Step 3: Apply for the Visa
What is a Visa?
A visa is an official document issued by consulate overseas allowing a foreign national to apply for admission into the United States. Students should obtain an F1 visa. Having a visa in the passport is not an automatic guarantee that you will be admitted into the U.S. in that status. A visa is like an invitation that allows you to apply for admission into the U.S. in a particular immigration status. Without the right visa, you will not be admitted in that status.
Citizens of all countries except Canada are required to have an F1 visa in their passports if they are to enter the U.S. in student status. A good resource that provides basic information about student visa is http://educationusa.state.gov
Visa Application Process
To apply for a visa, you will need to submit the following to the U.S. Embassy or consulate.
Forms can be found at http://www.travel.state.gov/visa/frvi/forms/forms_1342.html
- Application for Nonimmigrant Visa (Form DS-156)
- Form DS-158
- Complete and sign Form DS-157 if necessary
- SEVIS fee receipt
- Appropriate fees
- One photograph (1 ½ inches square [37 x 37 mm], showing full face, without head covering, against a light background). Please note that if your religion requires your head to be covered, attach an explanation about this religious requirement
- Passport valid for travel to the United States and with a validity date at least six months beyond the intended period of stay in the United States
- Signed Form I-20
- Acceptance letter from KCKCC
- Original documents proving the availability of sufficient funds (the total of all amounts in item 7 on your form I-20)
- Documents that demonstrate that you intend to return home (see explanation below)
Application procedures vary considerably from one country to another. We advise you to contact the consulate where you will submit your application for the most recent application procedures. You may also find information on the website: http://travel.state.gov/visa/visa_1750.html. You can also find information about visa wait times at http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/wait/tempvisitors_wait.php
If you are a valid B-1/2 visa (business/tourist visa) in your passport, do not use it for travel to the United States if your intention is to study.
The Visa Interview
10 Points to Remember When Applying For a Nonimmigrant Visa - (.pdf)
All applicants for a student visa are required to be interview. Typically these are very short and the consular officer will take your pictures and fingerprints digitally. During the interview, you must make a good impression. Be prepared to discuss the following:
- If your wife and children will remain in your country, explain how they will support themselves in your absence?
- Why you chose to study at a community college; why KCKCC?
- What your academic plans are?
- What you plan to do after your studies?
Proving Nonimmigrant Intent
You must establish to the satisfaction of the U.S. consular officer that your ties to your home country are stronger than you r ties to the U.S.
If you are fortunate, you may not be asked to provide any particular documentation to establish that you intend to return home. It may be sufficient for you to say, if asked, that you plan to return to your country to work, to continue your studies, or to do whatever you plan to do when you return home. However, many people applying for students visas (F) are asked to establish their ties to their home country and their intention to return.
Below are some questions to help you decide if you should make a special effort to prove your “nonimmigrant intent.” The more questions to which you respond with the answer “yes”, the more important it will likely be for you to make special effort to prove your intent to return home after your activities in the U.S.
- Is it difficult to obtain either tourist or F-1 visas in your country?
- Are a significant percentage of F visa applications denied by the U.S. consulate in your country?
- Are one or more members of your immediate family (mother, father, brother, sister, spouse, or child) living in the U.S.?
- Are your spouse and children accompanying you to the U.S.?
- Are one or more of your immediate relatives legal permanent resident of the United States?
- Is this your first trip to the United States?
- Have you ever been denied a visa to come to U.S.?
If, based upon your answers to these questions, you believe you should make a special effort to prove that you intend to return home, the following factors may be taken into consideration:
Financial Ties
If your own property or have financial investments in your country, documenting them may help prove you have strong financial ties. To prove this, you may not use any assets that will be needed to pay for your F-1 activities. You will need to prove the availability of that financial support separately in order to meet the minimum requirements for the visa.
Documents to Submit: official papers proving property ownership, copies of investment statements or certificates, a letter or financial statement from your bank or accountant.
Family Ties
If all members of your immediate family live in your country, the U.S. Consular officer may understand that you have strong family ties to that country. If you are your parent’s oldest child or only child, the Consular officer may believe that you are more likely to return home because of that fact. If one or both of your parents are not in good health, this is another reason you might be expected to return home.
Documents to Submit: Copies of official documents proving family relationships and residence of each family member, letters from physicians explaining important medical conditions of one or both parents.
Employment Ties
If you will be employed full-time upon your return, this indicates strong employment ties to your country. The “higher” your job in terms of prestige, importance and salary, the stronger your employment ties.
Document to Submit: A letter from your current employer stating that you will resume your work with them after your time in the U.S., a letter from a prospective employer stating that a position will be offered to you upon your return. The best letter is one that guarantees a job upon your return and states how important your U.S. activities will be for the type of work the employer wants you to do upon your return.
Why you Selected a Community College
You need to be able to explain why you choose to attend a community college. Reasons can include the tuition savings for your family, the specific program you want to study or the Intensive English Program that is available. If you plan to transfer to a four-year university, clearly explain how the 2- year degree transfers to the next school.
Documents to Submit: School Catalog, Intensive English Program Information, Articulation Agreements. Show school is accredited.
Your Visa and Immigration History
If you have visited other countries and returned to your country after those visits, you have demonstrated a pattern of behavior that may lead the U.S. Consular Officer to believe that you will return home after your time in the U.S. the more trips you have made, the better your situation.
Documents to Submit: Current and/or previous passports containing entry and exit stamps from your country to other countries, other official documents indicating departure and return.
Visa Denials
There are 3 outcomes from the visa interview.
- Approval
- Denial – Applicant receives denial letter immediately with explanation
- Pending – Some kind of clearance or additional information is necessary – a letter is given to the applicant
Go to http://travel.state.gov/visa/frvi/denials/denials_1361.html for more information. if you receive a letter, please fax the letter to 816-759-4083 so we can help you decide to reapply or collect the additional information the consular officer has requested. The U.S. Consulate in Beijing provides a practical overview of what it means to be denied based on non-immigrant intent. Go to http://beijing.usembassy.gov/denials.html for details.
Special Situations
Special visa processing is required for citizens of North Korea, Cuba, Syria, Sudan, Iran, Iraq, and Libya.