All students who come to the ELC to study must hold a valid F-1 student visa.
To become eligible for a student visa, applicants are required to prove
that they possess or have access to sufficient funds to cover tuition
and living expenses during the program of study. No financial aid is
available.
After you send us your application and declaration of finances,
Northeastern University will send you an I-20 certificate of
eligibility that you can use to apply for the visa at the U.S.
consulate or embassy in your country. Please note that the I-20 takes
up to 2 weeks to process, plus mailing time to get to your country.
When your I-20 arrives, please check the following:
a.
Is your name spelled correctly and in the same form as it appears on your passport?
b.
Is all other information correct?
c.
Is the form signed by a university official?
d.
Has the reporting date (“student must report no later than…”) passed? If so, your I-20 is expired and can no longer be used.
If the I-20 is valid, you are ready to apply for the visa.
Tips on applying for your student (F-1) visa
If you are applying for a student visa for the first time, an in-person
interview is usually required. June, July, and August are usually the
busiest months, so it might be difficult to get an appointment during
this time. Don't wait until the last minute! You are encouraged to
apply for your visa as soon as you know when you plan to travel. Allow
several weeks for planning and getting an appointment for the visa. You
can call the embassy or go to the embassy web site for information and
instructions.
Applicants for a student visa must provide the following items when they go to the Embassy for the interview:
a.
Form I-20 (included with your acceptance letter from Northeastern University)
b.
A completed DS-158 and DS-156 non-immigrant visa application with a photo of each person applying (forms available at embassy)
c.
A passport valid for at least 6 months beyond your expected stay in the US
d.
A receipt for the visa processing fee for each applicant
e.
Financial
documents (such as bank books, account statements, tax documents) that
show you have sufficient funds (money) to cover tuition and living
expenses during your time in the US. The embassy official might need
evidence that there are no restrictions on the transfer of funds that
would prevent the funds from being made available during the projected
stay.
f.
Proof of your relationship to your spouse and children if you are married and/or have children.
g.
Consuls
(embassy officials) also want to see evidence that you have strong
economic, social, family, or career ties to your home country.
Applicants for an F-1 or any non-immigrant visa must convince the
official that:
• You have a residence in your home country
• You intend to return to that residence
• You intend to leave the US when your course of study is completed
How to prepare for your visa interview
In addition to the documents you present, you need to listen carefully to the questions the embassy official might ask you.
Even if the official asks you a question that you think is strange, you
must answer it. The official is usually trying to decide whether you
intend to stay in the US after you have completed your program. If the
official thinks you plan to stay in the US, he or she must refuse your
visa. Remember, the F-1 visa is for people who intend to return to
their home country. Tell the official when you are going to go home.
In addition, you can prepare reasons why you want to study English in the US.
1.
Talk about your professional development - how will you use English
when you get back to your country? Why is it important for you to know
English?
2. Do you intend to study
another subject once you have finished your English program? Which
subject? Why do you need English?
3.Talk about how learning English more quickly and efficiently is
helped by first-hand knowledge of the American culture and interaction
with many native speakers.
4. Talk about your choice of English program: show that you know about
the University that you have applied to, and be able to explain your
choice if you can. Mention that some of the most advanced teaching
methods and technical help in language learning can be found in the US.
5. DO NOT
say you want to go to the US just because your friends are there, you
like American movies or some unimportant reason or because you have
family in the US.
Remember that an official has to see as many as 200 people a day.
Officials do not have a lot of time to discuss your application; they
must make a quick decision. Help them by being completely prepared.
What to do if the official refuses to give you a visa
The most frequent reason for a visa refusal is that the official thinks you may not return to your home country.
It is not possible to say exactly what evidence you should take to
convince the official that you will go home because applicants’
circumstances vary greatly.
Think again about your ties to your home country: family relationships,
job, home or farm ownership, other commitments. Is there any additional
evidence that you could present? Did you explain your situation
clearly? Did you answer all the questions?
Consular officers have the responsibility for issuance or denial of visas. If your visa is denied, you can re-apply.
If you decide to re-apply, you should be prepared to show additional
evidence or explain in a different way how your situation has changed
since the first application.
You should try at least twice. If you are refused a second time, the probability that a third try will work is not very high.
Additional information is available at the Department of State web site: http://www.state.gov and the U.S. Citizens and Immigration Services web site: http://www.uscis.gov
