On Road to the US for Studies - PART 3- Admits and Visa Preparations

You usually get a response from the universities by April end. I know you will feel like tearing up the reject letters but please keep them, they maybe required later. You need to accept the offer to attend a particular university. Once confirmed, the university will mail you about any additional documents you need to send them before they send you the I-20. UMich required us to resend the financial proof and all marks sheets, along with the completed financial form of the university.

Once you recieve your I-20, you start the visa application procedure. I suggest you join the VISA community on orkut and read the stuff thoroughly before applying. It is very helpful. In fact even for all other parts of your application you can refer to the communities in orkut, people post their experiences there. I am posting some links, which will guide u abt the visa procedure, after which I will post my own experience.

http://www.rediff.com/getahead/2007/apr/16abr.htm - a very good site
http://www.orkut.com/CommMsgs.aspx?cmm=12398107&tid=2460964652289470768
https://www.vfs-usa.co.in/Home.aspx
http://kolkata.usconsulate.gov/
http://www.ttsvisas.com/

Nor for my experience : I payed the reqd fees at HDFC bank in New Alipore. AFter 2 days you can register at the vfs site and start the appl procedure. There are 3 forms that you will need to fill. Total time taken exceeds 1 hr, and you can always go back and change the form anytime. Once the forms are ready, take printouts. Get your photograph clicked as per the US Visa requirements (ears shud show, white b/g,etc) just 1 photo is needed. Dont forget to write ur name in native alphabet once you print the forms. Also, sign all forms and your I-20. Pay your SEVIS fees online by going to www.ice.gov .
the documents you will need for the visa interview are as follows : (Please go thru some sites and take anything else i might've missed.... this is the general list that i followed)

passport,
sevis fee receipt,
interview letter,
i-20, admission letter,
admits/rejects from all univs
correspondence with all univs
GRE/TOEFL scores (original)
resume,SOP
Affidavit of Support (on stamp paper)
IT Returns, Salary slips of sponser
consolidated financial statement( stmt of all d finances, attested by CA)
bank statement, passbook
originals of all the forms of wealth shown (FD receipt, wealth tax sheet, insurance, etc)
BE cert, marks sheets, transcripts
10th n 12th marks sheets
other certificates
your work record, all related docments
Driving License, PAN card, and other identities
other I-20's.

YES you actually have to take all these docs, and please make sure your finances are in order before going..you need to show enough money to get through your entire education in the US, not just for the first year.

Once ur there you will be put thru a security check, no cell phones are allowed. Then you go to a counter where they take your documents (I-20,apointment letter, admission letter, HDFC yellow receipt,DS forms, IT returns,bank stmts,affidavit of support,passport) and ask you to correct any mistakes that you might've made in your forms((The person there will point out the mistakes..so dont worry about that). Then you wait. There are 2 counters where they take your interview. They call out your name in an american accent, so listen carefully everytime a name is called out. The television is on, so u might have difficulty in hearing the names.

My visa interview went pretty smoothly. It was taken by a lady,she just asked me if I was Kumud Bihani , what my parents n siblings do n whether I had any relatives in the US.Also, whether I had travelled abroad before.
Please read experiences others have had before going.

That's all for now, Please ask me anythin you wish to know, I'll try to answer........