Going through the process of filing for a VISA to the US is one of the most depressing paper work experiences I went through as a grad student in the US. I have only my tax filling process to match that.
The process starts online by visiting the US embassy website:
of particular interest is the "how to apply to a visa" link. this link has all of instructions in a crudely ordered fashion. I hope this blog will help you to go through these steps:
1- there are 3 separate forms to be filled; The Electronic Visa Application Form (EVAF) or DS156, the DS157, and the DS158 (for students). one thing to notice is that only the first one of them gives you the capacity to save your work and printing it. The other two forces you to print them without saving them. For a person that makes a lot of mistakes and needs a continues revision, this is a real headache. I managed to print the DS157 through UBUNTU. One of the forms ask you to write your name in your native language.
2- You need to do some research before filling these papers. you need the phone numbers and complete addresses of all your close family, last 3 employers, and two non relative contacts. make sure to answer all the questions. if they don't apply simply type "n/a". I had some problem with DS157 where you need to write you name in native language. for some reason neither windows nor Ubuntu where able to do it properly in Arabic. one easy solution is to write it by your hand! or type your name on a small label, glue it to the form and them make a photocopy of it, or use paint to copy and paste it.
3- make sure your I-20 is up to date. and signed by the international adviser. that you have all your passports are with you.
4- Once filling the EVAF you may make an appointment for your interview. They can take appointments for 2 weeks in advance or so.
5- I'd suggest making an appointment ASAP. It might take some long time for them to process your application.
6- keep the peanuts they give you at your flight back home. you will use them as a snack while waiting for the interview.
7- make sure to head to the embassy half an hour before your interview. there will be a long line before you otherwise. They will take your phone upon entry and return it back after you are done, so bring something to read. They will keep you waiting for an hour inside before they start calling the names.
8- The interview is mostly an easy one. Especially if you have a teaching assistantship or some form of support from YOUR university. keep your answers short and to the point. They should have no questions beyond what you have already answered.
9- I had the officer telling me that my application will have to go for further processing. This means they need to make further checkup on me in DC. The process takes anytime between 2 to 12 weeks. They will give you a link to check the status of your application. If you are coming back home for a short break, this will probably mean you will have to be prepared for the possibility that you will lose the whole semester as it is quite possible not to be able to return back on time.
10- Mine came back after 6 weeks, Including Christmas break. I tried many things to reduce that period but it was useless. The embassy in Amman makes it almost impossible to have a one to one interaction. I really don't know what are the criteria to put you up for the extra processing. Me and 2 of my friends (All males applying for an F1 VISA) went through it the first time. The second time they both passed without that time consuming process. So the only thing that might have worked is to try to challenge that yellow paper once they give it to you. In my case, I wish that I was aware of this early enough to tell him that I have been in the US for 3 years non-stop (since they gave me the first VISA). Or even ask why did they screen you for this process. We can get much more info if people can get more information about it.
11- I find it appropriate to advice you to take an account for such a possible delay. Bring some work or research material with you just in case you will be delayed for few months. Keep your spirits up, and use the time to reflect on your experience in the US so far. It is quite amazing the conclusions you might get to when you are analyzing the system from the outside.
Good luck!
