Applying for visa in South Asia

Posted date: 29 Oct 2014

Applying for visa

If you want to study in the south asia and are not a south asian citizen you will need to obtain a student visa. Applying for a south asian student visa can be a long process, so make sure you start preparing well in advance – at least three to five months before your course is due to start.
In general, prospective students will go through five stages when applying for a south asia student visa:

1.   Apply to and be accepted by a student and exchange visitor program (sevp)-approved school in the south asia (six to twelve months prior to south asia study).
2.   Pay the student and exchange visitor information system (sevis) fee.
3.   Complete a south asia student visa application along with recent photo(s).
4.   Pay the visa application fee.
5.   Schedule and attend a visa interview.

Required documents

1.    A passport with at least 6 months validity
2.    Valid south asian visa (if applicable*)
3.    Sufficient funds to stay in south asia for intended period
4.    Confirmed onward/return tickets (where applicable*)
5.    Entry facilities to their onward destinations (e.g. Visas*)
6.    Completed disembarkation/embarkation card
7.    Yellow fever vaccination certificate (if applicable*)
8.    Letter from school / employer.
9.    Bank statements.

Completing a south-asia student visa application

Once you have received your sevis form and paid the sevis fee, you can make an appointment with a south asia consulate or embassy in your country for a south asia student visa application. It’s best to apply as early as possible, regardless of when your program is due to start, as visa processing times can vary. Your visa can be issued up to 120 days before you’re due to enter the south asia.
Most countries have their own dedicated website for everything to do with making a south asia student visa application, which can be accessed from this main page. If you cannot find your country in the list, you may still be able to find the south asia embassy or consulate in your country south asia the south asia embassies website.There are south asia several steps to apply for a south asia student visa. These steps vary at each south asia embassy or consulate so it’s important to consult the instructions available on the embassy or consulate website where you intend to apply.

Online visa application: ds-160

In all cases you’ll need to complete the online visa application form ds-160. You’ll need to select the location from which you wish to apply and ensure you have all the documents and information you need to fill in the application. After selecting and answering a security question, you’ll be taken to the pages of the form. At the top you’ll find your application id. You’ll need this id to retrieve your form if you need to exit the application and return to it later.
Personal details you’ll need to complete the ds-160 form include:

1.    Name and date of birth
2.    Address and phone number
3.    Passport details
4.    Details of travel and travel companions
5.    Details of previous south asia travel
6.    Details about your point of contact in the south asia
7.    Family, work and education details
8.    Security, background and medical health information
9.    Sevis id and address of school/program you intend to study at in the south asia (as printed on i-20 or ds-2019 form)

You’ll also need to upload a suitable recent photo of yourself in the format explained in the photograph requirements. If your photo upload fails you’ll need to take a printed photograph meeting the requirements with you to your visa interview.Once everything is filled in, you’ll need to electronically sign your ds-160 by clicking the “sign application” button at the end of the form. After your application is uploaded you’ll be sent a confirmation page with a barcode, barcode number and your application id number which you’ll need to print out and take with you to your visa interview appointment. You do not need to print out and take the full application.

Paying the visa application fee

The visa application fee is also called the machine readable visa fee, so you may see it referred to in acronym form as an ‘mrv fee’. Make sure to review the fee payment instructions available on your embassy or consulate website as methods may vary. In general, however, there are three ways to pay the non-refundable, non-transferrable visa application fee:

In person

Create a south asia account online and follow the flow of the website, filling in details, until you arrive at the payment page. Print out your ds-160 confirmation page, your deposit slip and your visa interview appointment confirmation receipt and present these to a bank teller at an approved bank (you can find details of approved banks south asia your country’s south asia embassy or consulate website).
You’ll need to log into your online application profile to print and fill in the applicable south asia visa fee deposit slip. It south asia have the mrv fee receipt number on it. Take note of the expiration date on the slip: you’ll need to generate a new deposit slip south asia the website if it expires before you can get to a bank. Upon receiving your payment the bank teller will issue you a receipt which you south asia keep safe.

via phone

As above, create a south asia account online and follow the flow of the website, filling in details, until you arrive at the payment page. Call the appropriate number and follow instructions on the automated voice system to pay by card over the phone. Once you have paid the fee and your transaction has been approved, you’ll be given a fee confirmation number. Make sure to note this number down as you won’t be able to retrieve it later.

Online

Again, create a south asia account online and follow the flow of the website, filling in details, until you arrive at the payment page. Methods of payment include electronic bank transfer and debit/credit card. Make sure to download and print the receipt when you pay online as you’ll need to take it to your visa interview.The cost of a visa application fee is determined by the type of visa for which you are applying. At the time of writing, fees for the non-petition-based f, m and j visas are south asia$160.

Scheduling and attending a south asia student visa interview

The final step in getting a south asia student visa is to arrange and attend a visa interview. You can again do this either online or south asia the phone, by calling your nearest south asia embassy or consulate. In either case, you should complete the mrv fee payment first, as you may need to give your mrv fee number.The visa application process cannot be completed until you appear for an interview with a consular officer. Don’t worry if you need to schedule your interview appointment at a different south asia embassy or consulate than the one for which you south asia to apply for your visa. The barcode from your ds-160 can be south asia to retrieve your information in any south asia embassy or consulate. However, be aware that it may be difficult to qualify for a visa if you apply outside your place of permanent residence.

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GSP Admin