When to Apply for F1 Student Visa?

Applying early for Visa is the best decision you will make to evade unnecessary hold-ups. Right timing, careful planning and swift actions are the keys to saving your time, energy and resources and making your visa application process less taxing.

What is the most appropriate time to apply for F-1 student Visa?

1. Once you decide on the college you will attending -After you get favourable decision from universities you have applied to, take a final call on which college you want to attend. Once you receive your I-20,an official endorsement of your academic acceptance by the chosen university, you can apply for F-1 Visa. 
2. 120 days before your program start date – As part of U.S. visa guidelines, visas cannot be issued more than 120 days earlier than the program start date indicated on your form I-20. 

3.  After thorough preparation of your financial documents – Part 7 of I-20 indicates the amount required to cover the first year’s expenses. This may be on the higher side. It includes not only tuition fees and living expenses, but also incidental expenses. Solvency certificate issued by your bank to get your I-20 may not be sufficient to show to the visa officer. 

Visa officers may want to look at annual family income plus the liquid assets of the sponsors to ensure that the student will be able to support his study and in the US till his program ends. If there is still a shortfall, you can apply for an education loan from a trustworthy bank. Also make sure not to deposit a large amount of money abruptly in your account as Visa officers may smell a rat and question its source. When to 

Once your financial documents are in place, you can proceed with the visa interview.  

Visa application process is cumbersome and therefore it is important to start the application process as early as possible .Summers are the busiest months as many students are applying for visa at the same time. Applying for visa ahead of time of departure brings in a lot of benefits to you: 

In case of Visa rejection: You must always have sometime at hand in case your visa gets rejected.  Your visa might get rejected If you are not able convince the visa officers of your intention of returning back to your country after completing your course or your financial documents are not in place. If your travel dates are close and you face a visa rejection, you will start panicking. It is therefore advisable that you keep some buffer time. 

Early application leaves you with more time to make your travel arrangements – You must proactively book your flight tickets early, for closer you get to your trip, more expensive the flights become. Here again getting an early visa is key to getting lucrative travel deals. 

Deciding on Roommates:Getting an early visa leaves you with ample time to touch base with students going to same university and select compatible roommates.

Before you go ahead and schedule a visa interview, please make sure that you have completed the following steps:

1. Paid the SEVIS fee
2. Completed online DS-160 form and secured barcode confirmation number
3. Paid MRV fee and secured payment receipt number
4. You have your SEVIS number from the Form I-20 handy
5. You have a passport  valid for 6 months after your program end date
   
   Careful planning and fool proof documentation can make the process of obtaining visa both pleasant and exciting.