Mandatory Documents

1. Form I-20A-B, Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant (F-1) Student Status-For Academic and Language Students: The I-20 form will be provided to you by your educational institution once you have accepted an offer of admission from the institution. The I-20 will contain such information as your name, address, name of college, intended major, cost of attendance, scholarships (if any), etc. Make sure all of this information is correct before you apply for your F1 visa. If any of the information on the I-20 is incorrect, contact the educational institution that provided you the I-20 and ask them to send you a new I-20 with the correct information. The I-20 must be signed by the designated school official and by you.
2. A completed application, Nonimmigrant Visa Applicant,Form DS-156, together with a Form DS-158. These are your F1 visa forms. You can get them online or obtain them from your nearest US Embassy. Both forms must be completed and signed by you.
3. A valid passport: The passport must be valid for at least 6 months beyond the date of your intended stay in the US. So if you plan to stay in the US for 4 years, your passport must be valid for at least 4.5 years.
4. One 2*2 photograph.
5. A MRV fee receipt and a SEVIS I-901 fee receipt.

Supporting Documents

1. Result sheets, diplomas, etc. from previous schools attended.
2. Standardized test scores that are required by the institution, eg. TOEFL, SAT, GRE, GMAT
3. Documents that prove the sponsors ability to pay for all tuition and living expenses incurred. This can be in the form of bank statements, pay stubs, income tax documents, business registration, etc.

Even with all documents in perfect order, there is no guarantee that a F1 visa will be issued. Therefore, it is a good idea not to buy non refundable tickets before the F1 visa is issued. Bit hopefully, if everything is in order, you will get your F1 visa to come and study in the United States.

Further reading: 10 Commonly Asked Questions at the F-1 Visa Interview

The visa interview is the last hurdle international students need to pass on their way to higher education in the US. In my experience, if you are a genuine student and have taken the SAT, TOEFL, obtained an I-20 from a decent school and have financial sponsors and related documents, the visa interview should not be much of a problem for you. However, it does not hurt to know the kind of questions the visa officer will be asking you. Mostly, the visa issuing officer is interested in finding out if you are really a student and are planning to return to your home country after your graduation. She will therefore be asking you probing questions to that end.

1. What are your career plans after graduation?

This is probably the most important question of all. A variation of this question can be, “If you were offered a job in the US after your graduation, would you take it”. Here the visa officer is primarily trying to find out if you are planning to return to your home country after graduation. Invariably, your answer should be that you are just going to the US to complete your education and that you plan to start your working career in your home country.

2. Why did you choose (name of your university)?

From this question, the interviewer wants to know if you put in some thought into choosing an university that fits your needs instead of randomly apply to a bunch of universities in hopes of getting an I-20.

3. How many colleges/universities did you apply to?

Most high school students in the US apply to multiple colleges. This way they increase their chances of being admitted into at least one college of their choosing. The visa officer wants to know that you are a serious student and planned for your study in the US by applying to multiple schools.

4. Why did you choose the USA as a destination for your higher education needs?

The visa officer wants to hear that you chose the USA because of the quality of education that it provides and not for the higher quality of life or job opportunities in the USA.

5. Why did you choose this (your major)?

You should choose a major that is related to your studies in high school. If you had been taking business classes in high school and virtually no science classes and your I-20 states that your major is Chemistry, chances are that your visa application will be rejected.

Other common questions that you might face during the visa interview:

6. What do your parents do?

7. Why don’t you want to study at a college in your home country?

8. Convince me that you are going to come back home after graduation.

9. Do you have any student loans?

10. Are you going to come back home during summers?