Document checklist
USA student visa documents
7 documents an Indian student needs for a USA student visa, 7 of them required of every applicant. Each one says what it is, how to actually get it (where to book, the fee, the lead time), and links to the official page behind it. Where the authority states the requirement in its own words we quote that sentence, so you can confirm it yourself rather than taking our word or an agent’s.
Identity
Valid Passport
RequiredYou must carry your original, valid passport when traveling to the United States. It should be valid for your period of stay.
How to get it
Renewed through Passport Seva if needed, which takes several weeks including police verification, so check the expiry the day you accept an offer rather than after the I-20 arrives. Carry it with the F-1 visa and the Form I-20 as your three key documents at the port of entry, where CBP stamps it with your date of admission, class of admission and admitted-until date.
“Here is a list of the important immigration documents: Passport; Visa; and Form I-20”
Read the official page
Academic
Acceptance to an SEVP-Certified School
RequiredYou must first apply to and be accepted by a Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP)-certified school in the US to be eligible for an F-1 student visa.
How to get it
Only an SEVP-certified school can enrol an F-1 student, so check the school on the DHS School Search tool at studyinthestates.dhs.gov before you pay any application fee. Each school sets its own application fee and its own deadlines, and nothing downstream, the I-20, the SEVIS fee, the visa interview, can start until you hold an acceptance. Work backwards from your program start date, because this is the longest lead time in the whole process.
“Your first step is to apply to a Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP)-certified school in the United States.”
Read the official pageForm I-20 (Certificate of Eligibility)
RequiredOnce accepted, your school's Designated School Official (DSO) will issue a Form I-20. This document is required to pay the SEVIS fee and apply for your visa.
How to get it
Issued free by the SEVP-certified school, electronically or by post, once it has accepted you and confirmed you can cover the costs it lists. You cannot pay the I-901 SEVIS fee or book a visa interview without the SEVIS ID printed on it, so chase the school if it is slow. Check every detail against your passport before using it: a mismatch between the I-20 and SEVIS causes trouble at the port of entry.
“All F and M students that study in the United States need a Form I-20, “Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status.””
Read the official page
Financial
I-901 SEVIS Fee Receipt ($350)
RequiredF-1 visa applicants must pay a mandatory $350 I-901 SEVIS fee before applying for the student visa. You must present the receipt during your visa interview.
How to get it
USD 350, paid online at fmjfee.com using the SEVIS ID from your Form I-20; card, cheque, money order or Western Union are accepted. It is separate from the visa application fee and from any SEVIS administration fee your school charges, so expect three different payments. Print the receipt yourself and carry it to the interview: SEVP stopped mailing I-797C receipts in 2013, so nothing arrives by post. Pay it well before the interview, not the night before.
“In 2004, Congress mandated all nonimmigrant students and exchange visitors must pay the I-901 SEVIS Fee”
Read the official pageEvidence of Financial Ability
RequiredYou must prove you have sufficient funds to cover your tuition and living expenses for the period of intended study. This can include family bank statements, sponsor documentation, or financial aid letters.
How to get it
The amount is the one printed on your Form I-20, which the school calculates, so there is no single national figure. Official bank statements from your Indian bank, a scholarship or assistantship letter, or a sponsor's bank and employment letters all work; banks issue statements free or for a nominal charge. The school checks this before issuing the I-20 and the consular officer checks it again at interview, so the same documents must hold up twice. Have funds in place weeks before you request the I-20, not after.
“A prospective student must have financial evidence showing that they or a sponsor has sufficient funds to cover tuition and living expenses”
Read the official page
Visa
Visa Application / Embassy Instructions
RequiredAfter paying the I-901 fee, you must apply for your visa at a U.S. embassy or consulate and follow their specific application instructions, which includes completing the DS-160 online.
How to get it
Follow the US Mission India instructions at in.usembassy.gov: complete the DS-160, pay the visa application fee, then book both the biometrics appointment and the consular interview. The fee is non-refundable and non-transferable, so read the instructions before paying rather than after. Interview slots in India are the bottleneck in peak season; check current wait times and book as soon as your I-20 and SEVIS receipt exist.
“you can apply for a visa at a U.S. embassy or consulate. Learn how to apply for your visa.”
Read the official pageForm I-94 (Arrival/Departure Record)
RequiredAn electronic Form I-94 will be generated by CBP upon your arrival by air or sea, proving your legal admission and authorized period of stay.
How to get it
Free, and generated automatically if you arrive by air or sea; you receive a paper form only at a land border. Retrieve and save the electronic record from the CBP I-94 website after each entry, because it is the official proof of admission and shows your class of admission and admitted-until date. Check it against your SEVIS record straight away: inconsistencies between the two are a known cause of problems later. Note also that you may enter no earlier than 30 days before the program start date recorded in SEVIS.
“The Form I-94, "Arrival/Departure Record" is a critical record. It shows that you have been legally admitted to the United States”
Read the official page
This list is the same for everyone
Your marks, your budget and your subject are not. Run a free eligibility check to see where you actually qualify across 13 countries and the real programs open to you in each, then track your own progress through this checklist.
Bramica takes no commission from any university, recruiter or agency. This is information, not immigration advice. Requirements change; confirm anything you are about to act on at the official source linked against it.