overcome the reasons for the first denial.

If you have given careful thought to your educational goals and if you have reasonable career plans, you’ll find the visa interview an opportunity to prove you’re ready to take the next big step in your education and in your life: college in the Americas.

The information above outlines important steps for you to follow before you go for your visa interview. However, there is additional preparation you should undertake.

When applying for a student visa, it is important to demonstrate an academic plan that you have thought about and can articulate. The visa officer usually gets at this issue by asking you why you chose a particular university and why you chose X program at that university. They are not questioning the validity of the University or the program; they are trying to determine how clear you are with your academic plans and goals.

Before going for a visa interview, its quite important to gather information about the programs, courses and other details offered on the University website and have enough information about the University…recently a student during a visa interview was asked, “What do you want to study at A University? “The student said, “Computer Science, software development.” The visa officer asked if A University had software development. The student was not sure. Did the student receive the visa? You should be able to eloquent academic reasons for choosing the University and that specific program at the University.

If you’re a resident of a foreign country, in most cases you’ll need a visa to enter the any country.

A visa doesn’t permit entry to any country., however. A visa simply indicates that your application has been reviewed by a country consular officer at an state embassy or consulate, and that the officer has determined you’re eligible to enter the country for a specific purpose. Consular affairs are the responsibility of the Department of State.

A visa allows you to travel to the United States as far as the port of entry (airport or land border crossing) and ask the immigration officer to allow you to enter the country. Only the immigration officer has the authority to permit you to enter the country. He or she decides how long you can stay for any particular visit. Immigration matters are the responsibility of the Department of Homeland Security.

There are two categories of. visas: immigrant and nonimmigrant.

Immigrant visas are for people who intend to live permanently in the U.S. Nonimmigrant visas are for people with permanent residence outside the U.S. but who wish to be in the U.S. on a temporary basis – for tourism, medical treatment, business, temporary work or study.

Nonimmigrant visas are for people with permanent residence outside the country. but who wish to go to the country on a temporary basis – for tourism, medical treatment, business, temporary work, or study.

U.S. law requires that people who apply for nonimmigrant visas provide evidence that they don’t intend to immigrate to the United States. It’s up to consular officers at U.S. embassies and consulates to determine eligibility on an individual basis on the merits of each case.

Providing requested documents does not assurance that you will receive a visa. There is no entitlement to a visa.

And, because each person’s personal situation is different, people applying for the same visa may be asked different questions and be required to submit different documents. Under U.S. law, the authority to question or refuse visas is vested solely in consular offices abroad. Consular officers have the authority to decide whether the evidence submitted in support of an application is sufficient to set up an applicant’s eligibility for a visa. Consular officers may request additional information or documentation depending on their evaluation of each person’s situation.