Your F-1 visa interview will determine whether you are qualified to receive an F-1 student visa for the U.S. Assuming that you have prepared the appropriate documents and meet all of the F-1 visa requirements, an embassy official will approve your visa at his or her discretion.
Checklist of Materials: Steps A-E
A: Mandatory Documents:
- Current passport valid for at least one year
- A small, passport-size photograph
- Birth certificate
- Form DS-160
- Form I-20
- F1 Visa fee receipt
- SEVIS fee receipt
- All students, as well as their spouse and dependents, must be registered in SEVIS. Each dependent must have his or her own I-20 form (Lyon will mail these to you).
- Original interview appointment letter and one copy
- Proof of relationship to spouse and children if applicable (marriage certificate, birth certificates, identification cards, etc.)
B: Materials from Lyon College
- Form I-20 issued by Lyon (mandatory)
- Letter of admission
- Financial aid award letter or scholarship letter, if applicable
C: Materials Proving You Are An Excellent Student
- Original high school diploma along with marked sheets from previous institutions attended
- Relevant original test score sheets
- TOEFL/IELTS
- ACT (if applicable)
- Letters/certificates of academic awards in secondary school
D: Financial Documents Proving Your Support
You must prove to the U.S. embassy official that you have enough money to support at least one year of study at Lyon. Your support can include financial aid/scholarship awards, affadavits of support from relatives or friends, loans your family has secured. etc.
Please note that part 7 of your I-20 shows the amount of funding you must have available to cover your first year of expenses. This amount includes tuition and fees, living expenses, expenses of dependents (if applicable), and other expenses (if applicable). You must prove that you have funds immediately available to cover this amount.
Below are samples of documents that may help you prove your finances.
- Financial aid/scholarship awards from Lyon or your home country
- Official letters detailing any approved loans or scholarships you will receive
- Bank statements from the past six months and/or a letter from your bank stating that you have "XXX" amount of money
- Bank statements from the past six months showing savings or stock accounts
- Tax returns from the past three years from your family home or business (specifically Form 16)
- Letters from your parents' employers stating their salaries and job histories (if your parents are your financial sponsors)
- Notarized Form I-134 (Affadavit of Support) from any sponsors who have promised to support specific costs, such as room and board, books, etc.
- Letters of support from your sponsors
- Documents that prove your sponsors have the funds available to support their promised contributions (three years of bank statements and tax returns is recommended)
- Any other letters indicating financial support
E: Proof of Ties or Connections to Your Home Country & Plans to Return
It is important to prove to the U.S. embassy official that you have family, social, and career "ties" or "connections" to your home country. These "ties" will help assure the official that you plan to return home after completing your studies. Below are sample items that may help you prove your ties.
- Evidence that you have been offered a job when you return home
- Evidence that you plan to return to work in your family's business upon completion of your US education (if applicable)
- Proof of your interest in attending a graduate program in your native country when you return home
- Information about family members who have traveled or studied overseas and returned
- Information about your own previous travel to the U.S.
- Deed(s) proving that you own property in your home country (indicating intent to return)
- Fixed/non-movable assets valuation report
- Letters from prominent government officials (mayor, principal, congressman, etc.) offering assurance that you plan to return to your home country