How To Get Your Student Visa

-----------------------Read Also--------------------------------------

<> Why I am writing this blog?

<> How To Get Your Student Visa

<> 10 Tips on Getting A U.S. Visa

<> Find a university/school right for you

<> Next topic: How to find a right university for Bangladeshi students --> coming soon...

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Once you have decided that you want to attend a school/University in the United States, it is necessary to obtain several documents in order to enter the U.S. You must get these papers both from your country and from a representative of the U.S. Government. Here are steps you must take:
Start the process for leaving your country:
Apply for a passport. (Allow weeks or even months for this process)Ask what other specific exit documents are required by your country in addition to the passport to allow you to study abroad. These may include:Legal agreements requiring you to return at a specific age, at the completion of your program or for military service.
Financial disclosures verifying the amount of money you are taking from the country.
Educational agreements.

Start the process for ENTERING the United States:
· Obtain an I-20 form (Certificate of Eligibility for student applicants) from the school you are going to attend. Most schools will mail this form to your home upon acceptance.
· You will need to go to your nearest U.S. Embassy or Consular Office to apply for an F-1 student visa. In order to apply you will need to complete Form OF-156, an Application for Non-Immigrant Visa. You will be asked to present your I-20 form (which you will receive from the school). You will also need to show that you have financial support for the entire time you plan to study in the U.S.
· Get an "Affidavit of Support" form from the Embassy or Consulate. Complete this form with information about your sources of financing and submit it along with your other documents. Some schools may also require a copy of your financial support statements.
· Additionally, you MAY be required to show: proof of good health; evidence of competence in English; evidence of educational attainment; a guardianship form; your enrollment contract with the school; photographs; police certificates. You must show your intent to return home upon completion of your education.

Please note that this is a standard procedure. If you are applying under other circumstances (such as if you are funded by an agency or on a tourist visa) there will be different forms and requirements. In these cases, please contact the school's Director of Admissions.Your meeting with the consulate office could be very brief. Have all forms and documents available and fully completed.If you are turned down the first time, experienced people advise that you try again. A fee will be charged for the visa.
With your passport and visa you may now enter the airplane on your way to attend boarding school or camp in the United States. It is important to begin this process as soon as you receive the I-20 from the school. While it may only take one day to obtain a student visa, it can also take weeks.
Once you arrive at the school or camp, take your passport, I-20, F-1 and return airline ticket to the international student advisor or admissions director. They will make copies of your passport and secure it in the school vault for your safety. If you plan to leave the United States during any vacation or weekend, be sure to retrieve your passport and documents and be sure to have the back of your I-20 signed by the designated school official. This will allow you to leave and return to the U.S. easily.If you have any questions regarding this process, simply contact the school's or camp's admissions office. They are prepared to help.

10 TIPS ON GETTING A U.S. VISA

-----------------------Read Also--------------------------------------
Why I am writing this blog?
How To Get Your Student Visa
10 Tips on Getting A U.S. Visa
Find a university/school right for you
<> Next topic: How to find a right university for Bangladeshi students --> coming soon...
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
This section is Courtesy of NAFSA: Association of International Educators

Points to Remember When Applying for a Nonimmigrant Visa(courtesy of NAFSA: Association of International Educators)

1. TIES TO YOUR HOME COUNTRY.
Under U.S. law, all applicants for nonimmigrant visas, such as student visas, are viewed as intending immigrants until they can convince the consular officer that they are not. You must therefore be able to show that you have reasons for returning to your home country that are stronger than those for remaining in the United States. "Ties" to your home country are the things that bind you to your home town, homeland, or current place of residence: job, family, financial prospects that you own or will inherit, investments, etc.If you are a prospective undergraduate, the interviewing officer may ask about your specific intentions or promise of future employment, family or other relationships, educational objectives, grades, long-range plans and career prospects in your home country. Each person's situation is different, of course, and there is no magic explanation or single document, certificate, or letter which can guarantee visa issuance.If you have applied for the U.S. Green Card Lottery, you may be asked if you are intending to immigrate. A simple answer would be that you applied for the lottery since it was available but not with a specific intent to immigrate. If you overstayed your authorized stay in the U.S. previously, be prepared to explain what happened clearly and concisely, with documentation if available.

2. ENGLISH.
Anticipate that the interview will be conducted in English and not in your native language. One suggestion is to practice English conversation with a native speaker before the interview, but do NOT prepare speeches! If you are coming to the United States solely to study intensive English, be prepared to explain how English will be useful for you in your home country.

3. SPEAK FOR YOURSELF.
Do not bring parents or family members with you to the interview. The consular officer wants to interview you, not your family. A negative impression is created if you are not prepared to speak on your own behalf. If you are a minor applying for a high school program and need your parents there in case there are questions, for example about funding, they should wait in the waiting room.

4. KNOW THE PROGRAM AND HOW IT FITS YOUR CAREER PLANS.
If you are not able to articulate the reasons you will study in a particular program in the United States, you may not succeed in convincing the consular officer that you are indeed planning to study, rather than to immigrate. You should also be able to explain how studying in the United States relates to your future professional career when you return home.

5. BE BRIEF.
Because of the volume of applications received, all consular officers are under considerable time pressure to conduct a quick and efficient interview. They must make a decision, for the most part, on the impressions they form during the first minute of the interview. Consequently, what you say first and the initial impression you create are critical to your success. Keep your answers to the officer's questions short and to the point.

6. ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION.
It should be immediately clear to the consular officer what written documents you are presenting and what they signify. Lengthy written explanations cannot be quickly read or evaluated. Remember that you will have 2-3 minutes of interview time, if you're lucky.

7. NOT ALL COUNTRIES ARE EQUAL.
Applicants from countries suffering economic problems or from countries where many students have remained in the United States as immigrants will have more difficulty getting visas. Statistically, applicants from those countries are more likely to be intending immigrants. They are also more likely to be asked about job opportunities at home after their study in the United States.

8. EMPLOYMENT.
Your main purpose in coming to the United States should be to study, not for the chance to work before or after graduation. While many students do work off-campus during their studies, such employment is incidental to their main purpose of completing their U.S. education. You must be able to clearly articulate your plan to return home at the end of your program.If your spouse is also applying for an accompanying F-2 visa, be aware that F-2 dependents cannot, under any circumstances, be employed in the United States. If asked, be prepared to address what your spouse intends to do with his or her time while in the United States. Volunteer work and attending school part-time are permitted activities.

9. DEPENDENTS REMAINING AT HOME.
If your spouse and children are remaining behind in your country, be prepared to address how they will support themselves in your absence. This can be an especially tricky area if you are the primary source of income for your family. If the consular officer gains the impression that your family will need you to remit money from the United States in order to support themselves, your student visa application will almost certainly be denied. If your family does decide to join you at a later time, it is helpful to have them apply at the same post where you applied for your visa.

10. MAINTAIN A POSITIVE ATTITUDE.
Do not engage the consular officer in an argument. If you are denied a student visa, ask the officer for a list of documents he or she would suggest you bring in order to overcome the refusal, and try to get the reason you were denied in writing.

Find a university/school right for you.

-----------------------Read Also--------------------------------------
Why I am writing this blog?
How To Get Your Student Visa
10 Tips on Getting A U.S. Visa
Find a university/school right for you

Next topic: How to find a right university for Bangladeshi students --> coming soon...
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Finding the Right School:
Finding a right school/university is the most important factor to getting into USA. The internet is an excellent resource for students looking to gather information about U.S. schools. Most of the college or university you are considering is on the web, and a wealth of information should be available at their sites. There are also many internet sites that can help you search for schools by various criteria, such as geography or cost.
While your goal is to identify several schools where you want to apply, be sure to investigate your colleges of interest thoroughly. Remember: you may have to spend two to four or more years of your life there. You will want to ask any college you are interested in to send you a school brochure with a list of classes offered, in addition to the enrollment (application) materials and information on financial matter.
Before applying to any school, you may want to look into how many foreign students are already enrolled there. It is useful to know in advance whether internationals are well represented, or if they are in the great minority, with just a few appearing from different countries. You might feel very lonely in such an environment.
U.S. News Online lists information about the international student population at schools in its database, including the percentage of students who are foreign, the countries represented, and international student organizations. This site also lists the national colleges and universities with the largest proportion of international students at the undergraduate level. Many guidebooks on U.S. schools also offer similar information. You can visit U.S. News here:
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/cohome.htm

International student organizations, including clubs that students form themselves (representing their various countries) are very common on college campuses. Many of them also have websites (accessible from their school’s site). Once you are interested in a school, you may want to see if there is a student club representing your country there, and even ask the club (online) about conditions at the school. For example, the University of Michigan has 47 international students clubs comprised of foreign-born students from around the world.Many schools also provide a special orientation session for international students. For example, Oklahoma State offers a week of orientation at the beginning of the fall and spring semesters to help international students adapt to their new environment. During orientation sessions at the College of William and Mary, the school gives international students a tour of the area around the school and even assists them in securing a social security number. The College of William and Mary also has a highly informative international student’s manual to assist its international students.
Once you arrive at school, you will find that many colleges also have a foreign students union where you can congregate with other foreign students, make friends, and learn from their experiences.
For more experience you can visit following sites:

• NCES's College Search
• U.S. News Online's America's Best Colleges
• The College Board’s College Search
• Embark.com
• Peterson’s CollegeQuest
• College NET
• Schools with the largest percentage of international students (from U.S. News Online)
• Alphabetical list of U.S. Colleges & Universities
• The Ecola College Locator
• U.S. News Online’s America’s Best Graduate Schools

Why I am writing this blog?

-----------------------Read Also--------------------------------------
Why I am writing this blog?
How To Get Your Student Visa
10 Tips on Getting A U.S. Visa
Find a university/school right for you
Next topic: How to find a right university for Bangladeshi students --> coming soon...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

I like to give a little background why I am writing this blog. I have been in USA six years. I came here with student visa and completed my degree and now working. This is what many of us from Bangladesh want to do. But the first hurdle is getting the US student visa. The student from BUET has higher rate of getting visa since they have a good reputation in US embassy. But for others it is almost near to impossible to get the visa. By the way I am not from BUET.

Recently I was thinking why 4 of my 5 close friends got US student visa but so many others who has better educational background and monetary support does not get the visa. We all follow the same approach and practice and face visa councilor’s question (yes we all practice it a little bit). We prepare our document the same way and we choose the same types of universities. I think there are some common key factors those played a big role to getting us to get the US student visa. In this blog I will try to explain what we did and why did and how those help us to get the visa.
Thanks for reading my blog and I hope it will help you somehow.

Any comment or question is welcome.