January 25 2024: The thought of attending a visa interview could be quite a daunting experience let alone interviewing. In a quest to make this easier for our students, we have done a survey. We collected the experiences of hundreds of students through several surveys that we have performed personally and through other sources. Based on our analysis, the biggest mistake students make during a visa interview is not the interview itself but their preparation for the same. Many students mostly spend their time on making sure they receive their admissions in a timely manner and mostly focus on the "visa approval rate" for the university which actually does not exist. While we cover the "visa approval rate" in a separate blog, let us try to understand why visas get denied. There are three aspects that are covered in an F1 visa interview and they are as follows:
#1 Do you have a complete understanding of the program that you are going to attend: This aspect of the interview covers questions such as 1. Why have you chosen this university? 2. Why have you chosen this program? 3. What do you know about this university? 4. How is this program related to your Masters? 5. What courses would you be taking while you study at this university? and so on...these questions are focused on whether you are truly serious in getting a master's degree or if you are trying to just get into the US. Most students are denied in this phase because of lack of preparation. Their answers are too mainstream and sometimes do not address the specific question posed by the VO.
#2 Financial background: This aspect of the interview covers whether you are financially in a good position to support your stay and education and not have to depend on the university or the US government for funding. Remember that the tuition that the international students pay is as much as 2-3 times as that of the domestic students in the US and hence every international student is a great source of revenue for the universities in the US. So make sure you have enough funding to cover your education and your stay in the US for at least 2-3 years. We highly recommend getting an educational loan (regardless of how much money you have in your bank) to ensure a financial institution is backing you up vs. an individual.
#3 Will you come back? Though we wish the VO asks this question as is, the question could come in various forms such as 1. What do you plan to do after your MS in the US? 2. How will you pay back your educational loan (if you have one)? 3. Will you accept a job offer in the US if you get one? 4. What are your long term plans for your careers? Why do you want to do your masters in the US, why cant you do the same in India (or your home country)? Remember that F-1 visa is a single intent visa and the only intention of the student (or at least the intention demonstrated to the VO) should be to study and return to their home country and not work/stay back in the US.
We believe this article helped you understand some of the critical aspects of an F1 visa interview and we would be delighted to help you in your overseas educational journey. Reach us out at admin@ahiever-overseas.com or call us at +91 7032902304 or browse our website www.achiever-overseas.com follow us on instagram: achiever_overseas_edu_ for more interesting articles/news/updates. The article is a property of Achiever Overseas Educational Services and may not be republished/distributed without permission.
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