myUface Blog

Last year the myUface blog addressed student concerns about the difficulty of obtaining a student visa.  It can be a trying experience.  Every year, students who are accepted to legitimate universities are denied visas to the U.S., or are inconvenienced by long delays in visa processing.  In speaking with hundreds of students over the years about their visa concerns, one question keeps popping up:  why?

Why is it so hard to get a visa?

Why does the U.S. maintain such a strict visa system?

These are difficult questions to answer, and in truth I don’t think anyone fully comprehends the U.S. visa system.  Having said that, today’s L.A. Times has an incredible story that shows why visa controls are necessary.

The story recounts how one man was paid thousands of dollars by international students to attend their classes for them, just so they could maintain their visa status.

. . . Higgins was not a student and wasn’t registered in any of the classes, authorities said. Rather, dozens of foreign students . . . were paying him to sit in class, take exams and write papers so that their student visas would remain valid, according to a charging document filed in the case. Students paid up to $1,500 for course assignments and finals and about $1,000 for English and writing proficiency exams, prosecutors allege.

Of course, this was a very small number of international students.  But it’s cases like these that justify, in the minds of many, the complexity and strictness of the U.S. visa procedure.

Over the past week we’ve had hundreds and hundreds of new users visit the site.  I wanted to take a moment and share with you some resources we have that may be of interest to you:

First, we have two myUface guides:

1. The Advantages and Disadvantages of a University Education in the United States
2. Looking for a University in the United States

You can donwload both of these guides (for free of course) here.

Second, you should check out our Series:

1. Should you study in the U.S.? A comprehensive and honest guide to the benefits and disadvantages of a U.S. education (April 2009).
2. Looking for a U.S. University – All of the information you should consider in selecting a U.S. university – including some things you may not have thought about (May 2009).
3. Finding Financial Aid for your U.S. Education – Need help paying for a U.S. education?  Here’s a guide to how to look for and secure financial support.  It’s not easy, but it’s worth a try (June / July 2009)!
4. Preparing For A Visa Interview – A three part series on the misconceptions many students have about student visa interviews (July 2009).
5. Universities in the Fifty States – we look at what it would be like to live as an international student in each of the fifty states.
6. Writing Essays for University Applications – full of advice on how to write, edit and submit an essay with your university application.

The goal of the myUface blog is to collect, in one place, useful information for international students interested in studying in the Unisted States.  For new visitors to the blog, I wanted to create a quick list of the highlights from previous blog posts.

• We started out discussing the benefits and disadvatages of studying in the U.S.
  
• We talked about how you might go about looking for a U.S. university.
• We started a podcast.
• We looked at the idea behind financial aid and also provided you with loads of advice on how to find some.
• We explored university rankings and their limitations.
• We provided summer and fall timelines for preparing an application to a U.S. university.
• We shared our perspective about how to prepare for visa interviews.
• We began to look at the fifty states and what it might be like to study in each of them.
• We discussed how you might handle rejection by a U.S. university (and we hoped you wouldn’t have to).

This is just the beginning.  We’re going to keep sharing as much information as possible in the hope of helping you attain your dream of studying in the U.S.

Please remember to share your questions and comments with us as often as possible.  You can leave a comment on any blog post, and you can always e-mail us at blog@myuface.com.

In this week’s mailbag I’ll respond to two different questions, the first about visa problems and the second about the myUface podcast.

1)  A student writes to ask if there are “lists” that U.S. Embassies maintain of people who are ineligible to get student visas, and why.

The short answer is, “I don’t know.”  I assume that there are lists that consulates keep of people who are ineligible.  For example, if you lie in a visa interview and are caught lying, your name might be added to a list that lets the consulate know they need to check all future visa applications with a special eye.  But how large are these lists?  Are they formal documents?  How do you get on and off them?  These are questions I just don’t know the answers to, unfortunately.

The only lists we know exist are those that exist for very special circumstances.  For example, there almost certainly is a list of terrorist suspects.  In some cases, student visas may be delayed because a student’s name is the same as or close to the name on such a list.  Another example of this are lists of alleged war criminals from the Balkan wars of the 1990s.  Again, this is just a list of names, but the process of checking these lists can, in certain cases, delay visas for students.

In general, though, you don’t need to worry about these kind of lists or whether you’re on them.  So long as you tell the truth in your visa documents and interview, there’s no reason why you’d ever end up on such a list, even if your application were denied.

2)  Another student writes and asks, “What happened to the podcast?” Good question.  The podcast is alive and well, but we haven’t put out a new episode as we’ve been focused on developing the full myUface students site (it’s only a few weeks away now) and researching other topics, like financial aid.  But I promise, a new podcast is coming soon.

Remember, if you have any questions you’d like answered on the blog, leace us a comment or e-mail us at blog@myuface.com.

Today we’re going to conclude our brief series on preparing for a visa interview by looking at what you can do in order to prove to the consulate that you:

1. Are going to the U.S. for a legitimate reason
2. Have the financial ability to support yourself while in the U.S.
3. Have strong and permanent ties to your country

Tip #1:  Documentation

The most effective way to prove all of the above is through documentation.  Bring as many documents as you can, and have them well organized so you can refer to them quickly.  At the beginning of the interview, you might want to consider asking the consular officer something like, “Excuse me, sir [or ma'am], I brought a number of documents showing my ties to [my country].  Would you like to see those now or later?”  Chances are the consular won’t ask for them immediately, but starting out the interview this way shows the consular officer that you are serious and prepared.

What kind of documents should you bring?  This will be different from country to country, so check the website of your Embassy.  Generally speaking, you want to bring financial documents that show you have the resources to cover your study in the U.S. (bank statements, certificates of ownership, etc.), and then documents that show you have strong ties to your country.  These documents could be many different things.   Do you own property?  Do you have a spouse or children?  Has a local employer offered you a job on your return?  Do you have significant investments in local businesses?  Are you active in your local community as a volunteer or a leader?  Documents that answer any of these questions can be a big help.

And of course, don’t forget the most basic visa documents – the I-20 from your university in the U.S., your visa application, etc.

Tip #2:  Truthfulness

One of the biggest mistakes applicants make is thinking that they have to conceal certain information in order to get a visa.  If you lie during your visa interview, and are caught lying, you will not get a visa.  Maybe not ever. Be sure to be 100% honest on your application and in your interview.

Tip #3:  Professional Demeanor

Be sure to follow common sense guidelines about maintaining a professional demeanor.  Dress well, show up on time, and be polite.  Don’t overdue it, however – if you come to the visa interview 2 hours early, dressed in an absurdly expensive suit, and nervously answer all questions with “Yes, ma’am, thank you, ma’am,” it’s going to look like you have something to hide.  So be professional, but within the boundaries of common sense.

That’s It?

Yup, that’s it.  The truth is, the process for obtaining a student visa in the U.S. is pretty straightforward.  That doesn’t mean it’s not difficult.  If you want to have the best chance of moving through the process without any problems, throw out all the conspiracy theories, spend time on your U.S. Embassy’s website, prepare your documents and application with care, and be professional.

Good luck!!!

Posts in this Series

1. Preparing For A Visa Interview, Part Three (This post)
2. Preparing For A Visa Interview, Part Two - 15 Jul
3. Preparing For A Visa Interview, Part One - 14 Jul

Yesterday I said the “secret” of preparing for a visa interview was straightforward and available to all international students.  I even claimed that this secret was contained on the webpage for your local U.S. consulate!

What secret am I talking about?  Here is the introduction to the “Non-Immigrant Visas” page of the U.S. Embassy in Tashkent, Uzbekistan:

It is the applicant’s responsibility to provide all necessary information and documentation for the Consular officer to make an appropriate decision.  During the interview, each applicant should be prepared to explain to the Consul the purpose of the intended trip and present evidence of sufficient funds. Applicants also need to convince the Consul that they have strong and permanent ties to Uzbekistan, such as a family, job, property, etc., which would demonstrate their intent to return to Uzbekistan after their stay in the United States.

Four immediate things jump out:

1. It is your responsibility to demonstrate your suitability to receive a visa.  The consulate will reject your application if you do not fulfill that responsibility.  This means that you need to properly fill out your application, and bring all the documents you need.
2. You must be able to explain to the consulate the purpose of your trip to the U.S. (in this case, to study in a U.S. university).   As part of this, you may need to show that you are sufficiently prepared to study successfully at your chosen institution.
3. You must present documents that prove that you or your family have the financial resources to support you during your stay in the U.S.  (these might include business registrations, licenses,  tax documents, as well as original bank books and/or statements).  If you are the recipient of a scholarship you will need to present evidence of that as well.
4. You must convince the consul – again, through documentation – that you have “strong and permanent ties” to your country, ties so strong that they will compel your return after your study.

Should you fail to fulfill any of the above four points, you will not get a visa. I think a lot of students probably get tripped up by thinking that, if they just focus on two or three of these points, they’ll be OK.

Another thing students need to realize, is that the burden of proof is on them. This is not a process in which the consulate begins by assuming you should get a visa, and then looks through your files checking for problems.  Actually, the opposite is true:

Under Section 214(b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952, a visa may not be issued to any applicant who is unable to overcome the presumption that he or she is an intending immigrant by demonstrating the above factors to the satisfaction of the interviewing consular officer.

In other words, by law, your visa interview will start with the presumption that you should NOT receive a visa.  You are responsible for convincing the consulate that you should receive a visa.

This is the “secret” of the visa interview.  Not such a secret, right?  There is no magic formula.  Either you prove to the consulate the four points enumerated above, and you get a visa, or you don’t, and you don’t.  It’s difficult, definitely – but it’s not hard to understand.

Tomorrow we’ll talk a little about how you can go about proving the above four points effectively.

ONE VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: Each consulate is going to have additional requirements of visa applicants.  These requirements are going to be slightly different for each country.  Before you apply for a visa, YOU MUST THOROUGHLY REVIEW THE INFORMATION PROVIDED BY THE U.S. EMBASSY IN YOUR OWN COUNTRY. Do not rely on overviews (such as this one) as your sole source of information.

Posts in this Series

1. Preparing For A Visa Interview, Part Three - 16 Jul
2. Preparing For A Visa Interview, Part Two (This post)
3. Preparing For A Visa Interview, Part One - 14 Jul

As we move into the summer, many international students, who have already had the good fortune of being accepted to U.S. universities, are now preparing for their visa interviews.

The visa process understandably causes international students a great deal of stress.  Every year you hear terrible stories of visa delays – or even of outright refusals – that negatively impact students.

In order to help those students who are currently preparing for a visa interview, we at myUface thought we’d put together a short, three part series on the visa interview and how you can give yourself the best chance to pass it.

In today’s post – Part One – I’m going to explore some misconceptions of the visa interview process, and speculate as to how those misconceptions arose.  In Part Two we’re going to look at what it is a visa interview is designed to prove, and in Part Three we’ll look at strategies for succesfully conducting your own interview.

The Most Common Misunderstanding About The Visa Interview

The single most common misunderstanding about the visa interview is that there is some secret, some strategy, or some trick that you have to know in order to “pass” your interview.   On international student forums a common question I see is, “How do I answer in order to pass my visa interview?”

This questions assumes that there are correct answers – that there are a set of things that, if you say them, will convince the consular officer to give you a visa.

In some countries, people go so far as to accuse the consulate of outright corruption.  The secret, they say,  is that you have to give money.  Or you have to know someone.  Or you have to be a member of a certain political party. And so on and so forth.

These misconceptions arise because the visa process very rarely provides any feedback to those it rejects.  It’s rare that a consular officer will tell you, specifically, the information he or she either found or did not find that led him or her to deny your application.  Without concrete information, students who are rejected are forced to guess about why they were rejected.  It’s not surprising that they come up with a number of ideas that aren’t really accurate.

This lack of information is further taken advantage of by unscrupulous companies or individuals who claim to have all the answers. They prey on the uncertainty of others, claiming to be able to “promise” that you will pass your visa interview, so long as you pay for their service (and that service might be interview preparation, filling out forms, whatever).

I have a suggestion for all international students:  throw out the idea that there is a secret formula, or a conspiracy.  Accept the possibility that the visa process for international students is very straightforward.

You can even find the “secret” of the visa interview on the webpage of your U.S. Embassy!!!

Tomorrow we’ll talk about the reality of the visa process, and what information it’s looking for.

Posts in this Series

1. Preparing For A Visa Interview, Part Three - 16 Jul
2. Preparing For A Visa Interview, Part Two - 15 Jul
3. Preparing For A Visa Interview, Part One (This post)

In today and tomorrow’s post I’m going to speak very briefly about two supposed reasons not to study in the U.S.  Occasionally I’ve heard these from  students.

Reason #1:  It’s too hard to get a visa

Verdict: FALSE

You do hear about a number of international students who don’t get visas to the U.S.  The process also seems complicated, filled with all kinds of strange-sounding documents like I-20s.  The truth is, though, when you hack through all the confusion, the process of getting a U.S. visa is really quite simple:

1. You apply to a university in the U.S.
2. The school accepts you and send you some documents you need to apply for a visa
3. You apply for a visa interview at the U.S. Embassy, and go to the interview with the necessary documents
4. The embassy approves your application and puts a visa in your passport
5. You get on a plane for the U.S.

Now, there are certain steps of the process which do present real difficulties for large numbers of international students.  Quite often the above scenario can become much more complicated (and throughout the year we’ll talk a lot more about visas).  But for the majority of international students the process – though long – ends in success. It’s also worth mentioning  here that many think the Obama administration may be more open to international students.

The bottom line is that, for most students,  if you’re serious about studying in the U.S., the visa process is more of a hassle than a real disadvantage.

For Your Consideration:

Have you hear horror stories of students not getting U.S. visas?  Please share them with us!

SERIES:  Why study in the U.S.?

• April 20 – Introduction
• April 21 – Diversity at U.S. campuses
• April 22 – Value of U.S. degrees
• April 23 – The Facilities
  
• April 24 – Practical focus of U.S. education
• April 25 – Variety of U.S. programs
• April 26 – The supposed disadvantages of study in the U.S.: visas
  
• April 27 - The supposed disadvantages of study in the U.S.: cost
  
• April 28 - Some real disadvantages of study in the U.S.:  it might not help in your profession
• April 29 – Some real disadvantages of study in the U.S.: will you fit in “going back?”
• April 30 – Other disadvantages
• May 1 – So, should you study in the U.S.?