All you need to know about DS-160 form while applying for US Visa

Students going to the US for higher studies are required to obtain F-1 visa from the US Embassy or consulate in their respective countries. While applying for the F-1 Visa, students are also asked to fill certain forms that give detailed information about themselves as well as the purpose of the visit. DS-160 form is one such information form that an applicant has to mandatorily fill and submit online.

Is DS-160 compulsory?

For all applicants that fall under the category of non-immigrant visa, the applicants are required to fill up the DS-160 form. It is the first step towards applying for the US visa. The office at the consulate or the embassy uses the information provided by the applicant to process the visa. Without providing information in the DS-160 form, no US visa interview date will be scheduled for the applicant.

Accessing, filling and submitting DS-160 form electronically

Applicants can access the DS-160 form by clicking on the given link: http://catalog.ulm.edu/content.php?catoid=27&navoid=3270

They can fill up the form by entering the given fields. Students filling up the form for F-1 visa are advised to keep important documents pertaining to their college or university admission such as SEVIS ID printed in their I-20 forms including their travel itinerary, Passport, list of dates of previous visits etc. The applicants are also required to provide information about their past academic and work experience. Therefore, they should keep their latest CV updates.

Once the DS-160 form is filled and submitted, they should take a printout of the page which has the DS-160 barcode. It will be required during the Visa Interview.

Do I have to fill the form in one go?

If a person does not have time of relevant information at a given point in time and wishes to fill the form later, then an applicant can:

1. Save the information that he or she has entered in the page and log out.
2. The applicant can later log-in to the form and complete the process of filling up the form.
3. One can also make changes to the information earlier given by him or her.

However, one should take care to see that all the given information is correct before final submission. If any information is found to be incorrect or misleading, he or she might be denied US visa.

Let’s Wrap Up!

DS-160 is one of the first processes in the visa application process. Applicants, especially students are advised to fill up the form well in time. Only after the submission of the DS-160 that he or she will be given time for the visa interview. Also, one should not rush through the process to fill correct and appropriate information in the DS-160 form.

Disclaimer: The article is based on personal research and understanding of the given topic by the writer. Readers are advised to exercise discretion. Student Cover will not be liable for any misreading or misinterpretation of the information provided in the article above.