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F1 VISA INTERVIEW TIPS and FAQs

Documents, Dress and Timings

A. Documents
Mandatory (Original / Printed Copies)
Appointment Confirmation Page
DS160
I20 (original)
SEVIS Fee payment
Visa Fee Payment Proof
Take 3 photos (just in case)
Original Passport

Financial documents NOT mandatory but helpful

ITR or CA Letter (Income Tax related document)
Bank Statement (s) documents
Bank Letter

Suppl. Documents NOT mandatory but helpful

Degree/Certificates
Publications
GRE/IELTS

How to carry: Use Plastic Office Folder White or Black to organize your documents.
Get it from stationary whatever suits you the best. Keep it simple.

B. Dressing KEEP IT SIMPLE

Men Business Formals (Best)
White Shirt: Plain or Graphs Checks/Windowpane/Gingham or Other Color Plain
Shirts: Avoid Bright Colors.
Tie and Blazer are optional.
Women Business Formals or Casuals (Best)
Avoid Unrelated items: Gadgets, watches, air pods, jewelry, makeup etc.

C. Timings
Arrived 1 hour earlier to your OFC and Interview Location

Use this document as guide for answering the questions.

This information is subjected to change, so do your due-diligence
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FAQs: DS-160, SEVIS & University

A. OFC and Visa Appointments
What is an OFC?
OFC or VAC is called Offsite Facilitation Center aka Visa Application Center where
you go for fingerprints/biometrics prior to your visa interview

What is Visa Appointment?

Visa Appointment also known as Consulate Appointment or Visa Interview
Appointment where you interview with Visa Officer for an Interview

Can I Book OFC and VI Separately?

No, you . Both needs to be book at a time

Can I Book OFC and VI in Different Cities?

Yes. It solely based on availability

Once I attend OFC can I cancel or change my Visa Appointment?

Not recommended but you need to contact CGI support for help on this

B. Funding Questions
Who can fund my education?
Parents, Self, University (funded), Bank, Third-party Loan
Not recommended but situational: Sibling or Uncle (if such, signed and notarized
with full details of both entities along with official bank statement, etc.)
Can I show multiple entities funding? Yes. From Above List

What are the different sources of funding I can show?

Personal Funds. Father/Mother Savings, Provident Fund, Mutual Fund
Not Recommended: Gold. Property. Stocks. Crypto etc.

How many months statement I can show?

No recommendation. 3months to 1 year is fine. If you sold an asset recently and
deposited money few days ago, it should fine as long as you can justify.

Golden Formula: Total Funds = Full Univ. Fees + 2 Years of Living Expenses

Use this document as guide for answering the questions.

This information is subjected to change, so do your due-diligence
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C. DS-160
If I made a mistake, can I edit DS-160?
Yes. Follow below steps:
Open CEAC DS160 website
Retrieve Existing DS160 enter old #
Create a new DS160
A new prefilled Ds160 will open in EDIT mode
Make necessary changes and submit it

What is Entity Paying for your trip?

It should be the person who you listed as sponsor in our i20 as well as you are
mentioning in Visa Interview

What should I do if I have multiple sponsor?

If you have multiple sponsors, the entity who is paying majority of the funds
becomes the primary and entity paying remaining of funds becomes your
secondary. In this case, mention any one of these Primary or Secondary in the
Entity section of DS160

What is Primary Occupation?

Student if graduated within 6-9 months period.
If more than 9 months use Un-employed

What is US Contact?
University DSO the person from International Office who sent you the DS160
should be the US contact

Use this document as guide for answering the questions.

This information is subjected to change, so do your due-diligence
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D. SEVIS Fee and Visa Appointment Fee

Do I need to pay SEVIS Fee again if change my university?
No. SEVIS payment needs to be made only once. You can easily transfer it

Do I need to pay Visa Appointment Fee again if change my university?

No. Visa Appointment Fee is valid until 1 year or you attend the Visa Interview

How many times I can change my Visa Appointment?

You can change 4 times. After that it will warn you that your Fees is invalid

How to change my University after SEVIS Paid. DS160 is submitted and

Interview Date Booked?
1. Go to FMJEE Website and fill all details for payment status
2. Click on your i901 record
3. Fill new SEVIS ID and School Code
You will get a new SEVIS number
4. Fill new DS-160 for new Univ
5. Login to CGI and update DS-160 and SEVIS
If you are unable to do that contact CGI Helpdesk

E. CGI Logins and Errors

What is the recommended number of login times per day?
Login 3-4 times a day and check for 2 cities at a time
Or Login 2 times a day and check all locations

What is the recommended number of clicks per day?

Not more than 12 clicks otherwise it will lead to max out error

What is 72 hour freeze can I bypass it?

This is suspicious activity account freeze can happen due to several refreshes in
CGI. There is no way to bypass but to wait for 3 days to unfreeze your account.

Unable to book Visa appointment, getting error?

Try these: Private window or Incognito Mode. Clear History. Mobile Login. Etc.

Use this document as guide for answering the questions.

This information is subjected to change, so do your due-diligence
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F. University
Total Number of Universities I can apply?
Average Number is 4-5

Do I need to mention all Universities I have applied?

Mention everything honestly its best practice.
Based on my opinion the VO will know all i20s you received for sure also admits
may be.

Can I change my university after taking an appointment?

Yes. You can change after taking appointment.
But follow these steps:
1. Fill new DS160
2. Make a SEVIS transfer via FMJEE page (if already)
3. Update CGI with new SEVIS # and DS160 #

Can I attend OFC without I20?

You might be able to attend OFC without I20. But not best practice.
Mandatory documents for OFC are as follows:
Passport
Appointment Confirmation Copy
DS160
Visa Fee Receipt
Please have all your documents like I20, SEVIS Fee, Academics, Degree, and
Financial documents before Visa Appointment

G. CGI Support Email and Phone

Phone: +91-120-484-4644 or +91-40-4625-8222
Email: support-india@ustraveldocs.com
SKYPE: ustraveldocs-india
8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Monday to Friday and Sunday from 9:00 to 6:00 PM

Use this document as guide for answering the questions.

This information is subjected to change, so do your due-diligence