In this blog, I will share my experience of applying for a successful U.S. Visa for my master’s degree program in the U.S. from Nepal. The detailed procedure from first day, starting from documents you need to what to do after getting the green slip after the U.S. visa interview is mentioned. In addition to that, I have also discussed on how to book visa interview date and join U.S. visa slots and preparation telegram group links (at the end of this post). Without further delay, lets get started on how to apply for Graduate and Undergraduate study in U.S. universities for education from Nepal.

First Stage – Getting Documents Ready

First of all, get the documents you need in order to apply for the US universities. Following are the documents you need.

1. A passport

Get your E-passport from your respective District Administration Office (जिल्ला प्रशासन कार्यालय ) or the Department of Passports, Kathmandu.

2. Degree to pursue in the U.S.

I believe this is the most critical part during this journey. You need to have the clear vision of which degree course you want to pursue for your further studies in the U.S.

3. English Proficiency Test

Nepal is a non-native English-speaking nation. So, you must take English proficiency language tests such as IELTS/ TOFEL/ Duolingo/ PTE, depending upon the university (and country) you intend to apply to. Students primarily take TOFEL or IELTS for language tests for U.S. student visas. In contrast, GRE or GMAT is highly recommended to boost your claim for scholarship and Graduate Assistantship & Teaching Assistantship. Some universities check your IELTS score before granting you the TA (Teaching Assistantship) position.

4. Degree Certificates and Transcripts from your academic institutions.

While applying for U.S. Universities, you must have all your academic degree certificates and transcripts of all the degrees you have taken. Furthermore, these degree certificates have to be photocopied and notarised (to verify the photocopies as the actual copy of the original) before submitting to the university application portal.

Degree Certificates you require For U.S. Universities:

• SEE/ SLC Certificate and Transcript.
• +2 Certificate and Transcript.
• Bachelors Certificate and Transcript or Diploma Certificate and Transcript

5. Curriculum Vitae (CV) or Resume

Prepare your strong CV with all the latest degrees, qualifications, and experiences.

Download the sample resume and more from here.

Second Stage

1. Letter of Recommendation from your Professors or Employers

Visit your most recent college and ask the teachers (professors) to provide you with a letter of recommendations prioritizing the intended degree courses. You primarily require three-letter of recommendations, out of which it is better to have two from the professors and one from the employer (if you have one).

2. Statement of Purpose (SOP)

A statement of purpose or a letter of intent is detailed writing about your career path, interests, professional contributions, goals, and the driving force behind pursuing a particular program abroad. It plays a vital role in whether you will be accepted by the universities or not.

Please find the sample LOR, SOP, Resume documents here or email me at [email protected].

Third Stage

1. Choosing the U.S. Universities and Colleges

Choosing a university or college is the most challenging part of the journey to studying abroad. Websites that I prefer are US News & Common App. to search for the university that matches your course structure, financial capability, scores, and other factors. Use the filter/sort option to filter out the courses, fee structure, ranking, acceptance rate, location, etc. Make a list of universities and decide which universities you think you can crack into.

2. Applying to the U.S. Universities and Colleges

Visit the university’s/college’s website and see if it provides your courses and check the international fee structure. Apply to the universities if you think you can crack it. Apply to at least three to five U.S. universities for the safer side. In the case of graduates and full funded seeking students, visit the university websites and go to the research section and apply for Teaching Assistantships, Research Assistantship, and Graduate Assistantship. The section may vary from University to University.

Another major thing you must consider is talking to the professors of those universities and seek for potential TA, GA positions. In order to do that, go to the Faculty tab of the university website and look for your faculty professors and send them emails. For research opportunities, go to the research tab on the website and see if they have research on your interested topic and contact the related faculty.

Make sure to make the excel sheet so you can list universities requirements and track your progress.

Fourth Stage

1. Obtaining I-20

I-20 is the acceptance letter containing Sevis ID sent to you from the U.S. University, which has detailed information about you, the college, and the expected fee you need to pay each year. After you apply to the U.S. universities, wait for your application to be reviewed. Based on your application, the university analyses your grade, SOP, Test Scores, Language proficiency, and LORs. The university provides you with the I-20 and the eligible scholarship (sometimes, you need to fill up a separate form for a scholarship). Choose the best I-20 among all the I-20s to apply for a U.S. student visa. This document is also required during the U.S. VISA INTERVIEW.

• Note – The total fee you will have to pay is not going to be the same as I-20, it is likely to be higher than that.

2. Filling up DS-160 for the U.S. Non-immigrant Visa

After you have selected the best I-20, visit the U.S. government site and fill up the Non-Immigrant DS-160 U.S. visa application form. For your kind information, please note down the DS-160 Application ID as the application portal session gets timed out, and you need this ID to continue your application process. After completing the DS-160 form, safely print out the DS-160 Confirmation page.

Check here for the guidance to complete DS-160.

Fifth Stage

1. Book a U.S. Visa Interview Appointment

First, go to this U.S. Visa CGI site and register as a new user. Continue the process for New Appointments by registering as the Non- Immigrant as you’re applying for a U.S. Student Visa. Here, you require SEVIS NUMBER (Present in I-20) and DS-160 Confirmation Number.

Then, Pay the MRV Fee of 185$ through any Nepal Investment Bank (Either Online or through Bank Voucher). In case of payment through Bank Voucher, you need a copy of your Passport, DS-160 Confirmation page, I-20, and a receipt provided by CGI; then go to any Nepal Investment Bank Branch and fill up the Bank Voucher.

After the payment, enter the receipt number mentioned in the receipt by visiting the same website portal. The receipt number starts with S followed by 8 digits: S12345678

Note: Do not forget to ask the Bank official to highlight the receipt number in your bank voucher.

Now, go to schedule an appointment for a U.S. visa interview and appoint the date of your U.S. Visa Interview. Check regularly to appoint your preferred date & time and mail it to your account for confirmation. But, there is an issue. If you regularly check for available U.S. visa Interview dates, your account is bound to get freezed for 24 to 72 hours.

So, there are Telegram Groups that update the available Visa slots

The Telegram Group link for the Visa Slot Update – 🇳🇵Nepal F1 Visa Slot Update

Also, to prevent the freezing of your account, you can create a dummy account on the same CGI site using a different web browser to check if the dates you prefer are available. If it’s available then you can log in to your actual CGI account and appoint the date for the U.S. visa interview.

How to Create Dummy Account for Visa Appointment Date Check without getting your account freezed?

2. Pay the SEVIS Fee of 350 $

You need to pay the Sevis fee after you book your U.S. visa appointment date. To pay the sevis fee, all you need is a credit card (dollar card) or you can also visit any bank (Investment, Nabil, etc.) with your Passport and I20 to pay the Sevis fee. You should bring your SEVIS fee receipt with you to your US Visa interview. The fee should be paid at least three business days prior to your scheduled appointment date.

Sixth Stage

1. Take the U.S. Visa interview and get the U.S. Visa.

Check my U.S. F1 Visa Experience

Prepare your answers to commonly asked questions. Just a reminder, you will hardly have 2 to 3 minutes with the visa officer so make sure your answers are short and specific. In addition to that, make arrangements for the Documents you need to take during the U.S. Visa Interview. Documents you need but not limited to are:

• Passport (Valid over 6 months from your intended date of stay in the U.S.)
• I-20
• DS-160 Confirmation page (1st Page)
• A Photo 2×2 Size photo
• Latest Degree Transcript (You can take all transcripts from SLC/SEE)
• Sevis fee receipt
• U.S. Visa Appointment Date proof (Print from your CGI Account)
• Language Test Score (Optional)
• GRE Score (Optional)
• Financial Documents (Optional)

Some of the typical visa interview questions that are frequently asked are:

1. Where did you find this university and why did you choose it?
2. Why Masters/ Bachelors?
3. Who is funding for your education?
4. What are your plans after graduation?

Other Common questions are:

1. Why USA for further studies?
2. Why this course?

If you received the Green Slip from the Visa Officer. Congratulations!!! You’ve Received Your U.S. Visa. You can now live your Dream.

After 2-3 days, you will receive an email on your email account from US Travel Docs asking you to visit the authorized location to receive your Passport with a visa.

2. Request for NOC, Migration Certificate, QR Vaccine Card, and Police Clearance

No Objection Certificate (NOC)

After you have your visa approved, you can now apply for NOC. Apply NOC from here. Complete the form submitting your documents and details, and pay the required amount in any Nepal Rastriya Bank Branch. Now, download the form from the site, sign it and submit visiting the office (Keshar Pustakalaya) with all the documents mentioned on the NOC website.

Documents required

• Payment Receipt
• NOC form (Signed)
• I-20
• Offer letter from University
• Transcript
• Citizenship Certificate photocopy
• Degree Certificate
• Language Test (If you have uploaded on the portal)

You need NOC to pay the fees to the International Universities, and it also enables us to exchange NRs and Dollars legally.

Migration Certificate

For a Migration Certificate, visit your respective University or my previous blog.

QR Vaccine Card

Please check my other blog here on the detailed procedure to create a QR Vaccine card here.

Police Clearance (Optional)

This is optional but some entry terminals during travel might ask for it. For police clearance, visit this Government Site. It is entirely free & online and requires you to enter your passport and citizenship information. The only thing that needs attention is the photo size; I assume you are a student applying for a U.S. visa, so the photo size required here is the same as the photo for your DS-160. 

The final verification takes about two to three days, and there you go, you have a police clearance certificate.

Seventh Stage

Rent an apartment

It is your choice if you want to stay at University Dorms or stay in an apartment. It is better you seek students who are going to the same university as you do. Then be a group of about 4-5 and then seek an apartment near the University as per your needs. Before booking an apartment please contact the NEPALI people currently living there. Be in constant contact with the Nepali there and ask them before you finalize the apartment. It would do wonders.

In order to book an apartment, you may use some of the popular websites like Apartments.com.

Book Air Flights and travel to the United States

Book your plane flight ticket and travel to the United States and live your dream. But it is easier said than done 😜.

Bonus Content

Some of the useful Telegram Group links for US Visa Slots:

Note: In case the following links has expired, please Google search the name of the group and get into the Group.

Nepal F1 Visa Discussion – https://t.me/+Z7B2FKh8lmtjNGE1

Nepal F1 Visa Slot Update – https://t.me/+A0mJNRT5cyZlY2Y1

F1 visa interview Experiences ❁ – https://t.me/f1interviewreviews

F1 Visa Mock Interview – https://t.me/+buiC929vYyg4Y2Rl