When to Apply for F-1 Student Visa?

One of the most common and highly thought upon questions among study abroad students is - "When can I apply for F-1 visa?”. 

Once you decide on the college you will attend, and after you get a favourable decision from universities you have applied to, take a final call on which college you want to attend. Once you receive your I-20, an official endorsement of your academic acceptance by the chosen university, you can apply for F-1 Visa.

Moving on, to directly answering the question - "When should I apply for F1 visa?”

• 120 days before your program start date: As part of U.S. visa guidelines, visas cannot be issued more than 120 days earlier than the program start date indicated on your form I-20.
• After thorough preparation of your financial documents: Part 7 of I-20 indicates the amount required to cover the first year’s expenses. It includes not only tuition fees and living expenses, but also incidental expenses. Solvency certificate issued by your bank to get your I-20 may not be sufficient to show to the visa officer.

Suggested: How to Plan Financially for Your Visa?

Applying for a visa ahead of time of departure brings in a lot of benefits to you: In case of visa rejection: You must always have some time at hand in case your visa gets rejected. Your visa might get rejected If you are not able to convince the visa officers of your intention of returning back to your country after completing your course or your financial documents are not in place. If your travel dates are close and you face a visa rejection, you will start panicking. It is therefore advisable that you keep some buffer time. 

So, if we answer-” When can I apply for F1 visa after rejection?” 

You can reapply for your visa after you have rectified all the reasons for rejection. After your rejection reasons have been rectified, you can very well reapply within 3 months of your first visa application. 

Suggested: All about the 214b Visa Rejection!

Before you go ahead and schedule a visa interview, please make sure that you have completed the following steps:

• Paid the SEVIS fee
• Completed online DS-160 form and secured barcode confirmation number
• Paid MRV fee and secured payment receipt number
• You have your SEVIS number from the Form I-20 handy
• You have a passport valid for 6 months after your program end date

Register for F1 Visa Awareness Session⬅️

The processing time for a US F-1 visa varies, but it typically takes a 15 days to 2 months. Factors such as embassy workload and time of year can influence the duration. If a visa application is approved during a visa interview, the average processing time is 5-7 working days.

Suggested: Documents Required for US Visa Interview 

To answer when to apply for F1 visa, you should know that the visa application process is cumbersome and therefore it is important to start the application process as early as possible. Summers are the busiest months as many students are applying for visas at the same time. Early application leaves you with more time to make your travel arrangements. With an early visa you also get to decide on your Roommates: Getting an early visa leaves you with ample time to touch base with students going to the same university and select compatible roommates.