Getting the infamous US Visa

Throughout the 8 months that I had between getting admitted and actually going to the US, the thing I’ve seen people fret about the most is the US visa. It’s no big deal really! (TnCs applied)

TnC is basically that if you’re going to a good, known, and reputable university in the US and/or have relevant credentials/justification to support the question ‘WHY’, you’re good!

If you’ve weaved your entire process around going there and settling down, chosen a subpar state university to save cost, and a program that nowhere suits your background/education — you can run into trouble. But just talking by numbers the probability is still low.

So until Trump wins and executes his promise of making the US so accessible and friendly to give Green Cards to all graduates from foreign countries as he claimed here, you still have some work to do to get that pass to the US.

What is the entire process?

So let me break it down into 5 not-so-simple steps:

1. Get your I20
2. Fill out DS160 (basically the US visa application form)
3. Getting the appointment
4. Biometric
5. Visa Interview

Now let me tell you what you need to take care of in each of these steps, I’ve messed up a few so I feel qualified to tell you what not to do.

I20

I20 is nothing but a certification from your university that you are eligible to enroll, that you have the required funds to fund your course, and that the university is okay with taking you in as a student.

What is required of you at this step?

1. Proof of funds: This can be a loan, personal funds, or third-party certification (if your company/any other third party is funding you).

Note: The easiest way to get I20 is to show funds from loans, even if you’re using personal funds. Gathering the documents for showing personal funds can be time-taking and you would want your I20 as soon as possible to proceed with your visa process. Since a lot of lenders give you a loan sanction letter easily, getting a loan sanctioned will not be difficult. I did the same. Make sure to take a loan sanction from a lender that does not take any processing fee, you would not want to pay another 10–15k over the $350 you’re already spending on your I20. I used Earnest, which provides quick and easy loan sanction without any processing fee.

1. Sevis fee: You need to pay $350 one time for the period of your F-1 / J-1 visa to get your I-20. (US education is an expensive affair).

What do you get at this step?

1. I-20 from your university
2. Sevis fee receipt (which is used in the eventual steps of the visa process)

DS-160

This is nothing but the generic visa application form everyone has to fill out, irrespective of their visa category. This is a long form and requires a lot of details. Few people outsource this to the so-called agents, I did not and would not suggest doing it. But it’s upon you, if you are someone who is clumsy and fears that you will mess something up in the form, go for an agent (More on US visa agents here).

Major details that you will require to fill this form:

• SEVIS ID (which you will get from your I20)
• Passport number/issue date/expiry date
• National Identification Number (Aadhar for Indians)
• University Address
• Your current and permanent address
  and a few other not-so-significant things that you need to prepare for
• Visa fee payment of $160

What do you get at this step?

• Application reference number that you need to keep safe
• Security questions and the answers that you set for them have to be kept safe

Disclaimer: I messed up at this step, I entered my date of birth wrong somehow. And it wasn’t a confusion of DD/MM. I did not notice it until someone verifying the documents outside the biometric center mentioned it. I got it corrected but that was another interesting event. (More on that here)

Getting the appointment

Detailing this as a separate story here. It was nothing less than a nightmarish learning experience for me.

Biometric

This is probably the quickest step in the entire process. They basically check your documents, take your photo and fingerprints, and apply a sticker to your passport.

What is required of you at this step?

1. Correctly DS 160 (correct here means the information should match your passport. I messed up here, hence the stress)
2. Appointment confirmation page
3. Sevis fee receipt
4. I20 (optional, good to take)

What do you get at this step?

1. A sticker on your passport
2. Check marked DS 160 by the staff who checks it twice before the biometric

Visa Interview

This is what a lot of people dread and invest efforts & time preparing for. Well actually, you should have a bit of concern — drives you to be prepared. But really, it’s not a big deal. I had selected my consulate interview in Delhi so my experience would be according to that.

I had an 8:15 AM appointment — reached the consulate at 7:30 AM, took some margin because I was traveling from Gurugram to New Delhi where the embassy is.

The embassy wasn’t open and there was already a big crowd waiting for the visa interviews. I could see the nervousness on their faces, hesitantly talking with each other while they waited and trying to know the program the other person got into. You could see big dreams in the eyes of the candidates and their parents who so lovingly accompanied them when they took this big step.

Down to the logistics — the embassy doesn’t have a waiting area, so anybody who is accompanying you will have to wait outside the embassy in the scorching heat or chilling winters of Delhi. I went there alone. The embassy also doesn’t have any lockers for you to keep your bags/mobiles/electronics. I knew that mobile phones and electronics are not allowed but I got from a few groups that there’s a storage facility outside the embassy. I couldn't find one, being alone I got a bit anxious but then decided to ask help from a family waiting with their daughter for her interview. They were very kind to help me out.

Once the embassy starts their business day, you get in line. The first order of business, get your passports checked and go through airport-level security to enter the embassy. Once you’re in, the staff will check your I20 and Sevis fee receipt. Once that’s done, you get in a queue for the biometric check and then comes the queue for your actual interview.

Mind you, I’ve seen a lot of people going through visa interview preparation sessions which made me wonder how serious can this be. So I also had the basics prepared:

1. Why this course?
2. Why do you think you will be able to excel at it? (Relevant coursework/ work experience)
3. How are you funding the education?
4. What other schools did you apply to?

But when it was my turn for the interview, the interviewer looked at my I20, and gave me a smile seeing UPenn on it. Asked me where I was going to study at UPenn — I told him that I was going for my MBA at The Wharton School. And that was it, he congratulated me on my visa approval.

But I saw 2 rejections out of 8 people standing in front of me. From what I could gather, these would've been the potential reasons for rejection:

1. Students taking up unrelated courses from their background that they are unable to justify
2. Not being able to talk about their course and how are they suited to pursue it
3. Being too cautious or plastic about the questions

However, I believe these questions are asked only when the visa officer feels that the move needs to be justified. And if you have real motivation and reason to do it and not just go to the US with a student visa and settle there — you will get through. But a little preparation doesn't hurt anyone.

In the end, what matters is — being composed and preparing the basics for the interview. Hope whatever I mentioned adds value to your preparation.