How long does it take me to finishh the paperwork for getting F-1visa?

Question

How long does it take me to apply for I-20 form? And then, how long does it take me to get the F1 visa since I get I-20 form?

In short, how long does it take me since I apply the I-20 form until I can enter the US?

Any answers will be appreciated.

Thank you very much.

Answer 1

Once you've  been admitted to a US college/university and have accepted their admission offer, usually you have to submit a "down payment" on your tuition, before they enter your information into the SEVIS system.  You also have to pay the SEVIS fee ($100) online at www.fmjfee.com.  After that, then the university will send you your I-20.  Once you have that form, then you need to schedule an appointment at your local US embassy.  Usually, students applying for the student visa won't have to wait for more than a week because the embassy's place priority appointments for students.  However, if for some reason, you can't get an appointment before your program of study starts then you should contact the embassy to request an emergency appointment.  Once you've scheduled your appointment, then you need to pay the visa appt. fee ($131).  That fee may vary by country though.  Check the US embassy website to find out how to pay the fee.

After you've had your interview, it can take up to a week to receive your visa.  

You can apply for your visa up to 90 days in advance of your academic program start date (which will be indicated on your I-20).  And you can only enter the US on your student visa up to 30 days before that date.

Answer 2

Gringa is correct on most points regarding the process but the order and time frames are not entirely accurate.

Firstly you do not apply for an I-20. You need to apply to the school that you wish to attend and once you have been accepted the school will then issue you with the I-20. The time it takes from when you first post off your application to receiving your I-20 does vary depending on how quick the school process your application, it can take anywhere from 3-months.

You will not need to put a "down-payment" on your tuition before they will enter your information into SEVIS or issue you with your I-20 but they will require that you submit financial documentation which proves you can afford the cost of tuition and living expenses.

Once you have the I-20 you then must pay the SEVIS fee, you cannot pay it before you receive the I-20, once this is paid you can then apply for your F-1 visa at the American Embassy in your country of residence. If your visa application is successful you can expect to receive your visa within 3-10 days, however certain applications may require additional processing and this can take up to 30 days.

You can apply for the visa anytime after you receive your I-20 and have paid the SEVIS fee but if successful the visa will not be issued to you more than 60 days prior to the commencement of your studies.

Once you have the visa in your passport you may enter the United States no more than 30 days prior to the report date stated on your I-20.

In all the process from start to finish, from the time you submit your application to the school to receiving your visa should be around 8-10 months. It is always advisable to start the process at least 12 months prior to when you wish to start your studies in the U.S.