STUDYING IN THE USA

Interview for Your U.S. Student Visa Three Months Before Your Program Starts!

The U.S. Embassy in Beijing is urging all students and exchange visitors planning to study or do research in the U.S. to appear for their visa interviews three months before their programs start.   Interest in studying in the United States continues to grow and record numbers of students are applying for visas.  Student and exchange visitor visas can take up to three months to process.   >>More

U.S. immigration law provides two nonimmigrant visa categories for study in the United States. The "F" visa is for academic studies, and the "M" visa is for nonacademic or vocational studies. In order to obtain a student visa, you must first apply to and be accepted at a school in the U.S. Once you have been accepted, the school will forward you a form called the I-20 or I-20M. You must present this form in order to get a visa. 

An applicant for a student visa to the US must first demonstrate that s/he is a bona-fide student qualified to pursue a full course of study. The applicant must also demonstrate that s/he is seeking to enter the U.S. temporarily and solely for the purpose of pursuing such a course of study at an established academic institution. Lastly, the applicant must demonstrate their ability to pay for tuition and living expenses for the course of their studies.

All F and M applicants should prepare to present the following documentation and any other relevant information at the time of the interview:

1. Valid Passport: If your passport will expire less than 6 months from your planned arrival in the United States, is damaged, or you do not have a page for a visa, please get a new passport before your interview.
   
   
2. One Photograph: Two inches square color photograph, less than 6 months old, against a white background, full frontal view. The photo should be glued to the English DS-156, Nonimmigrant Visa Application Form.  Click for more information on photo requirements.
   
   
3. Original Bank Receipt for Application Fee: The 904 RMB (effective Thursday, July 24, 2008) application fee may be paid at any CITIC Bank branch in China. Nonimmigrant visa applicants are required to tape their application fee receipt on the last page of the completed and printed out DS-156 Electronic Visa Application Form. Please do NOT cover the barcode area, and please do NOT staple or glue your receipt. 
    
4. Completed Visa Application Forms: DS-156, DS-157 & DS-158.  
   
   
5. Completed SEVIS Form: I-20A-B (for F1 students) or Form I-20M-N (for M-1 students) properly completed and signed by both the Designated School Official (DSO) and the applicant. Name on form must exactly match the name in your passport and has been entered into the SEVIS system by the U.S. academic institution. Click for more information on SEVIS.
   
   
6. SEVIS Fee Receipt: Most J, F, and M applicants must now pay a SEVIS fee. Please bring an electronic receipt or I-797 receipt to your interview. Click for information on how to pay the SEVIS fee.
   
   
7. Proof of Ties to China: Proof of economic, social, family, or other commitments that will help demonstrate your intent to return to China after a temporary stay in the U.S.
   
   
8. Proof of Finances: Proof that you can support yourself during your entire stay in the U.S. without working.
   
   
9. Research/Study Plan: Detailed information about your planned studies or research in the U.S. including the name and e-mail address of your advising professor and/or the head of your department in the U.S.
   
   
10. Resume/CV: Detailed information about your past academic and professional experience, including a complete list of all publications to which you have contributed.
    
    
11. Official Transcripts of Returning Students: Student visa applicants returning to schools in the U.S. should submit their official transcripts of their coursework with their applications.
    
    

12. Advisor Biography: Graduate students who have already been assigned an advising professor at their U.S. university should bring a copy of the advisor's biography, CV or webpage.

    
    
    

    The above items should not be considered an exhaustive list and presentation of these documents does not guarantee visa issuance.  Be prepared to explain to the visa officer and present evidence regarding why you are going to the US and why you will return to China.