Student Visa

Indian Citizens are required to obtain a student visa. This visa will be issued by the U.S. Embassy or Consulate.

To obtain a student visa, you must demonstrate that you:

Have the ability and intention to pursue a course of full-time study. This can be demonstrated by official acceptance from the college or university that you wish to attend. Visa officers will also want to see transcripts and test scores or discuss your plans further
TIP: Be prepared to tell the visa officer what you want to study, where you want to study, how you are going to finance your stay in the United States, and what you intend to do with your degree when you return to your home country. Be prepared to do this clearly and quickly.
Possess adequate funds to cover all of the costs listed by the university on the I-20 that University will send to you when you are accepted. These costs include tuition, fees, living expenses, and incidental expenses. As a general rule, the consular official will want to see the documentation for first year’s expenses and documentation showing how the money will be found for future years
Have sufficiently strong social, economic, and other reasons to leave the United States upon completion of the projected program of studies. Such reasons can be shown during the visa interview, by such means as showing strong family ties in your home country and/or excellent employment prospects when you return home with a U.S. degree
Are able to articulate your reason for studying at a specific institution

Timing

Applicants for U.S. student visas must apply for their visas no earlier than 90 days before the date when they must report to the school in the United States. You will, however, want to apply as early as possible to allow time for processing your application.

Procedures

A listing of US Consulates and their web sites can be found at http://usembassy.state.gov/ or United States Educational Foundation in India, Mumbai. ( USEFI Library )

For the latest updates on the visa application process, visit http://www.unitedstatesvisas.gov/ or www.vfs-usa.co.in