F1 Visa Guide – American Colleges

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F-1 Student Visa Guide

Process, Documentation, and Ace that Visa Interview. Bonus 100+ interview questions and answers; Authored by the Former Vice President, US News Global Education

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Why this course is exceptional

The course is based on insider knowledge and experience!

Comprehensive Visa Guide with answers for all Real Visa Interview questions!

Start Date

On-demand

Video Lectures

92

Cost

$350

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Meet Your Instructor

Patriek Karayil

Founder, American Colleges
Former Vice President, US News Global Education
Masters, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Bachelors, Arizona State University (ASU)

Patriek Karayil was the former Vice President for U.S. News Global Education - the international arm of the U.S. News Rankings organization. In that capacity he has engaged with 100s of U.S universities, counseled over 5000 students, and being part of the engagement with U.S. Embassies and consulates.

Patriek has a Bachelors degree in Computer Science from ASU, and an MBA from MIT. He was an international student from India on an F-1 Visa, who then worked in the U.S. on an H-1B, before attaining his permanent residency and eventual citizenship. Patriek is considered as one of the foremost experts in U.S. Education for international students.

What will you learn

Doing your bachelor's degree here in the U.S. is perhaps one of the most transformative educational experiences of your life. During your bachelor's years you will be working and collaborating with students from around the world. You will be in teams with American students. It'll allow you to be a strong team player, but more importantly you will be able to develop your softer skills of being a strong leader. Perhaps the most distinct advantage is the fact that you will stand out from the rest of your peers back home. Not just in terms of your educational qualifications, but your career prospects.

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Video Topics

Welcome to the Insider's F-1 Student Visa Course

Let's look at what a curriculum is, and what you'll be studying regardless as to if you're choosing to major in computer science versus business. In the U.S. most of your academic years are going to be split into semesters, or it'll be quarters depending on the state you choose to enroll in. Each semester, you'll be taking a set of courses. To be considered full-time, which is why you need to be to have an F1 Student Visa status, you'll be taking a minimum of 12 credit hours.

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Video Topics

What the US embassy and other visa services don’t tell you - Part 1
What the US embassy and other visa services don’t tell you - Part 2
What the US embassy and other visa services don’t tell you - Part 3
Most important decision you will make
When is the ideal time to apply for the visa?
Scholarships and its impact on the Visa outcome

Now let's analyze different subject areas and understand what the scope of that is if you choose to do that for your bachelor's degrees. So let me take this video to help you understand what is that process like as an international student coming to the US after your high school to pursue a career in the medical, computer science or engineering field.

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Video Topics

Visa Process Explained, Part 1 - Criteria
Visa Process Explained, Part 2 - Before you apply
Visa Process Explained, Part 3 - The four steps

Let's talk about how do you find the right university? Well it starts by finding a list of universities that you should choose to apply to. enerally I would say students from India would apply to in the five to seven universities range. That's what a visa officer is also looking for. Now how do you go about finding the five to seven different universities?

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Video Topics

Visa Interview Overview
Visa Interview - Criteria #1
Visa Interview - Criteria #2
Visa Interview - Criteria #3

How do you finally pick the one university that you will enroll in? This is a good problem to have, and what I would do is provide a framework, so you can analyze which university you will eventually enroll in.

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Video Topics

Documentary evidence for Financial capability at the visa interview
Documents to carry for your visa interview

Now, let's talk about the work opportunity you'll have during your education and also post education. We've covered some of this in the earlier videos. But I wanted to have a succinct location where you can come back and play along the different opportunity you have and use that as a deciding factor in the university you're choosing to enroll in.

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Video Topics

Part 1 - DS-160 - Non Immigrant visa application & detailed instructions
Part 2 - Visa Fee Payment and Scheduling the Visa Appointment
Part 3 - SEVIS Fee Payment

In this section, let's talk about the tests hat you'll have to take in order to apply to a US university. Generally there are two kinds of tests. One is to prove your English ability, and the other is more of a college placement test to understand how skilled and academically proficient is the student to ensure they can give that student admissibility into their university. So let's talk about both of those criterias.

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Video Topics

Visa Interview Outcomes - What to expect?
Mock Interviews

Let's look at the employers that's hiring OPT students, but we won't just stop there. We'll also look at one of the top employers that's hiring H-1B visa applicants as well. And this is going to be important as you plan your entire journey.

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Video Topics

What you should do
Deconstruction of what went wrong and Preparation
When should you reapply?

Hopefuly you've lerned quite a bit trough this journey. We've talked a great deal about propects if studying in the US, despite all the unwelcoming policies so in changes in imigration. The US is a goal stander in higher education, and if you have the ability of doing so, then, obtaining an US degree, now is a perfect time for it, because American universities are making it much more accessible for international students to come here, and offering much more scholarships than they did when I
attend my degree here.

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Video Topics

How to respond in your Visa Interview
Why are you going to the US?
Why are you choosing to study in the US?
Why not choose to go to the UK or elsewhere?
Where all did you apply to?
How many universities did you apply to?
Why did you only apply to 1-2 universities?
Why are you choosing to enroll in this university?
Why study this major?
Why study this major at this particular university?
Why not study this major at University ABC?
What is your GRE score question (if you haven’t taken the GRE)?
Why is your GRE score low?
What if you got a job in the US?
Tell me about this university you are enrolling in?
Where did you do your bachelors or High School?
What is your bachelors or High School GPA?
What courses will be taking in your first semester?
When did you graduate and what have you been doing in all that time?
How long will you study in the US?
How did you come to know of this university?
Why did you apply to only these universities?
What professors will you be studying under?
What is the cost of your education?
What is the cost per credit hour?
What courses might be difficult for you?
Who is sponsoring your education?
What do your parents do?
What is your sponsor’s salary?
How are you financing your education?
Can I see your bank statement?
How many siblings do you have and follow up question on finances?
What are your siblings doing abroad?
Do you have a blood relative in the US with a greencard or citizenship?
Where are your siblings working in the US?
What do your distant relatives in the US do?
Why are you leaving your current job (assuming you are employed)?
What was your salary (assuming you were employed)?
Do you plan on working in the US?
What will do you when you come back after your degree?
Do you have a scholarship?
Why didn’t you get this scholarship?
Why should you be given the F1 student visa?
How are you affording your education in Year 2 and beyond?
What is the mascot for your university?
Why is your I-20 only 9 months long?

Hopefuly you've lerned quite a bit trough this journey. We've talked a great deal about propects if studying in the US, despite all the unwelcoming policies so in changes in imigration. The US is a goal stander in higher education, and if you have the ability of doing so, then, obtaining an US degree, now is a perfect time for it, because American universities are making it much more accessible for international students to come here, and offering much more scholarships than they did when I
attend my degree here.

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or
Get a Free Trial Lesson

Video Topics

What to expect at the consulate on your interview day
Mental Preparedness - How to stay focused

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Video Topics

Should I proceed now or wait and try my chances at better ranked university next year
What if my Visa date is too far out?
Will my B1/B2 visa cancelled with a F1 Visa (acceptance/rejection)?
What is a 221g?
Can I do Freelance working while on F-1 visa?
Do you have any relatives in the US?
How much funds do I need to show at the Visa Interview?
Can my relative in US sponsor me?
Can I change my selected university once I've applied for visa?
How can I transfer to a US university from an Indian University for Bachelors
Are some consulates or some visa officers lenient than others?
Should I renew passport before going to the US?
How to get an expedited visa appointment date?
What is the visa acceptance rate for an F1 visa in India?
Can I apply for visa at any consulate in India?
Will my previous B1/B2 rejection impact my F1 Visa?
What kind of students stand out in their F1 Visa interview?

After this course, you will be able to

U.S. Employability options

Have a comprehensive understanding of employment options during and after your degree - from Oncampus jobs, Internships, CPT, OPT, and the eventual H1-B. Learn from the never before seen material.

Subject Selection

Choose the right subject/major based on a industry trends, career prospects, and funding choices. Is it better to major in a STEM or BS in Business Analytics? Come find out in this course.

University Selection

Identify the right set of universities for your profile based on your academic records, test scores, and subject area. Find out how you can successfully pursue your bachelors degree in U.S.

Funding Sources

Learn about the funding avenues for you in the U.S. to pursue your masters degree.

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What students are saying

Akshat Kumar

University of Illinois at Chicago

When it comes to guiding someone through college applications there are loads of mentors, but the way Patriek guided me not only through my application process, but with my Visa interview preparation and even during my time at University of Illinois Chicago, I was able to take advantage of lots of opportunities on campus. I am sure I will keep achieving more under his supervision

Kanika Choudhary

University of Utah

This is an excellent course for any student in India appearing and preparing for an F-1 visa interview. It not only explains WHAT to answer but also the WHY.

Alvika Gautam

Brigham Young University

This course helped me with course selection and also helped me immensely with understanding the psychology behind the questions asked by the visa officer. I would highly recommend this course to all students aiming higher education in the U.S. Cheers!

Students who took the course are studying at

Who should enroll

(A) High School students currently in their last year
--
(B) College Students who want to continue their bachelor degree in the US
--
(C) Parents who are exploring the US higher ed market for their children

Anyone who is interested in pursuing a bachelors degree in the US.

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This course has been created after counseling over 5000+ students

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