Student Visa Program (SVP)
- Translation:
- Bahasa Indonesia
The U.S. welcomes Indonesian students to continue their higher education in the U.S. All student (F1) visa applicants who hold I-20s from accredited two and four year, post secondary academic institutions are automatically members of our SVP. F1, F2, J1 and J2 visa applicants, who hold I-20s or DS-2019s will be required to request an appointment through our online system. The online system, will guarantee students an appointment on Monday between 0700 to 0900, except US and Indonesian Holidays. Vocational M1 visa applicants and their dependents must make a visa appointment in the normal manner.
If any F or J applicant is unable to come on the SVP Monday, before your U.S. start date, please request an Emergency NIV Appointment at this link http://jakarta.usembassy.gov/emergencyappt.html. We will do our best to offer an early appointment consistent with our workload and available resources. U.S. law requires
that you apply only within 120 days of the start date listed on your
I-20, so please do not come for a visa earlier. Do not enter the U.S.
more than 30 days prior to your I-20’s start date.
For more
information please see:
F and M visas
J visas: http://j1visa.state.gov/
EducationUSA
Indonesia: http://www.educationusa.or.id/
EducationUSA
Main site: http://educationusa.state.gov/
Frequently Asked Questions by
Students
- When will my nonimmigrant visa (NIV) be finished?
- What does my appointment time mean?
- What qualifies as evidence of finances? Does the U.S. Embassy accept guarantees of financial support for F1 visa applications?
- What visa do I have to apply for? F1? J1? M1?
- What are my chances of getting a visa?
- How can I help a friend get a visa?
- Where can I get more information about J-1 visas?
1. When will my
nonimmigrant visa (NIV) be finished?
Each applicant has
different circumstances so it is very difficult to estimate. We always
urge at least two weeks before your intended travel to the U.S. but
earlier application is always better. Students cannot apply for a visa
more than 120 days prior to the official start date of their school, and
cannot seek entry to the U.S. more than 30 prior days prior to that
official start date. It is always the visa applicant’s personal
responsibility to qualify for any visa in time to meet travel plans.
There is no visa processing when we are closed on weekends and both U.S.
and Indonesian holidays. Our capacity to see visa applicants is
limited by the number of consular officers available for duty, and other
resources. Our busiest season is at the end of the year and during the
summer. While we try to process all visa applications as quickly as
possible, and especially those for students, please do not count on
expedited processing during these busy periods.
Please understand
that U.S. law requires us to process each application separately on its
own merits. We can never give assurance of visa issuance.
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2. What
does my appointment time mean?
If you are applying through
the SVP you must request an appointment through our online system. The online system, will guarantee students an appointment on Monday 0700-0900, except during U.S. and Indonesian holidays. We expect you to
appear during, not before or after, at our visa intake booth, inside
the embassy, with all documents ready and fees already paid. Your
interview will not be at that time; your interview will begin later in
the morning after we finish processing of your case. Your interview is
only the last step of your visa processing. We generally interview
applicants within one hour after their arrival at the Embassy, but given
our large volume and high complexity of applications, we can never
guarantee that visa processing can be finished in time to suit anyone's
plans. We strive to process applicants as quickly as possible. Please be
sure to bring your appointment confirmation, all papers, receipts and
an extra photo. All visa applicants undergo strict airport style
security screening as you enter the Embassy. Please bring no dangerous
or bulky items, or consumables.
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3. What
qualifies as evidence of finances? Does the U.S. Embassy accept
guarantees of financial support for F1 visa applications?
The
best evidence of finances often includes original bank books, original
statements of financial accounts from the bank (“rekening koran”
in Indonesian), and/or proof of scholarship. (Photocopies and letters
cannot be considered credible). We must see that you can pay in full
for at least your first year of study and that it is likely you can do
so for the remaining years, without need to work in the U.S. Guarantees
from other persons, including relatives in the U.S. are less helpful
than evidence of your finances here.
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4. What visa
do I have to apply for? F1? J1? M1?
NIV type is determined
by the purpose of travel stated on your NIV application (DS-160) and
information provided by your academic institution. Please also refer to
“Types of Visa Classes” on
this website to learn more.
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5. What are
my chances of getting a visa?
The vast majority of Indonesian
students qualify for a visa in time for their studies. Every applicant
receives a visa pick up ticket or a colored, printed explanation at the
end of the interview. Please read this explanation carefully, as some
applicants must undergo further internal processing, over which we have
no control in Jakarta. We adjudicate each visa application individually
on its own merits as quickly as our resources permit, in accordance
with U.S. laws and regulations. Please understand that no one can say
in advance if an applicant is ineligible or eligible for any visa.
While U.S. law does not permit us to offer advance assurance that we can
adjudicate an application in time to meet the applicant's desired
travel plans, or that any particular applicant is eligible for a visa in
advance of actually applying, we strive to offer the best possible
service. For further information on the visa process please refer any
interested parties to our website, available through links at www.travel.state.gov.
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6. How can I
help my friend get a visa?
Applying for a visa can seem
complicated at times, and be a source of anxiety for the applicant.
Understandably, many Americans want to help a friend, colleague or loved
one through the visa process. However, the fundamental rule of
applying for a visa is that an applicant must qualify based on his or
her own circumstances. If you wish to convey information to us in
support of an application, please send it directly to the applicant, who
can share it with us during his/her interview, or who can include it
with a mail-in submission. Due to the high volume of mail and
applicants, we are unable to match any information received in advance
with an application at the time of interview. One of the most common
misconceptions regarding visas is that someone can act as a guarantor
for an applicant. We receive many such well-intentioned letters.
Unfortunately, we must disregard them as U.S. law makes no provisions
for guarantees.
7. Where can I get more information about J-1 visas?
The J-1 Visa Exchange Visitor Program website http://j1visa.state.gov/ will provide you with information about the Exchange Visitor Program as well as instructions on how to become Exchange Visitor, descriptions of each of the Exchange Visitor Program categories, including Au Pair, Summer Work Travel and others. It features a user-friendly sponsor lookup so potential participants can easily find a sponsor on a trusted, authoritative State Department website. Additional enhancements include first-person stories of the Exchange Visitor Program from past participants that offer potential participants crucial insights into what the program is like. The website will also help program sponsors and host families in finding the information needed.