How to prepare for US student visa interview correctly and get your US student visa

Preparing for US student visa interview, preparing for F1 visa interview

Tags: Preparing for US F1 visa interview, How long does the F1 visa interview take? Is US visa interview hard? 

• US student visa interview hack, tips, experience 
• How to build self confidence 
• Learn from past US student visa interviews 
• Required documents to take to the interview 
• Things you need to know offhand
• Words to avoid saying during US student visa interview

The question students who have gotten an admission to study in the USA ask is: What next? How can I prepare for US student visa interview? Why do US student visa get rejected? Is getting F1 visa difficult? Those are the questions I want to answer today.

Before going for your US student visa interview, make sure you learn how to be self confident. You need to do that so you'll be able to face the US visa officer and speak to him/her confidently. 

Actually, it doesn't matter whether you're going for a visa interview or a job interview but in both cases you must learn how to speak to the interviewer clearly as if they're your friend whom you've known for ages. 

Never be scared or look intimidated during an interview because looking intimidated is a sign that you don't trust yourself or you don't know what you're doing.

There's absolutely no reason to be scared during an interview because the interviewer is not there to hurt you. 

The best way to learn how to be self confident during your US student visa interview is to study past US student visa interview questions and answers to know how previous students who successfully got their visa to study in the USA answered the interview questions correctly. 

My candid advise to you is to get the complete successful past US student visa interview questions and answers PDF. This is not a US student visa mock interview, rather it contains REAL past US student visa interview questions and REAL answers gathered from 136 countries around the world from students who successfully got their visa to study in the USA. So, the questions and answers are real and that's all you need to learn what previous students who got their visa said to convince the US visa officer to issue them visa to study in the USA. 

However, if you've been refused a US student visa in the past, and you're planning to go for a second visa interview, then I'll recommend that you read F1 visa interview questions after rejection, plus expert advise to correct the mistake.

Once you learn what those previous successful students said to convince the US visa officer to issue them visa to study in the USA, your self confidence would be boosted and you'll be mentally prepared to answer your own interview questions exactly like those who succeeded. Don't ever go to your US student visa interview without it.

Let's move on to the day of your visa interview. 

The first thing to do if you want to pass any interview, examination, test or anything of that nature, is to get to the venue of the interview or examination ahead of time. 

Make sure to get to an exam or interview venue at least 1 hour before the test begins. Doing so would give you enough time to familiarize with the environment, meet other applicants or contestants or candidates like yourself, and even get any latest information from them. What it does is that it gets you mentally ever ready and you'll actually be waiting for the test to begin so that you'll smash it in flying colors. 

But if you run into an examination hall or interview venue late, you don't get enough time to relax and get that mental boost bonus. Hope you understand. 

Dress smart and have the following documents handy while going for your US student visa interview. 

Documents to take along when going for a US student visa interview

1. i-20 form from the US school which gave you admission 

2. Admission offer letter from the US school 

3. Acceptance letter from the department you'll be studying under (if applicable) 

4. DS-160 application slip 

5. Visa interview appointment letter 

6. SEVIS fee payment receipt 

7. Visa fee payment receipt 

8. TOEFL or SAT or GMAT or any other applicable test score 

9. Your academic certificates 

10. Your sponsors current bank statement (you may also add your own bank account statement if you work) 

11. Letter from the sponsor confirming that he/she will be responsible for cost of your tuition and upkeep (if your sponsor is a US citizen, he/she must also fill the i-134 form meant for US sponsors only) 

12. Study leave letter from your current employer (if applicable) 

13. Your international passport 

14. Your past employment offer letter (if you work) 

15. Ties to your country (landed property, stock certificate, fixed deposit certificate, title, wedding certificates, etc) 

16. Four passport photographs 

IMPORTANT: Please note that not all the above documents would be required of you by the visa officer in all countries but the reason I've listed all possible documents here is just to get you very prepared in case they ask for any of them. I need to say so because this article was written to cover all possible scenarios in all countries in the world; including in those countries where it's difficult to get a US student visa. 

Sometimes, in some countries, they may issue a visa without asking for any document at all.

Make sure you arrange your documents in such a way that you can easily identify and pick any document if required to show to the visa officer.  

How long does the F1 student visa interview take? 

Normally, a US student visa interview takes about 5-10 minutes minutes but if the below is applicable to you, the visa officer may ask you more questions. 

The following are the things that may cause the visa officer to ask you more questions. 

1. If your sponsor is not your parents, they would likely scrutinize you more.  

2. If you are going for undergraduate studies and you are over 21 years old. 

3. If you are going for a graduate program that has no significance whatsoever to your undergrad or potential job market in your country. 

4. If you have siblings already in the U.S. If you have one or more siblings that graduated and went on to file for the H-1 visa, they'll worry you with more questions.  Sometimes, in such situation, chances are that they may not give you a visa because your siblings already proved that you are all intended immigrants. So, prepare a cogent answer to defend yourself against that. 

5. If you are the last child in your family and your siblings are all in school in the US. They will worry you because they'll wonder why your parents want to let all of you leave the country. 

Note that I am not saying that you won't get your visa if the above conditions are applicable to you, rather what I am saying is that they may ask you more questions. But once you provide convincing answers to the visa interviews questions, you'll get your visa. 

Again, rehearse and prepare the best answers to convince the visa officer that your intention is genuine and you'll get your visa. 

Once again, you can learn how to convince the US visa officer to issue you a visa by getting the complete past US student visa interview questions and answers PDF, which I previously showed you. 

Things you should know offhand when going for a US student visa interview. 

Here are the important information you should know about your school and study OFFHAND (without looking at any document). 

1. Name of your school 

2. The town and state your school is located 

3. The geographical location of your school i.e (North, South,West or East) of the USA. Please check map of the USA 

4. Why you chose to study in that city and state 

5. Why you chose to study at that school 

6. Why you chose to study the course/program you applied for 

7. Names of other schools you applied to (both those that accepted or rejected you) 

8. You should know the score of your TOEFL, GRE, SAT, GMAT, etc (if applicable) 

9. Know everything about your course/program, such as what the course or program is about, the start date, the end date, the duration. 

10. What you'll do after your education, course, program

You should prepare for answers to all possible US student visa interview questions.

IMPORTANT: On the last question, about what you'll do after your graduation, never say you'll live in the USA after your education or course even if you intend to do so. Your response should be that you'll return to your home country immediately you finish your course or program in order to put the knowledge you've acquired to work to develop your country. 

Many people who've read this article may have said the same thing several times, so try rephrasing it. 

Example; if you're going for a medical course/program, you may say "I'll return to see how I can help improve the health sector in my country". Then, briefly explain how exactly you'll help to do that. 

Finally, and of course, there are many other things to know as you'll see if you read the complete past US student visa interview questions and answers PDF, which I showed you. 

However, the reason the above is especially important is that if you don't know them offhand and you have to pause or look at a document before you answer them, then be ready to be denied visa because any genuine student visa applicant would know the answer without thinking. 

What can you not say in an F1 visa interview? 

The answer to that question is in another article. See words to avoid saying during a US student visa interview

What should I prepare for F1 visa interview?

Prepare for all possible past US student visa interview questions. For more information, get the complete past US student visa interview questions and answers PDF. It contains REAL past questions and REAL past answers to all questions ever asked during past US student visa interviews from US embassies and consulates in 136 countries around the world.

Finally, if you'll need a green card while studying in the USA, see how to go from F1 student to Green card to US Citizenship.

Find more travel abroad eBooks at order Study abroad eBooks and B1/B2 visa eBooks

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