How to Get a Student Visa Appointment for US in India 2026?

Students looking to travel to the USA to study would require a US Student Visa to enter the country. Students wanting to know the US Visa appointment procedure from India need only follow the steps mentioned below to successfully book a Visa Appointment for the US with the US Embassy to get their visa to study in the US.

Students planning to study in the United States need a US student visa to enter the country, and booking a visa appointment is one of the most time-sensitive steps in the process. Since 2026, this process has moved to a new appointment platform, and visa officers now apply stricter screening than before.

Students wanting to know the US visa appointment procedure from India must first receive their I-20 from a US university, pay the SEVIS I-901 and MRV fees, and complete the DS-160 form. Only then can they schedule a US visa appointment through usvisascheduling.com, the platform now used to book both the OFC/VAC biometrics visit and the consular interview across all five US consular offices in India - New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, and Hyderabad.

Appointment slots have grown more competitive, with only one free reschedule now permitted. So Indian applicants should book early and keep every document ready before the process begins for their US student visa.

US Visa Appointment in India – Step-by-Step Process (2026)

Indian applicants looking to apply for an F1 visa or any other visa to study in USA, can follow this step-by-step process to fix an appointment: 

1. Submission of Application Form DS-160
2. Completing OFC Appointment requirements for biometrics
3. Generating the CEAC Barcode
4. Payment of US Visa Application Fee
5. Payment of SEVIS Fee
6. Scheduling your US Visa Appointment Date
7. Check the status of your Visa Appointment for US

US Visa Slot Booking Details for Indian Students 2026

Here is what you'd need to do when you get your I-20 form and DS-160 form upon US university acceptance in the following sections.  

1. Submission of Application Form DS-160

Candidates looking to enter the US must schedule a US Visa Appointment date with the embassy/ consulate. Before that, the candidates must submit an online Visa Application Form (DS-160). To complete the online application form, students must keep their valid passport and I-20 Letter (a document that validates successful admission to a US University). Candidates would also be required to upload their photographs within the specified guidelines. Applicants are advised to carry copies of the same photograph to the embassy/consulate on the day of the US Visa Interview.

While completing the form, candidates should be careful to provide only accurate information. As Form DS-160 is an online application form, candidates are required to save the form often to avoid any data loss. They should thoroughly go through the entire form before hitting the submit button. All incomplete forms would be rejected at the start. Also, read about the social media vetting rules in USA and submit your social media handles on the DS-160 before submitting a student visa application. 

2. OFC Appointment

Around 2-3 days before the actual US student visa interview date, applicants will have to complete the OFC appointment. In this step, applicants have to visit the nearest VAC and submit their fingerprints as part of the biometric check. Once this is done, they can go ahead and submit their student visa application fee, SEVIS fee and also submit their DS-160. 

3. Generating the CEAC Barcode

On the successful submission of Form DS-190, a confirmation sheet containing the CEAC Barcode will be generated. The DS-160 CEAC Barcode confirmation page should be kept safely for future reference. Students would also require the CEAC Barcode when scheduling the US Visa booking appointment date and payment of the US Student Visa Application Fee. Candidates are advised to mail a copy of the completed Form DS-160 along with the CEAC Barcode to their email ID for safekeeping and take a printout. The Form DS-160 with CEAC Barcode would be in PDF Format and students would require the latest version of the Adobe Reader to view the file correctly.

4. Payment of US Visa Application Fee

The next important step in the US Visa application procedure from India is to successfully pay your Student Visa Application Fee through the various methods of payment listed on the official website. Students should create a profile and choose the ‘Schedule an Appointment’ option to ensure timely payment and activation. The payment page would provide you with options to complete the transaction. Students would have to allow the system up to 2 business days to process the payment and generate the MRV receipt. 

5. Submit SEVIS Fee

The applicants will also have to submit the SEVIS fee, which is required to process applications for those admitted to an SEVP-certified institution. The SEVIS fee for F and M applicants is USD 350. The J1 visa applicants in USA will have to pay USD 220. 

6. Scheduling your US Visa Appointment Date (visa slot booking)

Once you have successfully paid the US Visa Application Fee, you must schedule your US Visa slot booking appointment date based on the available dates. Candidates must provide the bank receipt number before choosing the preferred date and time of Visa Appointment for the US. All students looking to visit the USA must appear in person for the appointment at the designated centres in their city along with the documents mentioned.

Candidates would be required to carry the following documents with them at the US Visa Appointment Centre:

• DS 160 Confirmation page
• I-20 Letter (duly signed)
• Visa Appointment Letter
• Visa Application Fee
• Original Passport

How to Check Your US Visa Appointment Status?

Candidates who are looking to visit the United States of America for further education are required to apply for their US Student Visa well in advance to avoid any unnecessary confusion in the last moments.

They will have to sign up not at ais.usvisa-info.com but to the new usvisascheduling.com portal. Here successfully submit their Form D-160, pay the visa application fee (MRV Fee) and choose a day for their Visa Appointment for their US visa appointment biometrics and interview.

This is a fairly simple process, however, a lengthy one. Hence, candidates who have applied for their US Visa Appointment can check the status of their US Visa Application Process by visiting the official website and logging in to their account with their credentials. Students are also advised to keep the documents needed for US Visa VAC appointments. 

Documents Required for US Visa Appointment from India

Here is a list of important documents that should be kept handy for students looking to undertake the US Visa Procedure from India:

• Original Passport
• I-20 Letter (Duly Signed)
• Bank Statements for the last 6 months
• US Visa Appointment Letter
• US Visa Application Fee
• Education Qualification Documents
• Certificate of excellence in extracurricular activities
• Standardized test scores for:
  • UG: SAT / ACT 
  • PG: GRE / GMAT

• ELP Test scores: TOEFL/ IELTS/ PTE Academic scores if applicable

• Passport size photograph that was used for Form D-160
• Proof of work experience if any
• Income Tax Returns (Last 3 Years)

Often described as the land of dreams, the United States of America with its booming economy, is a learner’s treasure trove. The country provides state-of-the-art education, flexible part-time working options and liberal post-study work options for students to benefit from.

US Visa Appointment in India Consular Address

Those applying for US visa appointments in India can apply to five designated US consular offices. These five US consular offices are in New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Chennai. The details of each of these US Consular offices located in Indian cities are as follows:

Key Takeaways

While the core US student visa process from India DS-160 submission, OFC biometrics, SEVIS fee payment, MRV fee payment, and the consular interview remains unchanged, several procedural shifts have taken effect in 2026. Appointment scheduling has moved from ais.usvisa-info.com to a new platform, usvisascheduling.com, with support now handled via support-india@usvisascheduling.com.

Applicants are now required to enter passport details at the time of profile creation, and only one free reschedule is permitted; a second change requires repaying the MRV fee. Enhanced security screening, including social media vetting, has also lengthened wait times, with applicants who faced prior visa refusals currently facing limited slot availability. Fee amounts remain unchanged, with the SEVIS fee at $350 and the MRV fee at $185.

If you are still confused about a VISA Appointment for the US in India, contact our Shiksha Abroad Counselling services to clear your doubts.