Ramp up to Apply for your US F-1 Student Visa
You are elated because you hold an admit to your dream US university and have even received an electronic copy of your I-20 which is the default visa document of choice for the F-1 student visa this year. That said, there isn’t a whole bunch you can do right now given the fact that on March 20, 2020, US embassies and consulates around the world temporarily discontinued processing F-1 visa applications. What are you supposed to do?
We recommend that you start working on the DS-160 F-1 student visa application form right away even if it is a sample copy that you have downloaded from the Internet. Take a print-out and start gathering the information. Once you have compiled all the relevant information in advance of the DS-160 process re-commencement, it will be much easier for you to complete the real application form online when the system is up and running. It will probably take you less than 30 minutes to transfer the data from your hard copy to the official version of the DS-160. If you can’t find a sample copy of the DS-160, write to us and we will send it to you once you complete a short questionnaire.
This is also the perfect time for you to understand how SEVIS, a component of the F-1 student visa process works. There is a very short form you will need to complete and pay your SEVIS fee once SEVIS enrollment is officially reinstated by the US Government.
And now the challenge. There is going to be a mad rush for interview slots once the Visa Section begins processing student visa applications. You should therefore do the ground work now and quickly attempt to book your slot as soon as the application goes live once again. Apply for the US F-1 student visa at the first available opportunity even if you are planning to take Fall classes online or are thinking of deferring your admission to January 2021. Watch this page regularly for updates:
https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/News/visas-news/suspension-of-routine-visa-services.html