Pickle

one can repay a student loan from anywhere on the planet...and letters from an employer claiming he will hire you back in X number of years is meaningless...why? Because what is the downside of either you or the employer not living up to this so called claim? Would either of you be put in jail? fined $50,000? No. So such claims about future employment have no weight, because there is NO mechanism for enforcement.

You will have to convince the CO about your future return; letters from anyone else are worthless; letters from you even more so.

I guess I have to say thanks...for kicking a dog when his down. Was hoping for something constructive two days before my interview. Do you think I don't know that a student loan can be repayed from anywhere on the planet, and of course my employer doesn't have to hire me back again. So can a house in your name be rented out, why is that proof that you will return to your country - one of the main "proofs" people always advise you to provide. And about the employer letter that is so "meaningless", that came straight from the horses mouth when I did the application online, under "additional supporting documents".

1. Honestly, the CO won't care that you live with your parents as that isn't considered a tie to South Africa. Now, if you had a house and were going to continue to pay its mortgage while in the US, then that's a tie. But no, don't write a letter stating you live with your parents

2. What about a letter from your employer, do you have that? That will carry more weight than any letter written by you I mean think about it, I could write a letter outlining my future plans to be an astronaught - doesn't mean I actually intend on doing it does it?

I left the I20 signature blank then signed it when asked

Good luck

Thanks for you advice! The only thing I have here that I need to pay back, is a huge student loan. I do have the proof of that with my documents. I also have a letter from my employer which states that he will employ me again when I come back in 2013. I was thinking the same thing about the future plans, I can write anything on there, right. I guess they would rather "catch you off-guard" with a question like that than you having a letter already where you could have had time to think about something nice to say.

I read something somewhere about a letter that should be added, written by the applicant. I cannot exactly remember what the letter should be about, which is why I am asking on here. It is not mandatory either, just something to up your chances.

Thanks for your help!

Two questions about the student visa interview, both regarding ties to my home country:

1. I don't have anything on my name, like a house, car, etc. (I do have a bank account, obviously, and a job which will take me back when I return). I still live with my parents. Would it be beneficial to do some kind of declaration that I do live at this address?

2. Should I write a letter to support my application that states what my future plans are (come back in 2013, do this, work there, etc.)?

Any other advice from anyone who knows about the student visa interview? Any other letters I can write or documents I can take other than the normal? I am so nervous that I will forget anything, don't want to get rejected about something stupid that I forgot.

Thanks everyone!

Oh, another question about the I-20 which I forgot to e-mail my university about. At the bottom where I have to write my name, signature and the date: do I do that before I go for the interview or in front of the interviewer?

I left the US yesterday and just discovered that my I-94 was not taken out of my passport. At the back it says clearly you have to surrender it when you leave the US, but I didn't even bother checking it, because the last time they took it out without me having to say anything. Am I in trouble?

In my opinion you didn't even have to read the mail to know it is a scam. It clearly states on the Department of State website that you would not receive any confirmation via email or mail. Only way you would know you are a winner, is if you enter your confirmation number (the one you received when you entered the lottery) on their website.

I did not provide any tax statements with my F1 application. I provided bank statements showing current balance on accounts, letter from a government agency stating how much I would be getting monthly in public student grants (finnish citizens get those even when studying abroad), and a letter from my school that stated the amount of scholarship money I was receiving from the university. Had no problems. Don't know if this varies from embassy to embassy though, but I doubt it.

Thanks Little My. I guess it all depends on the person interviewing you. I was just reading on this forum about problems some people can run into, whereas others sailed through it under the same circumstances. Some people get asked for all the documents to a T, some pass after only talking to the interviewer. I guess I should play it safe and take everything they state on the Department of State website. And because a business is sponsoring me, I have to take the business licence with me too! Can't wait for this whole process to be over.

Asking for tax returns for last 3 years is no long time, if it is the rule then does not matter what you think or I think.

Mainly they ask for 3 yrs tax return so that it proves that org or person has steady funds and they were not moved from one account to another to beaf up the account just for the visa purpose.

Ah okay, I understand. I was just wondering if that is indeed true and if the people that applied for the F1 visa truly did this, because on the official website, where you would think you should get all the answers, it doesn't specify, but on some immigration websites, which I'm not even sure is legit, they say 3 years. I just hate asking things like this to someone/a company. Seems like you are intruding on "personal" grounds. Guess that's the way it is though!

F1 is not sponsored by company.

For F1 you need to have the pre-req for the degree you are applying for, enough funds to take care of your school and living expense.

Strong ties to your home country - means after your studies are completed you would go back home.

Sorry I was typing this in a hurry. What I meant by sponsor was the person, or in my case a company, that is going to pay for my studies. The one that has to provide the bankstatements, etc. On the Department of State website, it only refers to "tax documents", but I have read on more than one occasion that it needs to be the last 3 years' tax returns. Just seems like a lot, why not just one year.

Hi everyone,

Can someone who filed for F1-visa (or someone who knows for sure) please tell me if you really need proof of tax documents of the last 3 years? And if it is a company sponsoring you, is there anything else I should provide?

Thanks for your answers!

By 'private' I was meaning small colleges that are often local and not widely recognized as 'universities' and that usually run by quarters and whose majority of students are there thanks to a government loan, even when their name has 'university' or 'college' on it. They usually offer short term (2 year) degrees that are technical/operational in nature. Admission to those colleges is usually automatic, that is, all you have to do is complete a form and there is no rigorous process. The one you are referring to should be no problem.

Oooh, okay, I get ya! Haha, I'm overly paranoid.

As long as you are applying to acredited univ, state univ etc. you should be fine.

Okay thanks, I guess I should be fine then.

I don't think the number of US universities you apply to has any bearing on your chances of getting the visa issued.. I've never heard of such thing myself, and don't really know why it would be relevant to the visa application. If I were you, I wouldn't start applying to a number of universities just because of this claim that it would positively affect your visa decision. If you were planning on applying to several universities in the first place, then naturally go ahead with it. But I personally don't think it would be worth the extra time, energy and money you'd have to spend on those additional applications to just submit them because of the visa issue.

GRE scores have nothing to do with the visa application process. Depending on the university you are applying to, they might or might not require GRE scores from applicants and those scores may be a factor in whether or not you get accepted to the university. However, once you've been accepted to a school and issued the I-20, GREs are not relevant for the visa process anymore.

When I applied to universities, I applied to master's programs in one university in the US, one in the UK and one in Costa Rica. I chose the program in the US. I was never asked about what other programs had I applied to in my visa interview. My university didn't require GRE scores, so I never had to take the test, and was never asked about that either.

Thanks Little My, it gives me peace of mind hearing first hand experience from someone. I will leave it at the two universities I have applied at.

One reason could be that universities are not the only ones that can be conduits for a F-1. English academies, flying schools, even some private "universities" (which are sort of shady in some cases and whose main motivation is to extract as much money as possible from the students, via a government loan) can also sponsor for an F-1; and they are all considered colleges.

For a 'real' university, that is, one that has been there for a while and is widely recognized as such, you should have no problems at all.

One of the universities I applied to is a private university, but it was on the list of the list of "America's Best Colleges 2010", so hopefully that won't make things difficult for me.

You can receive multiple I-20s as you can apply to multiple school and multiple schools can accept you.

By the interview time you need to make up your mind which school you will be attending too and you will use that schools I-20 for the visa.

Once the visa is issued you cannot change your mind and switch the school, you will need to attend that school for atleast 1 semester after that you can transfer to another school if you want to.

You will need to provide evidence you have enough funds for the tution + books + living etc.

Disclose all the details and be honest, if they find out you have lied something on application you can be barred from entry.

Thanks Harsh_77. No, I will definitely not lie on my application/at the interview. I am just wondering if someone actually have experience in not having applied to "enough" universities and was questioned about it. As I said before, that doesn't make sense to me, but that is just something I read on a website giving tips about the interview.

The main problems I have seen is when there is not a legit Uni involved.

If it is a proper course ant a proper Uni and you have the funds then it would be very unusual to come across a problem.

Thanks for your reply. That is what I thought too, which is why I don't understand the reasoning behind having to apply for more than one or two universities. Don't know how that can have anything to do with your eligibility to get the visa. I would think that to more universities a person apply, the more he doesn't really know what he wants and the more it looks like he just wants to get into the US!

First of all, you would only apply once admitted to a college. I can't think of a good reason to grant a visa (F-1) when no college has yet accepted you. And probably a requisite is to show the letter of admission, which normally is issued (for a prospective foreign student) by the International Student office.

In some colleges, they first send a letter of invitation in which they tell you that your credentials are accepted and that a place has been reserved but they need your confirmation before extending admission. Usually they also give you a deadline to reply. Even if you have decided to go to another college, you would let them know that you have decided for another college, so they can release that palce to someone else.

The visa is more a function of how are you going to sustain being a student given the costs (tuition, room, board, insurance, etc) given that you would not be able to work.

The school that accepts you will send you a form indicating normal expenses (tuition, room, board, insurance) which you need to demonstrate you can cover with funds you already have (bank statements from you or your family for exmaple), or with an offer of financial assistance from the college or another organization.

Maybe I'm confused, but your post seems to indicate that you have not been accepted to a college yet.

Sorry, I guess I was a bit vague on that. You are right, I have not been accepted yet, but I have done tons of research, read everything about student visas on VJ and the US Department of State website, so I know how the whole process works, apply to school (which I have done), get accepted, then apply for F-1 visa (in a nutshell) using the I-20 that was issued to you. My question however, is if I will have a greater chance of getting approved for a visa if I can show that I applied and was accepted by more than one university or that I applied to two, but got accepted by one. I'm just asking this because of what I have seen on a website giving so called interview tips, which basically said that the VO would prefer seeing that you applied to more than one or two universities.

I know it is one step at a time, I haven't even gotten accepted and I'm already looking at the interview, but I guess it is better being overly prepared than not having a clue. Thanks for your response though!

Hi everyone,

I am in the process of applying at universities and ultimately, the F-1 visa. My questions: will having proof of applying at more than one or two universities up my chance of getting the visa (I read this on some forum which "prepare" you for the visa interview - the more uni's you apply to, the better). I am applying at two universities, both are in the same state. Will that be efficient? Also, my boyfriend lives close to these universities and I am concerned that the VO will assume I'm doing this for the wrong reasons.

Secondly, are GRE test scores essential for the visa interview, even if it was not a requirement for the schools I'm applying at? I've seen different opinions on this all over the net, some people swear by having those scores, otherwise you will be denied. Seems a bit far fetched, so I trust that I will get a concrete answer on VJ. I do have TOEFL scores by the way, that was a requirement.

That is all for now, will definitely be asking some more questions in the future. I hope someone can help, I will appreciate it a lot!