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Student Visas:
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Student VisasThe following visa procedures apply to both first-time student visa applicants
and returning students: Step 1: Obtain Form I-20 or Form DS-2019 and pay SEVIS fee I-20: For F-1 & M-1 visas, students must obtain
an I-20 form from a U.S. college, school, or university. Please be sure to give us all the pages of the form.
The form must be signed by the applicant and by a school official. We cannot issue a student visa more than 120 days
prior to the start date or registration date as provided on the I-20. Also, we cannot issue a student visa after the
date of registration on the I-20 has passed.
DS-2019: For J-1 cultural exchange students, a DS-2019 Form is required from
your cultural exchange program.
Pay SEVIS fee: Applicants must show proof that he or she has paid the required SEVIS
fee before the visa interview. Student visa applicants should submit his or her official paper receipt (I-797 form) or
an electronic receipt if the payment was made online. The information about SEVIS fee procedures is available on the
U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (USICE) website at http://www.ice.gov/sevis
Step 2: Make an Appointment
Applicants need to show
a valid passport and pay the non-refundable application fee of 131 USD in cash at the Citibank office located at Sun Wah Tower, Ground floor, 115
Nguyen Hue Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. Citibank is open from 8:30 – 11:30 in the morning and 1:00 –
3:30 in the afternoon, Monday through Friday.
At the time the visa application fee is paid, visa applicants will receive a receipt
with the date and time of the appointment. Each applicant, including children traveling on a parent's passport, must pay
the fee and have a separate fee receipt.
You may request an earlier interview date if the
initial start date of your studies in the USA is before the date of your scheduled visa interview. To request an earlier interview
date, please complete the Application for Emergency Visa Interview and fax it to
our office at (08) 8257338. Do NOT call or walk-in to request an emergency visa interview. Send requests by fax only.
We will only contact you as soon as your application for Emergency Visa Interview is approved.
If for any reason, the applicant
cannot come for the visa interview on the date set in the receipt, the applicant can bring the receipt back to Citibank to
re-schedule the interview. Please note that the fee is non-refundable but transferable. If you wish to transfer
the fee, please contact the Citibank office.
Step 3: Complete the visa application forms
Form DS-156: All applicants,
including children traveling on a parent’s passport, are required to complete the electric DS-156 visa application form online, and print ONE copy of
the form and barcode page. The application form is also available online at https://evisaforms.state.gov/ds156.asp.
When completing the DS-156 EVAF on the Internet at https://evisaforms.state.gov/ds156.asp. Please pay special attention to these areas:
To use the electronic visa application form, your Internet
browser must support 128-bit encryption and you should use either an ink-jet or laser printer to print the completed application
form. If you are using Windows Internet Explorer, the minimum version that will work with this site is version 5.0, with service
pack. If you are using Netscape, the minimum version that will work with this site is version 6.2. You must also have Adobe
Acrobat Reader installed on your computer in order to download and print the completed application form. The minimum version
that will work with this site is version 5. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat, you may download a copy from http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep.html
Sections 1-5 of the DS-156 EVAF must contain the correct name, passport number
and issuance information, exactly as shown in the applicant’s passport.
Section 2 should only include
the city of issuance for the passport. Do not select Vietnam for place of issuance, and do not include State/Province. Leave
these two fields blank.
Sections 8-9 are only for other names or aliases of the applicant. Do not type the words “NONE” or “N/A”
if there are no other names; simply leave this section blank.
Section 24 requires the address where the applicant
will stay in the United States.
*Please Note: You must indicate the correct address where you will stay when you
first arrive in the U.S., such as a hotel, homestay, or dormitory. Do not simply write the address of the school where you
will be studying; failure to correctly fill out this section of the application may require applicants to re-submit a new
DS-156 and return for the interview on another day.
Sections 30 and 31 must contain information about each U.S. visa issued and each
visa refused, including tourist and other types of visas.
The applicant must personally complete section 38 on
the computer.
Anyone who helps an applicant to complete a visa application must also sign the application and include in Section
40 their name, address and relationship to the applicant.
Press “CONTINUE”and print the DS-156 EVAF
and two-dimensional (2-D) barcode page.
Each visa applicant must submit one
(1) 50mm square “full face”, unmounted photos, with white background taken within the past six months. A
"full face" photo is one in which the applicant is facing the camera directly. The applicant should not be looking
down or to either side, and the face should cover about 50 percent of the area of the photo. Although variations in hair styles
and in head coverings make it difficult to rigorously define the term "face", in general, the head of the applicant,
including both face and hair, should be shown from the crown of the head to the tip of the chin on top and bottom, and from
hair line side-to-side. It is preferable that the ears be exposed. The key requirement is that the photograph clearly identifies
the applicant.
Form DS-157: Only male applicants between the ages of 16 and 45 are required to complete this form. The form is also available
online at http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/79964.pdf. This form is non-electronic; it can be filled out
manually.
Form DS-158: Only applicants for F (student), J (cultural
exchange), and M (vocational student) visas and his/her dependents are required to complete this form. The form is also available
online at http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/79965.pdf. This form is non-electronic; it can be filled out manually.
Step 4: Prepare supporting documents
Because
each applicant’s situation is different, there is no set answer as to what documents are specifically required.
For student visas, the interviewing officers may look at educational status, grades, the financial situation of the applicant’s
family, and an applicant’s long-range plans and prospects in Vietnam. The following documents have proven helpful in
the past in determining an applicant’s eligibility for a nonimmigrant visa: Transcripts and diplomas from previous educational institutions
attended;
Scores form standardized tests required by the educational institution such as the TOEFL or SAT;
Financial evidence (for example:
tax records, bank books, income documents, business license, VAT certificates, labor contracts) showing that the student,
his/her parents, or a sponsor have sufficient funds to cover his/her tuition and living expenses during the period of his/her
intended study;
a spouse and/or children plan to accompany the student, they must supply a Marriage Certificate and/or Birth Certificates
as proof of their relationship to the student.
Step 5: Interview The applicant should appear at the U.S. Consulate General one hour earlier than the time and date set in the appointment
slip for the visa interview. Applicants should bring both parts of the receipt, passport, completed and signed visa
forms with photo, SEVIS fee receipt and supporting documents to the interview. Please do NOT fax or mail any documents
to our office before your appointment. If
the visa application is approved: The applicant can usually pick-up the visa the next working day at 3 p.m. at the Information
Unit Booth. Processing time may be longer depending on the personal circumstances of the applicant. In the event that
you want to authorize someone to pick up the visa on your behalf, you should state so with the interviewing officer at the
time of your approval.
*Please note: First-time F-1, M-1, J-1 visa holders are not allowed to enter the U.S. more than thirty (30)
days prior to the start of their program.
If the visa application is refused: The applicant will be given a letter explaining why the visa was refused. Most
refusals of nonimmigrant visas are based on Section 214(b) of the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act. For further
information about this ineligibility, please visit http://travel.state.gov/visa/frvi_denials.html. This section states:
“Every alien shall
be presumed to be an immigrant until he establishes to the satisfaction of the officer, at the time of the application for
a visa...that he is entitled to nonimmigrant status...” This means that consular officers are required by law to view each visa applicant
as intending to immigrate to the U.S. until the applicant demonstrates otherwise.
As is standard practice
around the world, any nonimmigrant visa application once denied under this section, will not be reconsidered unless the applicant
re-applies. The proper procedure for appealing a visa refusal is to file a new application that will be adjudicated
by a different consular officer. The applicant must pay the fee again and obtain a new interview. There is no
limitation on the time and the number of reapplications. Please note that we always advise the applicants with more
than one recent refusal NOT to re-apply unless his or her circumstances have changed significantly, because it is unlikely
the outcome will change.
Further, NO assurance regarding the issuance of visas can be given in advance. Please
do not make any binding travel plans until you have received your visa. Returning students
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