Applying for a U.S. Student Visa (F1) 

Procedures for Visa Applicants: Everyone applying for a U.S. visa must first make an appointment to interview at the U.S. Consulate in Chiang Mai or at the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok. Appointments are made through the Visa Information Service by Internet or telephone. To use this service, you must purchase a Visa Information Service Personal Identification Number (PIN). The PIN will allow you to access information and to schedule nonimmigrant visa appointments for up to five family members residing at the same address. Both the Live Service and the Web Service are available in English and in Thai. For more information about the new appointment system, please see: (English | Thai)

Procedures for Applying:

1. Purchase your Visa Information and Appointment Services PIN:
ONLINE/BY PHONE: You may purchase your PIN online or by calling the Live Service using a Visa or Mastercard. PINs purchased this way can be used immediately.
THAI POST: PINs may be purchased in cash at a Thai post office with “Pay at Post” service. PINs purchased at Thai Post can be used after 13:00 the next business day after purchase.

2. Schedule your interview:
You may make an appointment for your visa interview either using the telephone, or on the computer using the Internet.

U.S. Visa Information Website Service: http://thailand.us-visaservices.com
WEB PIN (408 Baht or 12 USD)
Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

U.S. Visa Information Telephone Service: 001-800-13-202-2457
LIVE SERVICE PIN (680 Baht or 20 USD)
Available from 08:00 to 17:00, Monday through Friday, except on Thai holidays.

3. Pay at Post:
You must pay the 4,454 Baht visa application processing fee at a Thai Post Office with “Pay at Post” service before you come to the Consulate for an interview. Please note that this fee is not refundable, even if the visa is refused. This fee must be paid each time that an application is made.

4. Purchase Courier Envelope:
Approved applicants must provide the Consulate with a bar-coded envelope purchased at the Mae Ping Post Office for 75 Thai baht. Post Office officials will collect your mailing address and associate it with the bar code on the envelope. Please bring this envelope to your interview. You may want to purchase your envelope at the same time you pay your processing fee; note that the envelope must be purchased at the Mae Ping Post Office only.

5. Complete the Application Forms:
Please fill out the online Electronic Visa Application Form DS-156 (EVAF) at http://evisaforms.state.gov/ . Note that the e-Form must be filled out in English. If you arrive without a properly completed EVAF, you will not be interviewed. When printing the e-form, please do not forget to print the third page with the barcode. Please glue – not staple – a 50mm x 50mm photo in the designated box on the DS-156 EVAF.
Student Visa applicants must also fill out the supplemental application forms DS-157 and DS-158.

6. The day of your appointment:
Please arrive at the Consulate no later than 30 minutes before your interview. When you first enter the Consulate, you will be met by a greeter. The greeter will confirm that you have an appointment, make sure that you paid the 4,454 baht processing fee at a post office with “Pay at Post” service, and verify that you have a completed electronic DS-156 application form with a 50mm x 50mm photo glued in the designated box on the form. After checking your documents, the greeter will take your passport and completed DS-156 and DS-157, give you a queue number, and direct you to sit in the waiting area until your number is called.

7. Present Documents and Interview:
When your number appears on the electronic screen, you will go to Window #1 for a pre-interview. During the pre-interview, you will need to present a completed forms and any additional evidence you have of your compelling ties to Thailand. You will then be asked to take a seat and wait for your number to be called again for your interview with a Consular Officer.

The Thai Post Office will deliver your passport and visa within four business days to the address you provided at the time of envelope purchase. If delivery is scheduled during a Thai holiday, expect a longer wait. Alternatively, passports may be picked up at the Mae Ping Post Office. If you wish to pick up your passport at the post office, please indicate this at the time of purchase.

What to Bring When Applying for a Visa

· Passport The passport should be valid for at least six months beyond the visa application date. Any expired and/or other current passport(s) in your possession should also be presented. A record of previously-issued nonimmigrant visas assists the Consular Officer in making a decision.

· Photograph Applicants must submit one photograph (either color or black and white) taken on a white background. Size = 50 x 50 mm (2 x 2 inches). The applicant's face must occupy at least 50% of the photo, be facing directly toward the camera, and have the ears visible. Photographs may be no more than six months old.

· I-20 Form The I-20 Form (issued by the school in the U.S.) is mandatory for all student visa applicants. Please complete and sign the I-20 form.

· Evidence of Prior Education Applicants should bring original transcripts of prior education. Applicants who are not applying immediately after completing their studies in Thailand should also present evidence of their recent employment.

· Financial Assets Applicants should present full and complete financial documentation to show that they have sufficient funds to cover the cost of their educational fees and living expenses while in the U.S. Fixed deposit accounts, current accounts, savings accounts and/or promissory notes belonging to the applicant's financial sponsor may be presented. Original documents should be presented - the Consulate will not need to keep copies.

· Evidence of a Residence Outside the U.S. When applying for a student visa, applicants are applying for a nonimmigrant visa. Before a nonimmigrant visa may be issued, applicants must establish to the satisfaction of the Consular Officer that they are not intending immigrants. Applicants can do this by showing evidence of their family, economic and other social ties to a country outside the U.S. No relative, employer, or friend can "guarantee" an applicant's return in place of such evidence. Regardless of who is sponsoring the trip, the consular officer must look at the individual situation and decide whether the applicant meets the requirements on his/her own merits. Please note that consular officers adjudicate visas on the basis of the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). This law states that "Whenever any person makes application for a visa...the burden of proof shall be upon such person to establish that he is eligible." U.S. immigration law requires consular officers to deny an applicant's application if he/she fails to present convincing evidence that he/she is not an intending immigrant.

Student Visa Law for Public Schools
In 1996, the U.S. Congress created new legal provisions which affect the issuance of Student Visas to students wishing to attend public elementary (grades K to 8) and public secondary ("high") schools (grades 9 to 12) in the U.S. Under these provisions, Consular Officers are no longer able to issue Student Visas for public elementary programs, regardless of an applicant's ability to pay. In addition, students are limited to one year of study at the high school level. Students who wish to attend public secondary schools must pay the full, unsubsidized per capita cost of their education. Applicants must show proof of this payment before a visa can be issued. These provisions do not apply to students who wish to attend private schools or who are participants in Exchange Visitor Programs.

· Important Travel Note After receiving your student visa, you may enter the United States no earlier than thirty days prior to the beginning of your program start date as given on your form I-20.

IMPORTANT

NON-IMMIGRANT VISA PHOTOGRAPH REQUIREMENTS

The Photograph MUST Be:	The Applicant:
- LESS than 6 months old.	- MUST face the camera DIRECTLY.
- 2 inches by 2 inches. (50 x 50 millimeters).	- Face MUST cover 50% of the photo.
- On a WHITE background.	- Ears MUST be visible.
- WITHOUT borders.

ACTUAL SIZE

If the applicant's photograph does NOT meet the required standard, it WILL NOT be ACCEPTED.