The personal sponsorship or employment visa is also referred to as an F-1 visa. This type of visa allows you to live, work, and study in the United States for up to nine months.
While most students apply for this visa before coming to America, employers sometimes offer employees VISA benefits. Companies will often hire you while you are traveling if you have adequate proof that you already have your own job when you arrive at your destination.
This article will go over all the steps needed to apply for an F-1 Student Visa at the US Consulate in India. We will also look into some things to make sure you are prepared like legal documents and test questions.
While most international students agree that completing the I-20 form is a tedious process, some feel that having to include personal items in the form is too much. However, including these materials is very important!
Students should make sure to only include essential documents such as IDs, proof of address, birth certificates, and passports. Do not include pictures or other non-essential documents like high school diplomas or car titles because you can always buy new ones later if needed.
These additional pieces of information help prove your identity, residence status, and academic record so do not cut them out unless you have a reason for doing so. Make sure to keep all this material organized and easily accessible when applying for your visa.
Make sure to confirm your return flight at the very least two days before you visit for your interview! Some employers may ask if you have confirmed your return trip, so make sure to be prepared with this information.
Many times, students will schedule their interviews weeks or even months in advance, which is great because they’ve planned ahead. Unfortunately, some people do not follow through with their plans, making it hard to coordinate an interview with us.
If you find out that you need to cancel or postpone your appointment, we recommend doing so as soon as possible to give yourself more time to re-schedule. It is much easier said than done, but know that our organization has the utmost respect for VCCS and these professionals who are dedicated to helping others gain entry into higher education.
Before you can begin filling out your application, you will first need to confirm your return date for the program. You can do this by clicking on ‘Return’ under the Program Location field on the left side of the screen. If you have already returned from an OPT internship or other visa programs, you may be able to use your current return date as a fallback.
However, if you are unable to return at that time, you must determine how long it would take to get back together again. This is difficult because most employers don’t set specific dates in relation to eachother, but rather just ask whether you expect to work outside of business hours.
If possible, find out when your next job ends so we can calculate when you could arrive back in America.
Applications for a Student visa can take up to eight months to process, even with no delays. This is very frustrating as you could be living in a foreign country while your documents are being verified!
It’s important to remember that most visas last only three years so it’s not too late if you need to come back home first. Most employers will accept a limited working visa as proof of employment, but make sure you confirm this before spending money on flights or finding accommodation.
If possible, apply during off-peak times at embassies and consulates to reduce wait time. Some countries only allow a certain number of applications per day, so try to do some research and pick the right moment to apply.
Be aware of what days each embassy or consulate is closed – some keep Sunday hours. Many use computerized systems which may not work outside of normal business hours.
