Visa Appointment Tips

Make sure to have the following items with you for your Embassy Appointment:

• Application Form DS-160 Confirmation Page
• Your current Valid Passport
• Any academic or athletic scholarship letters
• Financial Evidence detailing source and amount of funding
  • Bring academic or athletic scholarship letters
  • Consular and immigration officers exercise considerable discretion in determining whether financial support exists and is sufficient to cover your entire period of stay. Prepare documentation that is thorough, consistent, credible and varied.
• Evidence of continuing ties  (such as family, career, or property) to your home country
  
  • "Ties" to your home country are the things that bind you to your hometown, homeland, or current place of residence (i.e., job, family, financial prospects that you own or will inherit, investments, etc.). 
• Acceptance letter from FGCU and or current program of study
• Any previous I-20’s (If Applicable)
• Unofficial Transcript (If Applicable)

Anticipate that the interview will be conducted in English and not in your native language. One suggestion is to practice English conversation with a native speaker before the interview. If you are coming to the United States solely to study intensive English, be prepared to explain how English will be useful for you in your home country.

If you are not able to articulate the reasons you will study in a particular program in the United States, you may not succeed in convincing the consular officer that you are indeed planning to study, rather than to immigrate. You should also be able to explain how studying in the United States relates to your future professional career in your home country.

Because of the volume of applications that are received, all consular officers are under considerable time pressure to conduct a quick and efficient interview. They must make a decision, for the most part, on the impressions they form during the first minute or two of the interview. Consequently, what you say first and the initial impression you create are critical to your success. Keep your answers to the officer's questions short and to the point.

Your main purpose of coming to the United States should be to study, not for the chance to work before or after graduation. While many students do work off-campus during their studies, such employment is incidental to their main purpose of completing their US education. 

You must be able to clearly articulate your plan to return home at the end of your program.  If your spouse and children are remaining behind in your home country, be prepared to explain how they will support themselves in your absence. If they are accompanying you to the U.S., be prepared to show proof of adequate funding. 

• Prepare for Your Visa Interview
• F1 Visa Interview Questions and Answers
• F-1 Visa Interview:  Questions & Answers Guide for Students
• 65 Questions to Prepare for the F1 Visa Interview