It’s that time of the year! While getting acceptances from grad schools and top internship programs would be exhilarating, it also leaves you perplexed about the daunting visa process ahead. The severe appointment backlogs due to COVID-19 only adds to the complexity.
Here’s a short guide on how to navigate through the visa application procedure, for some of the commonly sought after countries. The information provided here is based upon the experience of previous interns, and is not an official source in any way. You are advised to also refer to the official Consular Information sources for updated information.
United States
While internships in the United States are the most sought after and difficult to get, the same is true for their visas :)
Visas for graduate programs fall under the F-1 category. Short term visas for internships in the US fall under two categories, F-1 and J-1. The nature of the internship, and the sponsor determines the applicable category. Academic internships, where the University or the US Department of State is not the primary sponsor, falls under the F-1 visa category. Academic internships funded by a sponsor in the US through a program, and other internships fall under the J-1 visa category. Among the commonly pursued ones, Caltech SURF, IUSSTF-Viterbi India, SN Bose & Khorana programs fall under the F-1 visa category, while CMU’s RISS falls under the J-1 visa category.
The application process for both F-1, and J-1 visas is more or less the same, except for the terms used for the form.
Once accepted to a program, the first step is to get the Form I-20 issued from your school, in case of an F-1 visa. Incase of a J-1 visa, the program administrator has to issue you the Form DS-2019. These are official documents issued by the US Department of State that act as a proof that you have been accepted to a designated program, and this form would be the basis of your visa application. Starting the last few years, digital versions of these forms are sufficient. The Form I-20/ DS-2019 would mention the SEVIS ID, which is what is to be filled in the application.
Once you receive the Form I-20/ DS-2019, the next step is to fill out the Online Non-Immigrant Visa Application (DS-160). Head to https://ceac.state.gov/genniv/ , select any consulate within India from the drop-down menu, and proceed with the application. Make a note of the reference number and the security question - you’ll need it to retrieve the saved form later. The form involves various details to be completed, including passport details, references, program and tentative travel dates. Note that you do not necessarily have to schedule your interview in the same consulate that you have selected on the initial page. Once you fill out the application, which takes roughly 60-90 minutes, submit the application. This would give you a confirmation page with a barcode, that you have to print and carry alongwith you for the further process.
Remember, you have just submitted an application, and that doesn’t mean anything! The next process is to book an appointment. The physical process after submitting the online application happens in two stages - first, you go to a Visa Application Center (VAC), also known as an Off-site Facilitation Center (OFC) to verify your documents and get your photograph and biometrics recorded against your application. Next, you go to the Consulate / Embassy to give your interview, wherein the Consular officer asks you a series of questions to determine your eligibility for the applied visa, and makes a decision on granting the visa.
The appointment booking process involves booking appointments for both the OFC visit as well as Consular interview. Head to https://cgifederal.secure.force.com/ and register a profile. Go ahead and fill in the details corresponding to your application, and enter the DS-160 confirmation number from the previous step when prompted. Note that you need not complete filling the DS-160 form to start this step - you just need the reference number that is generated once you start filling DS-160. Also enter the SEVIS ID mentioned in your Form I-20/ DS-2019. Submit the form once you’ve ensured all the details have been entered correctly. You now need to pay the MRV Appointment Fee, which is currently 185 USD. This could be either done through NEFT transfer, or could be paid over the cash counter at an Axis Bank or Citi Bank branch. Once the payment is made, it may take 1 - 2 days for the portal to update the records, and it would now allow you to proceed with booking an appointment.
The most daunting task is now to book an appointment. As mentioned, you have to book both OFC as well as Consular appointments together. Note that these could be in any pair of OFC & Consulate across India, irrespective of the Consulate that would have appeared on the previous step based on your state of residence. Once you find an available appointment for both OFC & Consulate on a suitable set of dates, you can go ahead and book them. Due to severe backlog on account of COVID-19, the appointment slots that are released get booked instantly - you might have to try multiple times, including at odd hours, to hope to secure an appointment. Keep in mind that there is a limit on the number of clicks allowed on the website per day, after which you get logged out for the day. Also note that two consecutive logins have to be atleast spaced apart by 4-6 hours, failing which your account will be frozen for 72 hours. We understand that this is a nerve-wrecking process; we wish you good luck :)
Update : The US Embassy in New Delhi has announced that bulk F-1 appointment slots would be released around mid-May. Be on the lookout for the same!
Once you have secured an appointment, you have to pay the I-901 SEVIS Fee, which is 350 USD. This fee is charged by the US Department of State to meet the expenses of maintaining and managing records of students entering the United States. Head to https://fmjfee.com and pay the I-901 SEVIS Fee against your SEVIS ID. Before paying, just confirm with your school/ program if they have already paid this for you. Ensure that you pay this fee atleast 3 business days before your scheduled consular appointment, as they need to verify this against the records in their database.
Go to the OFC and Consulate on the scheduled dates taking along with you all the required documents. If the program is not fully funded, you would have to show proof of personal funds. Be sure to carry all the required and related documents, as handling rejections would be tough given the narrow timeframe. If the interviewer decides to grant you the visa, they would retain your passport, and your passport would be dispatched to the OFC/ pick-up point/ delivered to the address as specified by you.
Note :
Bulk slots for F-1/ J-1 open up in the first week of June. If your program dates are flexible, see if they can start after the second week of June, so that you can manage an appointment before that.
If you realise you made a mistake in the DS-160 after booking an appointment, you can re-fill a new DS-160, and replace the new DS-160 number in the Edit Profile page on the https://cgifederal.secure.force.com/ website without having to go through the process of booking an appointment again.
Technically, F-1 visa applicants are eligible to apply for expedited appointments based on program start date. However the outcome of raising an expedited appointment is highly unpredictable, and you are advised to pick an “inconvenient” regular appointment slot, over the hopes of getting a better slot through an expedition request.
Conference visits come under B-1/B-2 category visas, and currently there is a severe backlog for this category.
Schengen States
Schengen visas apply for short-term (< 90 days) visits to any of Schengen states, which include most European countries. Popular programs such as DAAD & EPFL and those in ETH Zurich fall under this category. Although the granted visa is valid for travel throughout the Schengen region, the application has to be filed under a particular country’s center - i.e., the country of your primary travel.
Head to the VFS Global’s website corresponding to the country of intended travel. After creating an account, for Schengen visas choose one of the Visa Application Centers (and not the consulates), and select the appropriate visa category. Note that you can choose any application center irrespective of your state of residence.
Book an appointment, and fill out the application form. Certain programs like the DAAD-WISE might ask you to fill in specific details on the application form, and might also be able to expedite your appointment incase they’re unavailable. Stay in contact with your Program Administrator for such updates.
On the date of appointment, be there at the VFS Application Center alongwith all the specified documents. Schengen visa application doesn’t involve an interview: you just have to record your biometric information, get the document checklist verified, and pay the application fee. Your passport is collected, and if the visa is approved, it is stamped on your passport and delivered to your home address.
Importantly, Schengen visa application requires that you produce flight, accommodation and insurance bookings. If your travel plans are not concrete, it is recommended that you book refundable flight tickets and accommodations till you get the visa. There are some other options available as well: certain travel agents “block” flight tickets for a small fee (about 2k), and such an itinerary is sufficient for visa application. Similarly, if you find that you are unable to get a good deal on accommodations before the appointment, you can book Airbnb accommodations with zero pre-payment, or with dummy credit card details - the confirmation invoices received over email would be sufficient for the application process. However, do ensure that you book your actual flight tickets and accommodations well in advance to get a cheap deal :)
Note:
For Schengen visa applications for study/ internship programs, certain embassies, including the German Embassy, have granted an application fee waiver. If you find that you are eligible for a fee waiver, make sure to raise it strongly when the VFS staff asks you for the application fee; you still have to pay the VFS Service charge, which is close to 2k INR, but the larger fee charged by the Consulate is waived off.
There are restrictions on the number of days you can stay in the Schengen region within a 6 month period. So if you have been on a semester exchange to any of the Schengen states, and are applying for a Schengen visa for the second time, see that you satisfy this condition.
The Visa is granted for the exact number of days as mentioned on the application and supported by your flight tickets. However, a small buffer is provided should you want to change your departure date. Remember that once you cross the borders, the visa is valid only for the number of days specified in it.
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