To enter the United States as a student, you must apply at a US Embassy or Consulate for a student visa. Visa applicants must make an appointment for a visa interview and fingerprint collection. Drop-box service is discontinued. Visa applicants must make an appointment for a visa interview and fingerprint collection. In New Delhi, Chennai and Calcutta, applicants should make appointments on-line at www.ttsvisas.com, or by visiting the offices of TT Services in Chennai, Bangalore, or Hyderabad if applying from Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, or Tamil Nadu. Applicants from Maharastra, Gujarat, Goa, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh may make appointments on-line at www.visa-services.com or by visiting the office of the Visa Facilitation Service (VFS) in Mumbai, Ahmedabad, or Pune. Contact information and locations for TT Services and VFS offices can be found on the U.S. Embassy web-site.
You can apply for a visa only after you receive the requisite I-20 or IAP-66 form from the institution you have been accepted to. The information outlined below is designed to help you understand the visa process.

If you don't provide this information, the school will respond with a preliminary application that requests it. Otherwise, if you meet their preliminary criteria, they will send you a full formal application for admission with instructions.

 Visa procedure [top]

2) Acceptance of the applicant by an institution of learning for a full course of study is essential. Evidence in support of this requirement consists of a Form I-20 (Certification of Eligibility) filled out by the accepting school, and signed by the applicant and presented with the visa application.

3) You may need to show the proof of financial support if you or your parents are going to fund your studies in USA. A bank letter may be necessary. You might want to find out from your embassy about the types of documents they may accept regarding the proof of financial support.

Get an "Affidavit of Support" form from the U.S. Embassy or Consulate if the studies are going to be sponsored by your relatives or others who are currently in USA. Complete this form with information about your sources of financing (letter of sponsorship), and submit it along with your other documents. The embassy may require a letter from the bank that holds the funds.

4) Obtain all the necessary documents mentioned above. Now, you are ready to go to the U.S. Consulate for a visa interview. If your visa is rejected twice, you may need to apply by mail. You can apply for a student Visa not earlier than 90 days before the registration date specified on the FORM I-20. If the registration date is already passed or the applicant cannot reasonably expect to arrive at the school by the registration date, the applicant should obtain an amended I-20 or a letter of extension from the issuing institution stating by what date the applicant may arrive.

If you prove to the Consular Official’s satisfaction that you intend to come to the U.S. solely for the purpose of study and will return to India upon completion of the program, a visa stamp will be affixed to a page in your passport. You should apply for a multiple entry F-1 student visa. With a multiple entry visa you can travel between US and India during the duration of your stay in the Unites States. See proof of non-immigrant intent

Documents required for obtaining the visa [top]

• A nonrefundable application fee (You should find out the exact amount before going to the consulate and carry exact change if possible).
• An application Form OF-156, completed and signed. Blank forms are available without charge at all U.S. consular offices; You may also download the forms over the web.
• A passport valid for travel to the United States
• One photograph 1 and 1/2 inches square (37x37mm) for each applicant, showing full face, without head covering, against a light background; and
• For the "F" applicant, a Form I-20A-B. For the "M" applicant, a Form I-20M-N.
  [These forms are sent by the institutions where you have applied and upon acceptance they send you these forms.]
• Sponsorship letters
• Student visa applicants must establish to the satisfaction of the consular officer that they have binding ties to a residence in a foreign country which they have no intention of abandoning, and that they will depart the United States when they have completed their studies.

Maintaining visa status after arrival [top]

If a student on a F-1 visa is not able to complete their studies by the expiration date on the I-20 form, they must apply to the school's Foreign Student Advisor for an extension 30 days before expiration. Extensions are normally granted for academic and medical reasons so long as there have been no violations of visa status.

It is possible to transfer schools after arrival on an F-1 visa. You will need to notify your current school of the transfer and obtain an I-20 form from the new school. You will complete the student certification section of the I-20 and must deliver it to the foreign student advisor at the new school within 15 days of beginning attendance at the new school.

If you are changing majors at your current school, you do not need to notify the INS. If you are changing degree programs (e.g., from a bachelors degree to a masters degree program), however, you will need to get a new I-20 and submit it to the foreign student advisor within 15 days of beginning the new program.

Employment while on the student visa  [top]

Do not count on being able to scrape up the funding after you arrive in the US. Getting a job is not an effective means of financing an education in the US. There are numerous restrictions on employment by foreign nationals, and some types of visas prohibit it entirely. Even when employment is permitted, it is usually limited to no more than 20 hours per week. Most international students are limited to on-campus employment. Your spouse will probably not be allowed to work.

Even if you are able to find work, you will not be able to get a job that pays well enough to cover all your expenses. The typical on-campus job will pay no more than $1,000 to $2,000 during the school year, and a similar amount during the summer vacation.

If you are studying on an F-1 visa, you may not accept off-campus employment during the first year of study. You may, however, take an on-campus job to help pay the bills. You are limited to 20 hours a week while school is in session, provided that you do not displace a US resident. (The test for displacement is whether the position is normally filled by students.) Full time employment is allowed during vacations if you will be returning to school at the end of the vacation period. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) permission is not required to accept on-campus employment, but you must first apply for a Social Security Number and complete a Form I-9 (Employment Eligibility). You may also need to get authorization from the foreign student advisor.

Graduate students who are participating in a cooperative education program are sometimes allowed to work for an off-campus employer who has an educational affiliation or research contract with the school. The employment must be required for the degree.

After the first year of study, a student on an F-1 visa may ask the INS for permission to accept off-campus employment. Permission is often granted if the student is experiencing severe economic hardship through no fault of their own, such as major currency fluctuations, loss of financial aid, loss or lack of availability of on-campus employment, unusual increases in tuition or living expenses, unexpected financial changes in the student's source of support, and unexpected medical expenses. The student must be in good academic standing and enrolled as a full-time student, and the foreign student advisor must certify the student's Form I-538 (Certification by Designated School Official). The student must submit Form I-765 (Application for Temporary Employment Authorization) and filing fee, along with the certified Form I-538 and the student copy of Form I-20, to the INS for work authorization. The employment authorization will be valid for one year.

Students on M-1 visas may not accept any form of employment, except for a temporary internship for practical training purposes.

Working while on a B-2 (Tourist) visa is grounds for immediate deportation.

Spouses and dependents of students admitted to the US on M-1, F-1, and J-1 visas may apply for M-2, F-2, and J-2 visas, respectively, in order to accompany the student during their stay in the US. Spouses and dependents of M-1 and F-1 students are not allowed to accept employment or engage in business while in the US. Spouses and dependents of students admitted on a J-1 visa may seek permission to work as a J-2 visitor. Individuals on a M-2, F-2, or J-2 visa may study on a full time or part time basis, but may not receive financial aid.

After you graduate, you might wish to work temporarily in the US. To do so, you will need to obtain H-1B status. Your degree must be in the area of expertise required for the position. You must have an offer of employment from a US employer. The employer must file paperwork to petition for H-1B status for you.