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For the most part, getting a visa in your home country is
the same, whether you seek F-1 or J-1 visa status. The only
difference lies in the forms required for each type of visa.
The forms necessary for your visa type are indicated in the
list of documents that follows.
If you have received an I-20 Certificate of Eligibility,
you will have to apply for an F-1 student visa at the American
Embassy or Consulate in your country.
If you have received the DS-2019 Certificate of Eligibility,
you will have to apply for a J-1 student visa at the American
Embassy or Consulate in your country.
Among the documents you will need to prepare will be:
1. Your acceptance letter to, and your I-20 issued
by Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) for the F-1 visa
or b. a DS-2019 issued by VCU for the J-1 visa. Students
with J-1 status also will need an acceptance letter from
VCU International Admissions.
2. Your SEVIS fee receipt notice (Form I-797).
3. A passport valid for travel to the United States and
with a validity date at least six months beyond your intended
period of stay in the United States. If more than one person
is included in the passport, each person desiring a visa
must make an application.
4. Application forms DS-156
and DS-158,
completed and signed. Some applicants will be required to
complete and sign the DS-157.
Call your local American Embassy or Consulate to find out
if this is required for you.
5. One photograph 1 and 1/2 inches square (37x37mm) for
each applicant, showing full face, without head covering,
against a light background.
6. Your means of financial support during your stay in
the United States. This must be sufficient to assure that
all school and living expenses will be covered without the
need for employment. These expenses are estimated on the
I-20 (for F-1 category) and on the DS-2019 (for J-1 category)
and the financial documents you provided to VCU’s
International Admissions and or Immigration Services to
receive your I-20 or DS-2019 should be sufficient. These
could include proof of:
· Financial aid given or disbursed
by your home government.
· Your personal funds.
· Funds from your family (including
an affidavit of support Form I-134 from any U.S. permanent
resident or citizen).
· Funds from other persons or
sponsors (including an affidavit of support Form I-134
from any U.S. permanent resident or citizen).
· Funds from any scholarships,
e.g. academic or athletic, from VCU.
6. Your intention to maintain a foreign domicile and leave
the U.S. upon completion of your studies (“bona fide
nonimmigrant intent”). Students, particularly when
they are young and single, are seen by many consular officers
as prime candidates for overstaying their authorized stay
and remaining indefinitely in the United States. Therefore,
you must be very careful to document thoroughly your ties
to your home countries — ties sufficient to give some
assurance that you will leave the United States and return
home at the end of your studies. These could include proof
of:
· Close family relationships
in your home country.
· Community ties — your
participation in community events.
· Property and economic interests
in your home country.
· Career potential — It
is important to show that the education that you will
obtain in the U.S. will give you a tremendous career potential
in your home country. Letters from a potential employer
are ideal. More likely, you might be able to provide letters
from labor market experts recounting the potential for
people with the degree sought by the student, or the shape
of growth in the field in the alien’s home country.
7. A $131 nonrefundable application fee.
During the interview, the consular officer will review your
documents carefully to affirm your financial capability, nonimmigrant
intent, and that you will enroll in a full course of study
when you arrive. If you are accepted to an academic program,
the consular officer can ask that you converse in English
and read the requirements for F-1 students from the I-20,
or J-1 students from the DS-2019, as a test of your English
skills. Expect to be questioned regarding your intentions
to study in the U.S. and be careful to affirm that you intend
to leave the U.S. after completing your degree.
In most cases, you will have to make an appointment for
your visa application and interview. At this time, it is wise
to get a definite list of what you will be required to bring
to the interview as it can vary slightly from person to person
and country to country. For more information about the F-1
process online, check the U.S. Department of State Web site
for foreign
students.
Persons seeking J-1 status may check the exchange visitors'
section of the State
Department’s Web site. Note that exchange visitor
visa applicants are encouraged to apply early.
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