Written by Eric Chambers from our Las Vegas, NV location. Call us today if you need any guidance with this process.

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If you want to enter the United States as a student, you will need to get an international student visa. The visa that you will have to apply for is the F1 visa for students allowing them to enter the country for the course of their studies and 60 days beyond this. If you are going to be studying in the United States, you need to know the process of getting an F1 international student visa.

The Admission Requirements

The first step in getting an international student visa is to gain admission to a university program. The admission policies for the universities will differ and you will be able to find out what they are from them. You will have to meet the educational requirements to gain admission to the university or other educational institutes.

Once you have gained admission, the university will provide you with an I-20 form. This form is needed to apply for the F1 student visa. If the university does not automatically issue the form, you will need to contact them to get this.

Where To Apply For The Visa

Once you have the I-20 form from your university, you will be able to apply for your visa. This can be done at the US consulate or embassy which has jurisdiction over your place of permanent residence. You may be able to apply for this visa from a US consular office abroad, but it will generally be harder to qualify for the visa in these cases.

The Application Process

The application for the F1 visa will start with the completion of the DS-160 form. This form is located online and you will be able to find a link to it on the US consulate or embassy website. If you are a male between the ages of 16 and 45, you will also need to complete the DS-157 form.

After you have completed and submitted the DS-160 form, you will need to upload a photo. The photo will need to be digital, in color, taken within the last 6 months, have you facing the camera directly and taken against a white background. The clothing you wear should be what you normally wear during the day and you should have a neutral facial expression with both eyes open.

Once the photo has been uploaded, you will need to pay an application fee. There are a number of ways that you can pay this, but you will need to print the confirmation of payment to take with you to the visa interview. It is important to note that this application fee is non-refundable which means if your visa is not approved, you will not get your money back.

The Visa Interview

After your visa application has been submitted and your payment has cleared, you will need to go to an interview at the US consulate or embassy. The interview will determine whether or not you qualify for the student visa and you need to bring certain documents with you. There are also certain interview questions that you need to answer during the interview which you can prepare for.

The documents that you need to have with you will include the I-20 form as well as the confirmation of the DS-160 submission and proof of payment. You will also need to have a valid passport which remains valid for at least 6 months after your education course ends. If you had problems uploading your photo during the online application process, you will be able to take one with you to the interview.

There is other supporting documentation that you will need to have with you for the interview which might be asked for. You will have need documents which show that you are able to financially support yourself while you are studying without having to work. You should also show documents that detail tied to your home country which show that you will be returning after you have completed your studies.

The questions that you might be asked during the interview include why you have chosen to study in the United States and not your home country. You may also be asked why you chose the school you did and why it is the best school for you. You will also need to answer how you are going to fund all of the expenses related to education in a foreign country.