Your DS-2019 and SEVIS form which you received in this pack are important documents. Without them you can’t enter the country or get your visa, so KEEP THEM SAFE! If you lose them you will be charged a replacement fee!
There is a considerable amount of preparation involved for your appointment at the American Embassy and you must be organized or you will be turned away and will need to book another appointment.
Booking your appointment differs from country to country but you can usually do it online. If you have a local recruiter please contact them for assistance.
The Following is a list of Countries and the links you would need to follow to Book your appointment:
1. United Kingdom
2. Mexico
3. Colombia
4. Brazil
5. Spain
6. Ireland
7. Australia (Click here for the list of Embassies in Australia)
8. Netherlands
9. Dominican Republic
10. France
If your country is not listed above please go to, https://ais.usvisa-info.com/ and find your country.
Before you attend the embassy, you must, and we mean MUST, fill out an online form called DS-160. If you do not, you will be turned away at the embassy. It can be found here: https://ceac.state.gov/genniv/
You should of course make sure that as many fields as possible are completed and that the information is correct, but FYI, if any of the ‘critical fields’ are incorrect, your application will be rejected. Critical fields are: Location of Application (City where the Embassy is), Purpose of Travel (Student/Exchange Visa), Date of Birth and Gender. In addition, be sure that in the Travel Information section you select that your “purpose of trip” is Exchange Visitor (J), and under “specify” also select Exchange Visitor (J). Once you have it completed, print a copy of the confirmation page – this is also one of the documents you need to take with you to the embassy.
TIP: the DS160 will time out on you but don’t worry if it takes you a few goes before submitting.
Every time you create a DS-160 form, it will generate a unique application number. Make a note of this number because you will need it to log back into your form when it times out. If you do not make a note and save each section as you go, you will have to start all over again.
TIP: it will ask you to upload pictures in the standard American passport picture format which is 2”x2”. If you have trouble with this, just leave it blank as you can take some with you to the interview itself. High- street photography shops will be able to supply you with standard American passport pictures. You can find the specifications required for the photograph here http://travel.state.gov/content/visas/en/general/photos.html