Pursuing higher education in the USA opens many avenues for the students. The government of the USA provides ample opportunities to Indian students to pursue their higher education in their country on obtaining a US student visa. There are three types of US Government visas and they all have different requirements.
Types of Student Visas:
• F-1 Student Visa: To study bachelor’s or master’s degree at an accredited US institute
• J Exchange Visa: To participate in exchange programs
• M Student Visa: To study vocational and non-academic courses
On getting the offer letter from the university, students are required to request the university for I-20 and on receiving it from the International university, they can proceed for the study visa.
USA Visa Requirements:
To apply for a student visa, students must meet the USA Study Visa Requirements. They are as follows:
• An applicant must have a valid passport with a validity date at least six months beyond your period of stay.
• An applicant must have a recent passport size photograph.
• An applicant must show the confirmation page of DS-160.
• An applicant should have a Form I -20.
• An application must have made the payment of application fees for SEVIS.
• An application must be non-immigrant.
Additional documents for the US VISA:
• Transcripts, diplomas, degrees, or certificates to show the academic preparation documents.
• Evidence of having sufficient fund to take care of the living expenses and other required charges during the period of the stay.
• Bank Statements
• For living expenses and accommodation charges, financial undertaking by a sponsor
• An Air ticket to the home country to show the evidence that an applicant will leave the country after the successful completion of the course.
After graduation, students are eligible to work for 12 months on the OTP i.e, optional practical training. Students can work on their visas for a year on the successful completion of their degree course. This is temporary employment permission that allows students an opportunity to gain practical experience in the field of their study. After expiring the student visa, applicants are required to apply for a work visa if they wish to continue working in the USA.
In case if the student is married and is taking the spouse along in the USA, then the spouse will be on the F2 dependent visa. It is a type of non-immigrant dependent visa where immediate family members of the F1 student visa holders can allow to come to the USA. Dependents on the visa include unmarried children under the age of 21 and spouse.
English Language Requirements:
In order to get F-1 and F-2 visas, it is important that the applicant and co-applicant must be well-versed with the English language. They must provide the evidence of English language proficiency. For this, the applicant and the co-applicant must appear for IELTS, PTE, or TOEFL examination.
So, there were the student visa requirements for an applicant. Applying for a student visa can be a daunting task, feel free to get in touch with us. Schedule a free counselling session with us.
