<p>
<p>He was greeted by a cheerful young officer who asked him a series of questions. His visa interview was going well and the visa officer was polite.</p>
<p>Arjun was about to breathe a sigh of relief when he was handed a pre-printed sheet and told that he was a potential immigrant and hence not eligible for a US visa. Arjun, like a few other undergraduate students applying for a US visa, had been denied a student visa.</p>
<p>Students can be denied a US visa under two sections: Section 214 (b) and Section 221 (g). Under Section 214 (b) you are not eligible for a student visa because you were unable to prove to the visa officer that you are not a potential immigrant.</p>
<p>By US law all non-immigrant visa applicants are considered to be potential immigrants unless they can prove otherwise. You can be denied under Section 221 (g) if a particular document such as an income tax return, bank statement or a SEVIS fee receipt is missing.</p>
<p>Earlier a non-immigrant applicant was allowed to apply for a visa only twice after which his or her application had to be processed by mail only. US visa law now permits the applicant to apply as many times as s/he wants.</p>
<p>Therefore, if your student visa has been denied, don’t lose hope. There is still a chance that you may obtain your visa. Here’s how. First write down your entire interview word for word and try and understand why your visa was denied. Ask yourself the following questions:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Do I really know why I am attending this particular university?</p></li>
<li><p>What do I want to do after my education?</p></li>
<li><p>Can I afford this education and how exactly am I or my parents going to pay for it?</p></li>
<li><p>Was I confident during my visa interview?</p></li>
<li><p>Did I carry all my financial papers with me?</p></li>
</ol>
<p>If you have answered yes to all the above questions and have still been denied a student visa, then you have a strong case to reapply. It is possible that the visa officer misunderstood you or just did not agree with what you were saying and that’s the reason your visa was denied.</p>
<p>By law you have to get a different visa officer to interview you when you reapply and the second visa officer may just understand you and your papers better.</p>
<p>Keep the following points in mind when you go in for your second visa interview</p>
<p>Make sure there is something new in your application. You can have new papers, new information or additional finances.</p>
<p>Don’t change your circumstances completely. For instance, don’t change the university you are going to and the major you are doing. You will weaken your own case by doing so, as the second visa officer will feel that you were never sure of your original university and hence you have changed it.</p>
<p>Never give any papers unless asked for</p>
<p>Answer the question asked and don’t beat around the bush</p>
<p>Be honest, polite and clear in your answers</p>
<p>Don’t beg or plead with the visa officer</p>
<p>Dress appropriately and not shabbily</p>
<p>If your parents have applied for a green card; or you have siblings in the US and your parents cannot afford to support both children; or you have overstayed in the US in the past, your visa chances may be reduced. If you are well prepared, confident, honest and a serious student who can afford to pay for his or her education, chances are that you will be successful in getting a student visa.</p>
<p>Remember, there is a slight chance that after doing everything correctly you may still not get a student visa. If this happens, remember that this is not the end of the world and you have other options open to you.</p>
<p>You can still apply to UK universities</p>
<p>IF YOU decide that you do not want to reapply for your US visa, consider applying to UK universities. Some UK colleges are still open for admission and students can apply as late as August for admissions. Of course, you may not see all the top universities open for admissions, but you may still find an institution of repute where you can complete your higher education.</p>
<p>Universities such as Middlesex University, American Intercontinental University, University of Hertfordshire, Oxford Brookes University, University of Leeds and University of Edinburgh are some of the institutions where you can apply for admission even now.</p>
<p>Graduate students can directly apply to the university for admission, but undergraduate students must apply through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Services (UCAS). The UCAS (<a href="http://www.ucas.com%5B/url%5D">www.ucas.com</a>) advises applicants to apply before June 30, but will consider applications received even after this date. The UCAS, however, would not guarantee sending of forms or admission offers if you apply after this date. Undergraduate students applying to private universities in the UK can apply directly to the university.</p>
<p>It would be a good idea to add in your statement of purpose why you are applying so late for admissions. The admissions committee would appreciate your frankness and honesty; so if you are applying to the UK because your US visa was denied, tell this to the admissions committee.</p>
<p>The author is an education consultant
</p>