Applying for a Student (F-1) or Exchange Visitor (J-1) Visa
You will have a brief in-person interview at the US embassy or consulate with jurisdiction over your place of residence. The interview will typically be conducted in English however this is not always the case. A consular official often interviews over a hundred applicants in one day. The official must make a quick decision about your application and your interview may take less than 3 minutes. In many cases only your I-20 form will be inspected.
If your documents are in order, your chance of obtaining the visa is very high. About 98% of Whitman College new students are granted their visa during their first appointment.
Consular officials will want to see evidence that you:
- Have paid the U.S. $350 F-1 Student or $220 J-1 Exchange Visitor SEVIS fee
- Are a qualified, legitimate student/scholar.
- Have the financial resources to pay for your education in the U.S.: recent statements from your or your family's bank account and/or financial aid award letter.
- Have strong economic, family or social ties to your home country.
- Will return home after you finish your studies.
Required Steps and Documents
- Prospective F-1 students from most countries can pay the I-901 SEVIS fee at https://www.fmjfee.com/.
- Additional payment instructions can be found on the StudyInTheStates website.
- Detailed alternative payment instructions can be found on the U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) website. However, online card payment, if available, is the fastest and easiest method.
- Passport, valid for at least six months beyond your planned arrival date to the U.S.
- Form DS-160, Nonimmigrant Visa Application confirmation page. Start your visa application by going to the US Travel Docs website or US Embassy website in your home country.
- Visa application fee payment receipt.
- I-901 SEVIS fee payment confirmation page. This is the receipt proving that you have paid the U.S. $350 Student/$220 Exchange Visitor SEVIS fee
- Passport-size, immigration-style photograph of you (if you are unable to upload your photo while completing Form DS-160)
- For J-1 Professors: if you are married or have children and are bringing them, you will need proof of relationship to your spouse and children (marriage certificate, birth certificates, identification cards, etc.)
- Signed Form I-20 or DS-2019 issued by Whitman College. Be sure your I-20 is signed by the school official, by you (at the bottom), by your guardian (if required) and that all other information on your I-20 is spelled correctly.
- Letter of admission or employment contract from Whitman College
- Financial aid award letter, if applicable
- Copies of your secondary (high) school certificates or transcripts showing that you are an accomplished student
- Copy of your secondary school diploma
- Copy of your TOEFL/IELTS score (if applicable)
- Copy of SAT/ACT score (if applicable)
- Your financial aid/scholarship award letter from Whitman College
- Bank statements (for the past 3-6 months) and/or a certified letter from your bank stating the amount of money in your bank account
- Statements (for the past 3-6 months) show savings or stock accounts
- Tax documents from your family home or business
- Letters from any sponsors who have promised to provide specific costs such as room and board, books, etc.
- Documents that prove that your sponsors can afford the promises they made
You need to demonstrate to the U.S. consular official that you have family, social and career "ties," or "connections," to your home country. These connections will help assure the official that you plan to return home after completing your studies. Below are some examples:
- Evidence that you plan to return to work in a family business upon completion of your U.S. education (if your family owns a business)
- If you are interested in attending a graduate program in your home country upon your return, make sure you mention that if you are asked about future plans
- Information about family members who have traveled or studied overseas and returned
- Information about your own previous travel to the U.S. or other countries(if any)
- You can mention your close ties with your family, friends and social/cultural associations in which you are involved (if any)
Organize appropriate documents together. For example:
- All Whitman College-issued documents
- All documents that prove you are a legitimate and excellent student
- All financial documents
- All documents demonstrating your ties to your home country