Most countries have two types of visas for persons that want to enter their countries.  They are Immigrant Visas and Non-Immigrant Visas.

The Immigrant Visa - is required of people who are planning to migrate or settle down permanently in that particular country of which they are not currently citizens.  Once an individual has received or been granted immigration to the country they have applied to for immigration, they are typically issued ‘immigrant visas’ to travel with.  This allows them to enter that country and start working towards citizenship.

The Non- Immigrant Visa on the other hand is a temporary visa.  An individual is allowed to visit the country for a specific purpose and for a specified time frame.  On a nonimmigrant visa you are not allowed to become a citizen of that country.  Your citizenship status does not change.  You will remain an Indian citizen who is visiting the United States for the sole purpose of business OR education OR leisure.

Getting your VISA is not a simple or casual procedure.  It requires preparation, documentation and effective presentation of yourself and your purpose.

Beware : you will hear many stories about visa’s being refused, visa’s being granted, and numerous reasons why one person was granted a visa, while another not.  Most of these are rumors being passed on from one person to the next.  Remember that every candidate is unique.  What works for one may not work for another.  Always evaluate your own case objectively, and prepare accordingly.

You may even hear about various methods to obtain a visa.  Always check what the actual procedure is at each Consulate.  And remember that nobody can guarantee you a visa! 

The Student Visa

Obtaining your student visa is the last step in your applications process, but an important step nonetheless.  The student visa is a non-immigrant visa, and is granted solely for the purpose of studying.  The United States identifies the student visa by the alphabet and numeral ‘F-1.’  Any dependent of the students, namely, wife/husband and / or children who need to accompany the student or join them later, must apply for and receive a dependent student visa identified as F-2.

We have noted below the most critical issues with regard to obtaining your student visa at any Consulate.

You are GUILTY till you prove your innocence.

Every Consulate officer who reviews your papers, and meets you for a personal interview considers you to be a ‘potential immigrant.’  Hence the burden of proving that you are not a potential immigrant lies with you.  The visa officer is assessing what kind of financial, social, professional background you come from.  Hence all the paperwork you carry and the way you present your case must indicate that you have no need to immigrate.

You are UNIQUE.

No other student or person has the same circumstances as you do.  Hence the documents, papers, background, choice of University, subject choice, procedure that enabled another student in successfully obtaining their visa, need not work for you at all.  So be true to yourself, and objectively analyze your situation.

HONESTY is the best policy

Being honest about your case and situation often enables you to speak with more conviction and confidence.  Students often fear that if they mention that they have a sibling, or relative, in the country they want a visa for, they will definitely be rejected.  This is not true.  The presence of a sibling or relative in the country does not automatically disqualify your visa.

Should your PARENTS be sponsoring your education ?

The best financial support you can present is that your parents will pay for your education; rather than any other person or relative being a sponsor.  Till the mid-80’s Indian citizens could not remit money abroad, hence parents and students were forced to find ‘relatives abroad’ who could sponsor their education and thus pay the fees.  And the Consulate’s understood this.  But since then things have changed dramatically.  Indian citizens are now allowed to remit up to a total of US$100,000 per year for educational purposes.  So now there is no ‘excuse’ for parents not being the sponsor for their child’s education.  Of course, there are situations where a student has no choice but to have another person as their sponsor.  But this is an exception rather than the norm.

Your choice of UNIVERSITY is an important factor

The name of your University or program tells many stories, and allows the visa officer to form an impression even before he speaks with you or reviews your documents.  So make sure you have chosen a University that is reputed and recognized.  Ensure that the program you are pursuing has some correlation to your past academic background or future professional career.  Also make sure you can actually afford the University you have selected.  Students and Parents often choose schools that are close to relatives, without regard to whether it is worth the cost, or is reputed, leading a visa officer to suspect that you have other intentions rather than a serious academic course.  So be absolutely sure that your choice of University will not result in a visa denial.

Conduct a MOCK interview

Stand in front of a mirror, play the role of a visa officer and conduct a mock interview with yourself !  It helps you watch your expressions, and monitor your language and speech.  Do this a couple of times till you are confident about going for the real thing !

Other Non-Immigrant Visas

We have provided brief information on some of the more popular categories of non-immigrant visa’s issued for entry into the United States.   

The US consulate has many categories of non-immigrant visas.  The type of visa that you apply for will differ according to the purpose of your visit and the length of your visit.   

The main feature of the nonimmigrant visa is that it is temporary.  The nature of your visit will be specific.  You are given a sanction to enter the country for a specific purpose either education or business or tourist.  Violation of your visa status will result in immediate deportation.  In some cases you may never be allowed to enter the country again.  If for example you are on a tourist visa you cannot conduct any business in the United States.  Your visa status will be denoted by a combination of an alphabet and a number.  For example the B2 visa refers to a visitor’s visa. The E2 is the investor’s visa. 

Students who apply for exchange programs enter the US on a J-1 status.  The dependents (spouse and children) of J1 applicants are eligible to apply for a J 2 visa status. 

The M-1 visa is for vocational or other nonacademic students.  The M-2 visa status is for the dependents (spouse and children) of the M-1 visa holders.

A B-1 status is used for people on business trips, while a B-2 is used for tourists. 

People who are in transit from one country to another use a C-1 status. 

E-1 and E-2 visa status is used by investors.

People who plan to work in the United States use the H-1B visa.  The H-1B allows one to work in specialty occupations.  The H1B status requires a minimum of a Bachelor's degree or a significant amount of work experience. 

The H-2B visa status is a temporary work permit. 

The H-2A visa status is used for temporary agricultural workers.

The H-3 visa is used by company trainees and is for a short term. 

The dependents (spouse and children) of the H-1, H-2 or H-3 visa holders can apply for a H4 status.

There are varying visa statuses for ambassadors, representatives of foreign government, athletes and cricketers.  For further information on the visa statuses you can visit the US consulate website at http://travel.state.gov/visa_services.html

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