VISA Application Procedure

Courtesy Ashwin Kashyap

Visa: Getting Set (For F1 visas only)

Assuming that you start preparing today for your Visa, it will approximately take 10 days for the whole process. There are two very important sets of documents to be prepared:

Primary documents

These are the essential documents and are more essential than desirable.

Secondary documents

 

Primary Documents Revisited

GRE and TOEFL score cards

It is imperative that you take the originals to the American Embassy. The last thing you would like is a rejection due to a photocopy.

I-20

It is a good idea to check the I-20 thoroughly before going for the visa. There is a very good chance that the name might be misspelled or the sex is wrong or the semester indicates spring instead of fall. This could very well mean big trouble not at the consulate but at the port of entry. Let's assume that the I-20 says you are going to come in spring but you originally wanted to go in fall. The consulate has no idea of what you wanted and might give you the visa. At the port of entry they are going to question as to why you are in so early for the spring semester.

To avoid all confusion, make sure that all the details are just about perfect. If there is a discrepancy, send mail to the department secretary and ask for a new one. Also make sure that you have both the school and the student copies of the I-20 although just the school copy is enough for visa purposes.

Application and issuance fees

An application fee is the fee for the application to be processed. An issuance fee is to be given only if the Visa is approved. Both the DDs should be addressed to the American Consulate payable at Madras. The dollar amounts and the rupee equivalent keep changing so please check before getting the DDs made. The DDs have to be in rupees and not in dollars. Please write your name, passport number and address at the back of the DD.

Just making one DD for the application fees and one for the Issuance fee is fine. Some do get 4 DDs for the Issuance fee but it is really not required.

Photographs

The visa procedure just requires one snap but keep 2-3 to be on the safer side. The actual size of the snap is slightly bigger than the passport size photograph. If you are not paranoid the passport size photograph will do just fine.

Visa Form

The visa form is available for free at the consulate. It is a very good idea to go through the form well in advance. Some questions like "Do you have brother/sister in America?" need to be answered carefully.

CA statement

As of now there are no interviews at the consulate. So the CA statement goes into the secondary document list and the bank statement assumes more importance.

Anyway the CA statement basically has all the details about how much your parent is worth financially. Please look at the CA statement example for more details.

Letters of Correspondence

In case you have received some form of financial aid from the school, it is a good idea to keep the letters/mail printouts as a good source of proof apart from the I-20. These can be stapled to the I-20.

Passport

Nothing much to be mentioned here apart from the fact that you dare not forget this.

Order of the documents

Top to Bottom

1. Photographs
2. DDs
3. GRE score report
4. TOEFL score report
5. Visa form
6. I-20
7. CA statement/Bank statement
8. Passport with all the documents above in order

 

Secondary Documents Revisited

Letters of Correspondence

It is not necessary but a good idea to keep mails that professors have sent to you. In case there is an interview, you can show it as extra proof. How much this helps is not very clear.

Land and Jewelry Papers

These are not needed and are just for the paranoid. The CA statement says that the CA has gone through the papers and has come up with the consolidated report.

Marks Cards and Degree Certificate

Please keep the originals and not photocopies.

Income tax returns

You can keep the photocopies of the income tax returns form. Again this is needed only if asked by the officers.

 

The Story Unfolds

I am assuming that you have all the documents ready. You might not have filled out the visa form but that is okay. I am also assuming that you have had a good look at the visa form. You can either get the form from Madras in advance or get it the night before you go for the visa or get it as you enter the embassy and fill it out right there.

Make sure that all the documents are neatly segregated into primary and secondary documents. Going one full day in advance works out just excellent. If paranoia strikes, go 10 days in advance. Believe me paranoia is the biggest factor towards visa rejection. It is convenient to stay at the palm grove as it is walking distance from the embassy. Collect the visa form from the embassy the evening before the D-day. Fill it out carefully and keep the stuff aside. Time to relax now so go watch a movie.

 

D-Day

It's a great idea to have a bath on the day of the interview. I am tempted to say that it is an even greater idea to skip it. You can chose one of them based on your smell factor.

I am assuming that you are now in the line in front of the consulate. Obviously there are a lot of people around and lot of touts around. If you have done your stuff well, there is no need to worry. Just stay calm. I hope you did not reach the embassy at 2 in the night. If you did then I am sure you are the kind who would have your bath. Also if you reached the line at 9 in the morning, I can understand that you tried to have your bath twice so you got delayed but the embassy does not understand this particular problem so you can then go back home for another shower.

Ideally 6:30 AM should be fine. It is not too late and not too early. I went at 7:15 and there was no problem at all. Whatever time you reach the line check the line you should stand in. One is for immigrants (the shorter one normally) and the other is for all kinds of non-immigrant visas. The only other problem I see with the 2 AM risers is that they will not know which line to stand in.

As soon as you enter the prison gates, the security guards run a quick check on you to see if you are a relative of Veerappan. After the check is done another guard gives you the visa form if you need one. Make sure that you have all your documents in a backpack. This is allowed inside the embassy where as a briefcase is not. The line takes a serpentine shape and everyone gets a seat. Fill up the form and wait for your turn. For people who get bored in there, try to get into a conversation with someone else (don't ever pick the people who look scared. You will soon look like that otherwise) or eat the lousy idlis that are served right there. For all the people who smoke I have great news. It is allowed but you will not see anyone smoking because everyone's tense.

At the end of the serpentine line is a gate that leads you to COUNTER 1. All you have to do here is give the first DD (application fees). Pick up the tokens and the receipts from the lady at the counter and enter the scary door. Here's where you submit all the primary documents and the tokens to the Indian officers behind the counter. I am now going to take you on a course assuming that interviews are still on. I last heard that interviews have been cancelled and will explain this at the end.

The Indian officers have the right to give you the Visa and in case they just give you back the token then you are in luck. You can assume that the visa procedure just ended. You then have to exit this room using the exit door and walk up to the main waiting room. On the way you will come across another security guard who will take one copy of the receipt. Make sure you keep the original safely. Relax in the waiting room and wait for your token number to be called out. In the mean time make sure you write the token number at the back of the other DD. After your number gets called go to WINDOW 1 in the main waiting room and give the second DD. Pick up the receipts again and then you are ready to leave. On the way out the security guard will take one copy of the second receipt and then you are free. As soon as you get out of the prison gates, shout to make sure everyone realizes that you indeed have got your visa. Get back at 3 something in the afternoon and pick up your visa, passport and other documents. You have to show the receipts and the token to get into the embassy and to get your visa.

In case you do not get just the tokens back but instead get back a pouch with the documents and the tokens then you have to go for the interview. Wait again in the waiting room for your number to be called. Go to the window you wish and wish yourself some luck before you start answering their questions. At the end of the interview, if the officer puts a stamp on your visa then you are dead meat. If he asks you to got to WINDOW 1 then hooray. Follow the same procedure mentioned before.

In case the interview system has been scrapped then your procedure is a lot more simplified. Just submit all your documents and leave. Come back in the afternoon to find out if your visa has been approved or not.

 

Note:

After you get all your documents back check the visa thoroughly. Make sure that the names of the school, duration of visa, your name etc are all okay. Make sure that they have issued a multiple entry visa.

All the best&ldots;&ldots;&ldots;&ldots;&ldots;

 

For more professional information you can contact:

Mr. Bal Mukund
Pan Asia Services Building,
(near St. Josephs Indian High School)
Bangalore

For further info please feel free to contact me at ashwin@cs.arizona.edu

 

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