5 Tips To Avoid US Student Visa Rejection

The US is the topmost destination for Indian students dreaming of a quality higher education abroad. Every year, more than Half the students from India going abroad are heading there for higher studies. This heavy competition for a US Visa has led to the selection criteria becoming stricter, which is why getting one granted now is difficult.

Worry not for here are 5 things you should know about US Student Visa applications that’ll avoid your’s getting rejected.

Your financial situation matters a lot

One of the key things that the Visa Officials will be looking at is, if you are able to finance your education, either by yourself or through your parents/other close relatives. For this purpose, you’d be required to produce an affidavit and bank letters as proof showing that your parents would support your education. If your parents own a business, then the documents indicating the profit/loss of that business for the past two years would also have to be shown, including property documents. It’d help your cause very much if you demonstrate as having enough bank balance to fund your entire study abroad expenses.

They are looking for Confident, Honest, and Organized individuals

Typically interviews last only for 3-4 minutes, so go in there with a side of yours that you want them to see. Be punctual, dress formally and present yourself smartly.
Within a span of few minutes, the Visa Officers would build a mental image of yours based on your individual profile. Practise your story beforehand and be aware of any potential sticky spots in your narrative. Outline why you are going to study the chosen course and how you zeroed in on the college/university abroad. Organize the necessary documents in a Harmonium folder which has lots of subfolders, so that you can easily display the documents to the officer. Your body language also matters a lot, being confident is the key. Another important thing to remember, be honest with the details you furnish. If you get caught for providing false information, you can even get permanently denied entry to the US.

Be prepared with your motto and a long term life plan

One of the key things that Visa Officials will be looking to deduce is your real motto of going abroad to study, that is if it’s for study purposes only or to immigrate to the US permanently. If you are trying for a study visa on the basis of applying to a dubious university/college in the US, then it would immediately raise red flags at the visa office. So choose a reputed college/university that is approved by Student and Exchange Visitors Program, Immigration and Customs Enforcement.Also, be prepared with the reason for choosing to study abroad, what your life plan is and how this study abroad experience will fit that plan. Ultimately, the visa officer is looking for an assurance that you are going to return back to your home country. This could be either strong family relations here or your long term plan involving coming back to India.pay international tution fee from india

Your academic credentials

The visa officer wants to ascertain your credibility as a good student. If your grades are not high or you have had a backlog in the past, you would have to explain the reasons behind it and how you are planning to not let a similar thing occur as a student in the US. Additionally, your English language skills would have to be good.
Also, a mediocre GPA and GRE score can become a big hindrance for getting a student visa. If your GPA is low, then better up your game & offset it with a good GRE score.

Read your interviewer and adapt accordingly

This is a very important step. Try to ascertain if your interviewer is in a hurry or not and accordingly trim your answers. If the conversation is going smoothly then you can indulge in slightly eloquent answers that’ll impress upon them your confidence and calmness.

To conclude, the Visa Officers at the embassy are looking for certain traits in a person that’ll help them make their decision fast in a few minutes of the interview time.  By keeping the above points in mind, you can stand apart from the crowd and make a favourable positive impression.

All the best!

Also Read: 10 Remittance rules every Indian student heading abroad should know

Comments

About The Author

Scroll to Top