The Complete Guide to F1 Visa Application The Complete Guide to F1 Visa Application :

DISCLAIMER : I have written this from my experience at Mumbai Consulate. I believe most of it is generic. If there are any Consulate specific changes, please let me know.

Step 1: Pay Visa Fee at HDFC Bank :

How much? Visa fee : Rs. 6943/- ($131 @ Rs.53 each) + Service Charge : Rs. 374/- = Rs. 7317/Note : Visa fee is revised when the dollar rate changes. Confirm the latest amount on the site http://www.vfs-usa.co.in/

Where do I pay this fee? At select HDFC Bank Outlets. List can be found here : https://www.vfsusa.co.in/ApplnForms/HDF...sList.aspx

What documents do I need? Just a photocopy of the first page of your passport.

How do I pay this fee? Three options : 1) Cash (Highly Recommended) 2) Demand Draft 3) HDFC Bank Cheque Drafts and Cheques to be made in favour of "HDFC BANK A/C VFS" (This is true for Mumbai Consulate. Please check for other cities)

What's next? After you pay the fee, you will get two copies of the receipt - One Pink and One Blue. Keep these safely. We will see what to do with them later. There will be a barcode sticker on both receipts with the same number. Please note this number since you will need it to login to the VFS site. Your barcode number will be activated two working days after you pay the fee. You cannot login to the forms till then.

Step 2 : Pay SEVIS Fee :

What is SEVIS and why do I need to pay this? If you want an F1 visa, you have to pay it. For further queries, visithttp://www.fmjfee.com/.

How much is the SEVIS fee? $200

How do I pay this fee? You can pay this fee online by credit card at http://www.fmjfee.com/. You will need to fill Form I-901 before paying the fee. Please keep your printer ready to print the receipt after paying the fee. Print atleast 2 copies.

What documents do I need? You will need your I-20 to fill the I-901 form. If your I-20 has been issued, but you havent received it yet, ask your university to send you your SEVIS number and School Code. You can then fill the form.

After payment, do I opt for Standard Delivery or Expedited Delivery? Standard Delivery. You do not need the I-797 receipt that they send you for the visa application. If you have too much money, select Expedited Delivery (Around $35).

Step 3 : Fill The Visa Application Forms :

How do I fill these forms? Go to http://www.vfs-usa.co.in/. Click on 'Apply for a new Non-Immigrant Visa'. Follow the process and enter your Barcode Sticker Code when asked. After successfully logging in, You will see 4 Items : 1) DS-156 2) DS-157 3) DS-158 4) SEVIS Information

We will now deal with these forms one by one. Make sure you read the guidelines provided with each form (Link provided on top right corner of form) before you procced in any case. IMPORTANT : Use only Internet Explorer to fill these forms. They are not compatible with Mozilla Firefox. I have not tried any other browsers. Please go through the list of required fields below before you start filling the forms. Keep the necessary information ready accordingly so that you can fill the forms online very quickly.

DS-156 Form : Non-Immigrant Visa Application Form :

Fill up the following fields as applicable. I have added notes where necessary. 1) Passport Number 2) Place of Issuance 3) Issuing Country 4) Issuance Date 5) Expiration Date 6) Surnames (As in Passport) 7) First Name and Middle Names (As in Passport) : Write the Given Name on your passport here. If your middle name has not been included in the Given Name field on your passport, do NOT write it. 8) Other Surnames Used 9) Other First and Middle Names Used 10) Date of Birth (dd-mmm-yyyy) 11) Place of Birth 12) Nationality 13) Sex 14) National Identification Number : Usually write NA for India 15) Home address 16) Home telephone number 17) Marital status 18) Spouse's Full Name 19) Spouse's DOB 20) Name and address of Present Employer or School : If unemployed and not studying, leave blank 21) Present Occupation : If studying write 'Student'. If unemployed, NA 22) When do you intend to arrive in the US? : Write expected date of travel. Should be within 30 days of date mentioned on I-20 item no.5.

23) E-mail address 24) What Address will you stay in the US? : Write only City and State of your university if address has not been decided. 25) Name and Telephone Nos. of Person in US wou till be staying with or visiting for Tourism or Business : Write SELF under Name if you are a student. Leave the other fields blank. 26) How long do you intend to stay in the US? : Write I-20 Course Duration here 27) What is the purpose of your trip? : STUDY 28) Who will pay for your trip? : Write source of funds as mentioned on I-20 29) Have you ever been in the US? When? For How Long? 30) Have you ever been issued a US Visa? 31) Have you ever been refused a US Visa? 32) Do you intend to work in the US? 33) Do you intend to study in the US? : YES. Write University address as on I-20 34) Names and Relationships of persons travelling with you 35) Has your US visa ever been cancelled or revoked? 36) Has anyone ever filed an Immigrant Visa Petition on your behalf? 37) Are any of the following persons in the US or do they have US Legal Permanent Residence or US Citizenship? Husband/wife, Fiance/Fiancee, Father/Mother, Son/Daughter, Brother/Sister 38) Fill as applicable. Ideally all answers should ne NO. 39) Was this application prepared by another person on your behalf? 40) Application Prepared by : 41) I certfy...

DS-157 Form : Supplemental Non-Immigrant Visa Application :

1) Last Name 2) First Name 3) Full Name in Native Alphabet : To be filled in after printing the form 4) Clan or Tribe Name 5) Spouse's Name : NA if not married 6) Father's Full Name 7) Mother's Full Name 8) Full Name and Address of Contact Person or Organization in the United States (include telephone number) : Write Univ address and phone number of grad advisor

9) List of all countries you have entered in the past 10 years 10) List all countries that have ever issued you a passport 11) Have you ever lost a passport or had one stolen? 12) Not including current employer, lost your last two employers 13) List all professional, social and charitable organizations to which you belong/belonged or contribute/contributed or work/worked 14) Do you have any specialized skills or training, including firearms, exlposives, nuclear, biological or chemical experience? 15) Have you ever performed military service? 16) Have you ever been in an armed conflict, either as a participant or victim? 17) List all educational institutions you attended. Include vocational institutions but not elementary schools : Mention all colleges after grade 10. 18) Have you made any specific travel arrangements?

DS-158 Form : Contact Information and Work History for Non-Immigrant Visa Applicant :

1) Full Name 2) Date of Birth 3) Place of Birth 4) Permanent Address 5) Full name and address of spouse 6) Full names and addresses of children, parents and siblings 7) List atleast two contacts in applicants country (no immediate family members or other relatives) Work Experience - Present Work Experience - Previous

SEVIS Details : Fill up all fields as per your SEVIS receipt.

In case you still have doubts regarding the DS forms, visit this thread :http://www.edulix.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=71375

IMPORTANT : 1) You can save your forms and return to them for making changes upto seven days from the time you started filling them. After seven days, the forms are cleared and you need to start filling them again.

2) You CANNOT book a date before you have finished filling all the forms and submitted them. A tick mark will appear next to the completed form. Till all the 4 forms are filled, there wont be an option to continue. 3) After submitting the forms online, the PDF versions of the forms will be generated along with your Interview Appointment letter. Please print these out, as they need to be submitted to VFS atleast 5 working days before interview. 4) If you want to make changes AFTER booking a date, you CAN do so, upto 5 working days before the visa interview. In this case, you just need to make the necessary changes, resubmit the forms and print the new PDFs generated.

VERY IMPORTANT : 1) Print the two pages each on the 156 and 158 forms back to back.

Step 4 : Submission of Documents to VFS Office :

After submission of the forms online, the folllowing sheet will be available as a PDF for printing. Quote:IMPORTANT: - SUBMIT THE FOLLOWING DOCUMENTS AT A US VFS APPLICATION CENTRE MINIMUM 5 WORKING DAYS BEFORE INTERVIEW 1. Please ensure all documents are enclosed as per the checklist below. 2. You or your representative can submit in your application pack at any of the application centers in West India on any working day between 0800 hrs to 1300 hrs and 1400 hrs to 1500 hrs .Documents submitted by COURIER / POST will not be accepted 3. Your forms must be submitted at a US Visa Application Centre in Ahmedabad, Pune or Mumbai. If you are submitting your forms to our application centre in Mumbai, you must do so at least 3 working days in advance. E.g. If your interview is scheduled for a Friday, you must submit your documents latest by the preceding Tuesday, provided all days in between are working days. If you are submitting your forms to our application centres in Ahmedabad or Pune, you must do so at least 4 working days in advance. E.g. If your interview is scheduled for a Friday, you must submit your documents latest by the preceding Monday, provided all days in between are working days. 4. It is recommended that you submit your documents to us as soon as you schedule your Interview. 5. Please be forewarned that an INABILITY to turn in your application pack by the stipulated deadline would result in cancellation of your appointment. Please confirm that following documents have been attached by ticking the check box alongside: -

Visa class: F or M or J 1. DS-156 in original signed and with photo affixed. O 2. DS-157 in original. if you are 15-55 years of age O 3. DS-158 in original, signed. O 4. Photocopy of Form I-20 / DS2019. O 5. Proof of payment of SEVIS Fee Receipt I-901. O 6. Photocopy of passport data pages (1st and last page). O 7. Photocopy of the passport pages bearing Observation or Remarks. O 8. Photocopy of Interview appointment letter. O 9. Original HDFC fee receipt (Blue copy). O 10. Dependents applicants: photocopy of principal applicants Form I-20 / DS2019 O 11. Dependants must submit a photocopy of the principal applicants visa O 12. Applicants applying for a visa renewal are required to submit a clear O photocopy of the previous visa Note: Do not submit the PINK COPY of the HDFC receipt. Please store it carefully. You will be required to produce it at the Consulate on the day of your interview

(Signature of the applicant as per passport) Arrange all the documents given in the above list in order. Attach the above sheet with your signature and the attached documents ticked on top. NOTE : 1) Remember to get your photos clicked as per the following specifications : https://www.vfsusa.co.in/ApplnForms/Rul...ations.asp 2) SIGN on the first page of your I-20 before taking a photocopy.

After submitting these documents, you will receive a printed receipt. This is not really important.

Also remember to carry Rs.250/- with you while submitting the above documents, so that you can buy a Stars and Stripes Lounge Pass. Although it is not compulsary, it is highly recommended.