Things to do after getting an acceptance letter
Getting ready for the U.S. Departure — Part 1
Did you just receive an offer letter from your dream school or a confirmation letter for a scholarship? Well, first of all, congratulations. You have made it. The next step is planning your departure.
1. Apply for a passport
Get your passport ready because this is the beginning of a new stage of the game. If you already have the passport, skip to the next step.
Now no one will tell you this, but you want to dress up nicely and do your hair/makeup since you will have this photo on the passport for at least 5 years from now on. It should be satisfying, right? :)
Take all your documents and visit your nearest passport office. It can take up to one week for an urgent passport to get delivered and up to 20 days for the normal delivery.
A pro tip, be very careful at this stage and make sure every detail in your passport is correct and corresponds to all your academic credentials. Double-check your date of birth and spellings in yours and your father’s/guardian’s/spouse’s name. Make sure that it matches all of your degrees and transcripts.
2. Apply for U.S. Visa
Now, depending on your sponsorship, your visa category will be different. I’ll go through the details here:
- If you are sponsoring your degree yourself, or a professor/university is sponsoring you, you will be applying for an F-1 visa based on an i20 form from your school. Look out for the email from a focal person at your department, it will have information about your SEVIS ID. You will need to pay a SEVIS fee and once you get your i20 in hand, you can apply for an F-1 visa.
- If you are on a state-sponsored scholarship, like HEC, or Fulbright, you will be applying for a J-1 visa based on DS-2019 provided by the program sponsor.
3. Applying for dependant’s Visa
If you plan to sponsor your family while being on an F-1 visa, that will be through the international services at your university and you will apply for an F-2 visa for your dependents. Similarly, for J-1 visa holders, a spouse or family visa would be J-2. The notable difference is that J-2 visa holders are authorized to work in the U.S., unlike F-2 visa holders.
If you have additional questions, please refer to our recorded webinars and comment if your query hasn’t been answered. Our team will get back to you.
Visa process webinar: https://fb.watch/69-kJIW89X/
F Visa webinar: https://fb.watch/69-nOVYyk9/
J Visa webinar: https://fb.watch/69-qj8H3Gq/
