Immigration to the United States is one of the most tasking things to do for immigrants all over the world. There are various reasons why immigrants choose to move to the United States, ranging from security, employment, marriage, tourism to education. Education is an important thing, and one of the most sought after legacies in the world. Studying in a foreign country is an adventure on its own as it requires a lot of energy, zeal, and a lot of activities. Over the years, millions of international students have been trooping into the United States to have better education due to the various good rated schools that are located in the country. Due to the increase in the population of immigrants that travel to the United States every year, the US student visa has not been easy to get like it was in the olden days. The reason for the reduction in the rate at which the visa is being given is to regulate immigration value that has been skyrocketing in the past years. Many students in various countries of the world who are willing to study in the United States are not well informed about the steps to getting a United States visa which is why a lot of student visa application gets denied. Below are a few important steps you need to take to get the United States student visa:

Get the needed certificates – before applying for the student visa, it is very important to investigate the school certificates you need at your level. If you don’t have the necessary document, you will not be able to apply for the schools you wish to attend in the United States. Most schools can be applied online but before doing so; you have to send a copy of the needed school certificates. Certificates vary depending on the country you are applying from, below are some constant important certificates that you need:

  • High school certificate: most immigrants travel to the United States for their tertiary education. To apply for colleges and universities in the country, you need a certificate that will serve as the high school leaving certificate depending on the part of the world you are applying from. A good example is the West African Secondary School Certificate, which serves as the high school leaving certificate in the whole of West Africa.
  • Bank statement: It is important to attach the account statement of your sponsor to your documents to show that you are buoyant enough to study and live comfortably in the United States.
  • Testimonial and transcript: You need the high school leaving testimonial which is a certificate in which your conduct in high school will be highlighted and the high school transcript which embodies your academic performance in the high school.

In some cases, a lot of people do write “VISA ESTA” together thinking they should be together. Well, Visa is different from ESTA. The question, do i need an esta if i have a visa? Should be answered before planning a trip to the US. You do not need an ESTA if you have a visa because ESTA is for citizens of countries that belong to the visa waiver program countries.

Application – applying for schools in the United States is not a difficult task as most schools can be applied for online. Each school has its different way of receiving applications; some schools receive applications online through scanned documents while some require you to mail the documents to the school. All you need to do is to go to the site of the school, know their mode of application, gather the required documents, and send them. Some schools require application fees while some are free. After a successful application, you will be replied in a short time; you just need to wait for the admission message or denial message.

Visa Application – After being granted admission into the school of your choice, the next thing to do is to apply for a student visa. Applying for a student visa is also very easy and can be done online. All you need to do is to pay for the visa application fees through your bank card online and apply. After applying, an interview date will be fixed for you; then you should wait and prepare for the interview.

Interview – The visa interview is the final step of getting the United States student visa. The interview makes a lot of students panic because it is their first time attending such an interview or because of the excitement of going through the final stage of getting the visa. The things that should be done before attending the interview are to make sure you get the necessary documents ready, prepare your mind for the interview, and do not panic. On the day of the interview, make sure you get to the interview environment about two hours before the scheduled time.

As a prospective student should prepare ahead of time. Never rely on travel consultants because they will never know you the way you know yourself. If you plan well, in no time, you will find yourself studying in the United States.