How to Change University after Booking US Student Visa Appointment?

For instance, let's imagine a situation in which you book an appointment on Friday and Monday morning you receive an acceptance email from a mortar university or maybe from the college you dreamed of. So now if you want to attend a better university or dream university, then you will be required to change the university in your visa application process. However, in this situation you need to worry about it as now it is possible to change the university in the USA visa application process.

Categories of student visa in the USA 

There are three types of student visas in the USA. These are F1, J1, and M1. 

• To apply for the F1 Visa required for the master's, bachelor's, and doctoral degrees. It is also known as an M1 visa in case of vocational or doctoral programs. The students are required to file the I-20 document.
• To apply for the J1 student visa required for the students approved to join the work-and study-based exchange visitor program, it is important to file the DS-160.
• The “ Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS)” in the university provides the required form. (SEVIS is a platform through which the government of the USA tracks and monitors the international students in the country).

How to change the university after booking the USA visa application form?

The process of changing the university in the visa application form changes as per changing situations. Let's look at the following situations where the university changing process differs.

Situation 1: The I-901 SEVIS fee is paid, and DS-160 is submitted, only the visa payment is left

In this situation, the candidate is required to transfer the SEVIS from University A to University B. During this process, you are not required to pay the SEVIS fee again in the new university.

Process:

• To transfer the SEVIS from University A to University B, visit the Student and Exchange Visitor (SEVP) I-901 SEVIS fee processing website, and provide the required details for payment status.
• Then select the transfer option.
• The prompt will then guide you to fill in the SELVIS ID and the school code of the new university. Enter the details correctly and submit. 
• After filling in the details you will receive a confirmation email. 
• Another second email will be sent to the student to confirm or deny the transfer request.
• In case your transfer request is accepted take a printout of the new details for use later. However in case the transfer request is rejected, an explanation email will be sent to the student.

After becoming a new SELVIS number, follow the below steps:

• As you have submitted the DS-160 form for the previous university, the candidates are required to fill out a new form in the new university. 
• Fill out the new DS-160 form along with new details of the new university. 
• Submit the new updated DS-160 form and take a print confirmation.
• Book an appointment
• Take the new DS-160 confirmation page to the scheduled appointment. 

Situation 2: The candidate has submitted the DS-160 form along with payment of the visa and the slot for an interview is also booked.

In this case, the candidate is required to follow the steps mentioned in situation 1. Make a new DS-160 form, provide the SELVIS number of the required university you are willing to attend, and submit the form. The candidate has already paid the visa fees and scheduled the interview. After this candidate is required to log in to their account on the CGI federal US visa website and change 

• DS -160 confirmation number
• SEVIS ID

Also, it is important to note that you are not required to pay for the visa again as you have not appeared for the interview.

However due to any issue if you fail to update the SELVIS ID or the DS-160 confirmation number on the CGI federal website, then in that situation carry both the new and old DS confirmation pages to your OFC interview and inform the officials about your university change.

Situation 3: You have already appeared for the visa interview

In case you have already appeared for the interview, and your FI visa is already approved. In that case, changing the university will require the following steps:

• Take the I-20 from the new university. 
• Transfer the fee of the SELVIS as provided mentioned above in situation 1.
• Fill and submit the new DS-160 form with the details of the new university. 
• Pay the visa fees again.
• Schedule and appear at the OFC.

There is also an alternative method for changing the universities after the US student Visa. 

• Accept admission to University A.
• After you reach the USA,  inform the university regarding your wish that you are willing to transfer the I-20 document to the university B. However during this time you will be required to submit written proof regarding admission to the second university. 
• University A will file and send all the required forms to University B.
• After this, university B will enroll the candidate and will create a new I-20 document and send it to the student. 

It is important to keep all the I-20 forms from both universities, that is University A and University B, and ensure that student status is always Active, by following the rules FI or MI Visa rules.

Important: It is important to note that University A did not terminate your SELVIS status, as in that case, you will have to return to your home country and restart the entire process of a US student Visa. 

Although the process of changing the universities and the SELVIS ID of your student visa application is very easy. However, it is advised that you should hurry booking the visa application interview, just after receiving the university acceptance letter from the first university. In case you think that you can receive a university acceptance letter from a better university, wait for that university acceptance letter and then apply for the visa interview process. 

So hope that after reading the article, you did not have any doubt regarding the procedure of changing the university after booking a US student visa interview. However in case you require any other help regarding the US student visa application process, in that case you can reach out to our expert at any time.