How to receive a Student Visa
To start the student visa process, PELA needs to make an “I-20 Form” for you.
When Do You Need to Apply for Your Student Visa?
Embassies and Consulates are able to issue your student visa as early as 120 days before the study start date shown on your I-20 form.
Students are encouraged to apply for their visa early to provide enough time for visa processing. Students may apply for their visa as soon as they are prepared to do so. It is recommended that you wait until you receive your Form I-20 before you make an interview appointment at the U.S. embassy or U.S. consulate.
Students can enter the U.S. no earlier than 30 days before the study start date shown on your I-20 form.
How to get an I-20 Form
You need to send PELA the following:
1. a scanned image/PDF of your passport
2. Your start date of study at PELA
3. How many months you want to study
4. a Bank Account Financial Statement*
5. Payment of PELA’s $95 Application Fee
*Bank Account Financial Statement: The bank account can be in your name or a sponsor's name. The bank can be in your home country or in the U.S. The statement cannot be older than 6 months. The amount should show a balance of no less than $2,295 USD for each month you want to study.
After PELA has all of the above items from you, it takes 2-3 business days to create an I-20. We will then email you the I-20 and an Acceptance Letter.
Important: Sign your name on the I-20 after you receive it.
After you receive your I-20 from PELA, you then need to apply for your Student Visa with U.S. government.
1. Pay the I-901 SEVIS Fee
You need to pay a I-901 SEVIS Fee to the U.S. government. The online SEVIS Fee form will ask for your SEVIS Number. This number is located on your I-20.
Currently, this fee is $350.
PELA can help you pay the SEVIS fee and send a receipt to you with your Form I-20. Just ask PELA!
2. Fill out the online DS-160 visa application
Three days after you pay the SEVIS fee, fill out the online DS-160 application.
Visit http://www.usembassy.gov to find your country’s U.S. embassy website. If you can't find an embassy to use, please contact PELA.
The DS-160 form can be found on your country’s U.S. embassy website.
Important: Once you complete the DS-160 form, print the Confirmation Page.
You will need to bring the DS-160 Confirmation Page to your interview.
The DS-160 Form might be very long to fill out. There are many webpages with many questions. So, make sure you give yourself a lot of time to complete it!
The DS-160 MUST be filled out in English.
You will need the following documents and information for fill out the DS-160 form:
- your passport
- your I-20 form (provided by PELA)
- your SEVIS number (listed on your I-20)
- your travel itinerary (if you have flight tickets, housing, expected arrival & departure dates)
- information about your sponsor (if you have a sponsor)
- the dates of most recent 5 visits to the U.S. (if you have been to the U.S. before)
- your personal details and contact information
- contact information for PELA (address, email, phone, also listed on your I-20)
- personal details and contact information of:
- your parents
- any close relatives already in the U.S. (brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, etc.)
- your husband/wife (or former husband/wife)
- your children
- people traveling with you
- details about your current and previous education history (both your high school and college education)
- details about your current and previous work history
- a color PHOTO (2-inch by 2-inch size) of your face & shoulders (it should look similar to your passport photo, and don’t wear your without glasses!)
3. Pay the Visa Application Fee
You also need to pay a Visa Application Fee to the U.S. government. On many websites it may also be called the "MRV Fee".
In most countries, this fee is either $160 or $185.
To pay this fee, go to https://www.ustraveldocs.com/ and find your country on the map. Look for "Visa Fees" and go to that page for more information about how to pay.
If you can't find where to pay this fee, just ask PELA!
4. Schedule your Visa Interview
After you have completed your DS-160, you need to schedule your visa interview. It can take a long time to get an appointment at the U.S. embassy or consulate near you. You can go here to see the Visa Appointment Wait Times in your country.
For most countries, to schedule your visa interview:
Go to https://www.usembassy.gov/ and click on your country on the list.
That will take you to a webpage that lists all the embassies or consulates in your country. Click on the location you want to do your interview at.
That will take you to the information webpage for that embassy or consulate. On that page, look for a link to "Visas", "U.S. Visa", "Student Visas", or "Nonimmigrant visas".
Each country's website will look a little different. So, trying to find the correct page to schedule your visa interview can be difficult sometimes. If you can't find the link, please ask PELA for help. We can help you find the correct page!
For example, if you are from Saudi Arabia, you would need to click on "Visas" and then "Nonimmigrant visas" to be sent to the correct webpage where you can schedule your visa interview.
5. Prepare for your Visa Interview
Now that you have scheduled your visa interview, you need to think about how you will answer questions they may ask you.
To have a successful interview, you need to prepare!
- Think about how you would respond to the questions below.
- Write short answers for each of them.
- Ask a friend or family member to ask you these questions, so you can practice your responses.
The visa interview can often be the one thing that prevents you from getting a visa. So, the more preparation you can do, the better chance you have of success!
There are 5 types of questions they might ask you:
- Why do you want to study in the U.S.?
- Why did you choose PELA?
- What is your English skill level?
- How will you pay for your education and living overseas?
- What are your future plans when you return home?
Common questions asked in the Visa Interview
Be prepared to answer:
- "Why did you pick PELA as your school?"
- "What do you like about PELA or Portland, Oregon?"
- "What do you think PELA can do for you?"
- "What are your long-term academic goals?"
- "How will studying overseas help you with your academic goals?"
- "How are planning to finance your overseas education?"
- "Are you planning on returning home to attend university or do you want to try to enter a university in the U.S.?"
- "Do you have friends or family already in the U.S.?"
During the interview, you may also be asked other questions.
Below are more specific questions they may ask you. Think about your answer to each of these questions!
Questions about your “Study plans”
NOTE: It is important to emphasize your connections to your home country and your future plans for employment in your home country. The interviewer wants to know about what you will do once you are back in your home country. Remember, earning a degree in the U.S. will improve your chances of getting a good job in your home country.
"Why do you want to study in the U.S.?"
Possible reasons:
- The U.S. is a popular place for international students to go to
- The U.S. has more cultural diversity than other countries
- The U.S. gives you the chance to improve your English
- You want to enroll in an American university after PELA
"Why can’t you continue your education in your home country?"
Possible reasons:
- The U.S. gives you the chance to improve your English more quickly
- The PELA can help you with enrolling in an American university after PELA
"What are you planning to study?"
Possible reasons:
- PELA has a full-time English program (20+ hours a week of study)
- PELA has test preparation classes for IELTS or TOEFL
- PELA has Academic English classes to help you prepare for university
"Have you been to the U.S. before?"
Be honest with this answer!
- Even if you only came to the U.S. for a short trip, tell them.
- If you came to the U.S. earlier on a tourist visa and studied English part-time, tell them.
- If you have never been to the U.S., tell them.
If you have been to the U.S. before, they may ask you about the purpose for those trips and what you did.
Questions about your “Choice of school”
"Why did you choose PELA?"
Think about what you like about PELA. Did your friend recommend it? If so, what did they like?
- Maybe you like the optional classes in PELA’s English program.
- Maybe you like something about living in Oregon (nature, local activities, small city size).
- Maybe you like the description of PELA (friendly teachers, small class sizes, social activities).
It is a good idea to visit the PELA website and look at the information pages about our English Programs and Life in Portland.
"How many different schools did you apply to?"
Be honest with this answer!
- If you applied to several schools, tell them!
- If you only applied to PELA, tell them!
It's okay if you applied to more than one school. They may asks you about why you chose each of them, even if you didn't get an I-20 from them.
"Where is PELA located?"
It is important to know a little information about the location of PELA. You should know where it is in the U.S.!
- PELA is in Portland, Oregon (on the west coast of the U.S., between Seattle and San Francisco).
- PELA is close to downtown Portland.
Questions about your “English skill level”
"Do you have any English test scores?"
Remember, PELA does not require an official English test score to enter, so it is okay to say “No, I don’t have an English test score”!
"How well can you speak English?"
Remember, you want to come to PELA to improve your English. So, no matter your current ability, PELA will help you improve your English.
"Can you share your high school transcript?"
Bring a copy of your high school grade transcript with you to the interview. They will probably not ask to see it, but you never know!
If there was a time at school when you received very low grades, you may be asked to explain why you received the low grades.
Questions about your “Financial support”
"How will you pay for your education and living overseas?"
Remember to bring a copy of the financial bank statement you used to get your I-20 from PELA.
"Who is sponsoring you?"
If you have a sponsor (a family member, organization, or government), have that information with you, too.
"Do you plan on working while you are studying at PELA?"
Remember, if you have a student visa, you should NOT be working at a job in the U.S. However, some students have jobs where they can work online. If that company is located in your home country, that is okay.
Questions about your “Future plans”
NOTE: It is important to emphasize your connections to your home country and your future plans for employment in your home country. The interviewer wants to know about what you will do once you are back in your home country. Remember, earning a degree in the U.S. will improve your chances of getting a good job in your home country.
"Do you plan to return home after studying at PELA?"
Point out that you have strong connections to your home country (your family, friends).
You need to show that you have strong reasons to return home after you finish studying in the U.S.
"Do you have family, relatives, or friends in the U.S.?"
Be honest with this answer!
- If you have family in the U.S., tell them.
- If you have friends in the U.S., tell them.
- Point out that you have strong connections to your home country (your family, friends).
- You need to show that you have strong reasons to return home after you finish studying in the U.S.
"What kind of job do you want in the future?"
Always emphasize any plans you have to return to your home country after you finish studying in the U.S.
6. Attend your Visa Interview
Bring ALL of these documents with you to your interview:
- Form I-20
- I-901 SEVIS fee receipt
- Application photo
- DS-160 application form confirmation page
- Application fee receipt
- Appointment confirmation paper
- A passport valid for at least 6 months beyond your stay in the U.S.
- A copy of the Bank statement you used to receive your I-20
PELA recommends you also visit the embassy website where you will have your interview to see if they have a list of documents they want you to bring.
7. What if your visa application is denied?
If you are denied a visa, they may give you a short explanation for why they denied your visa. This means that if you can fix the issue they describe, you have a chance to resubmit your visa request for a visa! If you have questions about this, please ask PELA.