How to apply for a USA student visa

At a glance

The process

Get admission and your Form I-20 from an SEVP-certified school. You must be accepted by a school approved by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program before you can apply for the visa. The school issues an original signed Form I-20 ('Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status') carrying your SEVIS ID and school code. The Designated School Official will only issue it after collecting evidence of your financial ability — so arrange your funding proof (bank statements, sponsor letter, loan sanction, scholarship letter) before this stage.

Pay the I-901 SEVIS fee (US$350) and print the receipt. Regulation requires all prospective F and M students to pay the I-901 SEVIS fee BEFORE the Department of State issues a visa. Pay at FMJfee.com using the SEVIS ID and school code from your I-20. Print the confirmation — DHS states: 'In order to get your student visa, you must present proof of your I-901 SEVIS Fee payment at your visa interview.' Corrections (spelling, change of school, transfer of payment) must be emailed at least two weeks before the interview.

Complete and submit Form DS-160 online. Every applicant, including children, needs their own DS-160, submitted online before the interview. The barcode number on the confirmation page (starting with AA) is required to book the interview and MUST match the one in your appointment profile — a mismatch means you cannot attend. Answer in English, print the confirmation page and email yourself the PDF. The DS-160 is valid one year from submission. Submit it at least two business days before the interview if you have not already.

Pay the US$185 MRV visa application fee. Pay the non-refundable, non-transferable Machine Readable Visa fee — US$185 for F/M — in Indian rupees via NEFT, UPI, debit/credit card, or cash over the counter at DRUK Bank, AXIS Bank or Citibank. Personal cheques are not accepted. Never pay twice if a payment appears to fail — email the support centre instead, as duplicate payments are not refunded. The receipt is valid 365 days for scheduling.

Book TWO appointments: VAC biometrics and the consular interview. Schedule both online through the official US visa portal for India (ustraveldocs.com, which now hands scheduling to usvisascheduling.com). The Visa Application Centre appointment must be at least 2 business days before the interview date. Choose one of the five posts — New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad or Kolkata. Apply at least three months before your intended travel date. Students facing an approaching course start date may qualify to request an expedited appointment, subject to availability.

Attend biometrics, then attend the in-person interview. Go to the VAC first for the digital fingerprint scan and photograph, then to the Embassy/Consulate for the interview with your full document file. Before you go, set all social media accounts to 'public' — F visa applicants are formally instructed to do this for online-presence review vetting. Expect questions on course choice, academics, funding and ties to India. Leave phones, smart watches, laptops and large bags behind; nobody may accompany you.

Decision, passport collection and travel to the US. The officer tells you the outcome at the end of the interview. If approved, the passport is returned by courier or at a collection point — typically seven to ten working days. If refused under INA 221(g), you will be told what extra documents to submit or that the case needs administrative processing. Once you have the visa, you may enter the US no earlier than 30 days before the program start date on your I-20.

Where the dependencies bite

• The offer comes before almost everything. Most routes cannot begin without an unconditional place.
• Financial evidence has a holding period, which starts before the application and cannot be compressed.
• A loan sanction letter, where you are using one, sits between the offer and the application.
• Biometrics and medicals are appointment-based, and appointment availability is the hidden constraint in peak season.

Before you submit

1. Read your own application back as an officer would, looking for anything unexplained.
2. Check every date and figure against the supporting document it comes from.
3. Confirm the fee and the route are the current ones on the official source below.
4. Keep a complete copy of everything you submitted, in the order you submitted it.

A refusal is far more expensive than a delay: it must be disclosed on future applications to several countries, and it is harder to explain than a late submission. If something is not ready, the cost of waiting a week is usually lower than it feels.