MBA Visa USA

Hello sir, I am Sajjan Singh. I am from Allahabad. I want you to help me by providing me some information about the visa requirements to pursue MBA program from USA. Can you help me?

[Kiran Chandar]

As you have asked about the visa requirements to pursue MBA program from USA, I am giving you details about it
All accepted undergrad and graduate program (including MBA) students from India require an F1 visa stamping to get into the U.S. and stay there for the entire duration of the MBA course.

If you are applying for regular graduate programs (like an MBA degree or any other Masters program) or undergraduate courses, you’d need an ‘F category visa’. As the student, you will need an F1 visa and your dependents (if any) would need an F2 visa.

Just for your awareness, there are also the categories of non-immigrant visas like the ‘J visa’ (exchange visitors), ‘M visa’ (for vocational and non-academic programs) , ‘B visa’ (visitor) and of course the ever popular H1B and L1 categories (work permits).

The actual time to get a student visa isn’t much. But the background work needed e.g. getting all the visa requirements (documents, fees, etc) can be time consuming.

So wrap up the B School application process as early as possible (target admission rounds 1 and 2 preferably, skip Round 3) and leave about 3 months or more for the visa procedures.

Qualifying criteria for student visas

You’d first need to get an admission offer from a Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) certified business school.

These are the universities that can tap into the internet-based Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) and issue you the Form I-20 (the primary thing that sets the visa process going).

The form I-20 tells the visa officer what course you are enrolled for, with which b school, for how long etc.

There are 4 basic qualifying criteria:
– An admit from a SEVP certified university
– Proof of finances to fund the MBA (or any other graduate or undergrad) program
– Basic pre-requisites for the course
– Intention to come back to India after completing your study i.e. you are not a potential immigrant

F1 visa documents required for an application

Form I-20: You know what this is. It needs to be signed by the institution granting you the admission offer

– Passport: This should have a validity of at least 6 months beyond the intended period of stay in the U.S.

– Photograph (2” X 2”):
SEVIS Fee and F1 Visa fee: These need to be paid before you go for your F1 visa interview appointment. The SEVIS fee can be paid online with a credit card, while the F1 visa fee can be paid at an approved Indian bank.