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Appointment Booking: What You Need to Know
If your visa appointment was cancelled earlier — say in March or April due to the COVID situation — I know it feels like you deserve priority. Unfortunately, the embassy made it clear that no special preference is given to students whose appointments were cancelled. You will need to follow the regular route and book a fresh appointment just like everyone else.
On the topic of emergency appointments: a lot of students have been trying to grab an EA slot, typically available 60 days before a college start date. The embassy clarified that because thousands of regular slots are being released for July and August, an emergency appointment should not be necessary for fall semester students. If you are going to the US for the fall, you should be able to secure a regular appointment.
There were also several complaints about the booking website crashing, freezing, or blocking users who refreshed too many times. The embassy acknowledged these technical glitches but said they cannot be resolved immediately. Their advice: be patient, do not refresh the page repeatedly, and pace out your attempts. Getting blocked only makes things harder.
On interview locations: the embassy encouraged students to book at the consulate closest to home to avoid unnecessary travel. That said, there is no rule preventing you from booking at a different embassy if that is where you can find a slot. If your nearest embassy is fully booked, go ahead and travel to whichever location works.
And if you are worried about another round of cancellations — the embassy gave a reassurance that consulates are now back to functioning normally and that, for the next two to three months at least, all appointments will be honoured.
Travel Guidelines for F1 Students
Can parents travel with their child to the US?
Many parents asked whether they could apply for a B2 visa to accompany their child and help them settle in. The answer was a clear no. Due to the COVID situation, B2 visas are not being issued, and the embassy does not want to encourage non-essential travel. This year, students will need to travel to the US on their own.
Quarantine and vaccination requirements
There is no single country-wide or state-wide rule on quarantine or vaccination — these requirements vary by university. Check directly with your university well in advance to find out what they require. Some universities are not accepting Indian vaccines and will ask students to get vaccinated again after arrival. Others may simply require a quarantine period. Follow whatever your specific university asks.
When can you travel for the fall semester?
If your course starts on or after 1st August, you are allowed to travel to the US 30 days before your college start date. So if your program begins on 1st August, you can travel from 1st July onwards. Fall semester students do not need to apply for a National Interest Exemption (NIE) — you are automatically covered.
However, if your course start date is before 1st August — meaning you are attending a summer semester — you will need to apply for an NIE separately. The same 30-day rule and the NIE exemption also apply to students under OPT and CPT, as long as their resume date is after 1st August.
University and Admission-Related Updates
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Book a Mock InterviewOn the SEVIS fee: if you paid the SEVIS fee last year but your admission was deferred, the fee is only valid for one year — so you will likely need to pay it again. That said, the embassy representatives seemed uncertain while answering this, and there was some internal discussion. I would strongly recommend checking with your university directly to confirm whether you need to pay again before you do.
On GRE and TOEFL scores: if your university has waived the GRE or TOEFL requirement, you do not need to sit the exam just for the sake of the visa interview. The embassy made this clear. If the university does not require it, neither does the visa officer.
Interview Day: Documents, I-20, Fees, and Vaccination
What documents do you need to carry?
The embassy kept this brief. The essential documents are your passport, your I-20, and your SEVIS fee receipt. Beyond these, you will need documents to demonstrate your financial proof. I have said this many times — financial proof documents are the most important part of your F1 visa interview. Make sure these are organised and complete before you walk in.
Do you need a physical copy of your I-20?
In previous years, a physical copy of the I-20 was standard. This year, due to COVID, a digital or online copy of your I-20 is sufficient. You do not need a physical printout.
What about the MRV fee — do you need to pay again?
The MRV fee (your visa interview fee) is normally valid for one year. The embassy said they are working on offering an extension to students who paid last year but could not attend their interview. They were not completely definitive about this, so if you are in that situation, I would recommend dropping an email to the embassy helpline to clarify before paying again.
Does vaccination affect your visa interview?
No. Vaccinated students will not receive any preferential treatment at the interview window — everyone is assessed the same way. And to answer the question I have been getting a lot in my DMs: you do not need to show a negative COVID test to attend your visa interview.
Updates on Other Visa Categories
If you or someone you know is waiting on other visa types, here are the updates the embassy shared. Dropbox applications for H1B and C1/D visas were expected to resume within a week of the announcement — which will be a relief to many people in those categories.
M1 visa holders follow the same travel rules as F1 — they can travel 30 days before their college start date, provided that date is after 1st August.
J1 visa holders going to work in the medical field can also apply and plan travel after August, but they will need to apply for a National Interest Exemption. The embassy said this process is fairly simple — all you need to do is send an email to the embassy and they will grant it.
On the presidential proclamation and the travel ban affecting tourists and other visa categories: no clarity was given on when these will be lifted. The embassy representative indicated this was beyond his level of information. What he did confirm is that immigrant visas are starting to be processed in small quantities, with numbers expected to grow in the coming weeks.
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