In order to go for electives, residency interviews and the Step 2 CS, you need to apply for a US visit visa (B1/B2). Try and apply as early as possible. Ideally, you should have taken Step 1 and Step 2 CK before you go for the interview.
You get the application materials from American Express offices in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad. They are also available online at the web site of Islamabad’s US Embassy. Fill those up and put them in the application. Nowadays, they do not accept any extra documents to be attached with the application materials as every one is called for an interview. Once your application is processed, take the earliest date available. The American Express also gives out the interview dates.
Do you mention Step 3 on the visa application and during the visa interview? The answer is NO. Step 3 is a big no-no. The reason is that people who have gone previously for residency interviews had to stay longer to do Step 3 and many of them took extensions. Visa consulars know that. So, on the application and during the interviews, mention your reasons for visit as Step 2 CS examination and residency interviews…that’s all.
Documents to take with you for the interview:
All original documents should be along with you for the interview. Needless to state, you will also take your passport and visa application.
1- Print out of Step 2 CS date and testing center
2- Print out of Scheduling Permit
3- Visa Letter from the ECFMG
4- Step 1 score, if available
5- Step 2 CK score, if available
6- AKU documents (which include Medical School Diploma, Transcript, Dean's letter etc.)
7- Job letter (if you are doing a job e.g. Teaching Assistant, Research Assistant, then ask your supervisor to write you a letter saying that you are working at this place and once you come back from the US, you will continue your job). + Pay slips.
8- Evidence of last trip to US: If you have gone to US before, what did you do there? Most of the students have gone for electives. It is worthwhile to keep US recommendation letters as proof of your visit.
9- Affidavits of support from your parents (saying that my son or daughter is going abroad for medical board examinations and I will be bearing his/her expenses).
10- Affidavit of Non-immigrant Intent (saying that you will return and giving reasons why you are going to do so).
11- Proof that you can afford the trip. This proof can be in the form of Bank Statement, Property Documents and/or credit Card summaries.
12- All educational documents from school till medical school.
13- Print out of your ERAS account (if applicable).
Know which document is where otherwise you would not look good in front of the interviewer. Dress professionally but make sure that you are comfortable as well. Arrive at the parking no later than six o’clock in the morning.
Get rid of your mobiles and stand in the line where they give out bus tickets to the US embassy. Once you get the tickets, you make a run for the line where they are loading the buses for the US embassy. Please note that there are other buses for other embassies too so you need to check where to go. Once you sit in the bus, the bus takes you to Diplomatic Enclave and drops you in front of the US Consulate. There, you form two lines; one for immigrant visas and one for non-immigrant visas. You will stand in the non-immigrant visa line. Then, the security guards will call you and after a thorough security check, you go inside the Consulate where your fingerprints are taken and your passport and visa application is taken. Then, you wait for the interview. Good luck!!!
After the interview, your passport is sent to USA for security clearance (if you are a guy). This takes a very variable amount of time. Officially, the consulars tell you that it would take anywhere from 2 weeks to three months.
Note: This article has been derived from "Roadmap to Residency" authored by AKU graduates, with permission from few of the authors. Name of the original author, has purposely not been mentioned on request of one of the authors, for privacy reasons. If you are the original author of this article and want your name to be mentioned or wish this article to be modified/ removed from this website, please contact us and we would be more than happy to entertain your request. We fully respect your privacy, acknowledge your efforts put in authoring this article and appreciate your hard work involved in it.
Thanks for your kind wordsl
filling ds160
I want to qpply for my visa
I want to qpply for my visa asap in order to go for my elective. However the places I've applied to take 8-12 weeks for processing. Can anybody tell what I must do? Are there any universities which give early acceptances?
also can I apply for a visa on the basis of the email conversations I had with my doctors?
No you can't... I dont think
B1/B2 VISA
I wanted to know what are my chances of getting a B1/B2 visa ? As i am planning to go for observership this november to US. I m still a medical student and have an approval letter for observership with a US doctor i know. Shall i go to the US embassy and appear for an interview to get my B1/B2 visa on the basis of just an observership ? What are my chances of getting a ten year multiple entry on these basis ? given i am preparing for my Step 1.
Please reply as soon as possible.
query regd visa date
I got accepted for an observership at UNMC from dec1,2011. Can i attend the visa interview now on august4th with that december letter. There wont be any prob with the VO regd y u came so early to the visa ivw? plz help me..
Really late
Thanks
help
Visa Denied for Step2 CS
I just gave my interview at new delhi. I have given my step 1 and got 99 percentile in it (238). I m yet to give Step 2 CK in jan. and my Step 2 CS is in March. I had applied for a visa for a duration of 6 months. But the VO denied it.
My question is ; When should i re apply again? Shall i wait for the Step 2 CK results and then apply?
Will this first rejection affect my application in any way?
What precautions should i take the next time.
I will be so pleased if you could answer my questions. Thank u so much.
Visa Guidance required
hi
first thanks a lot for this website which contains valuable info in great detail.
i have been accepted at U of M.
do u have any idea which visa they offer.
they asked me to get B2 but i doubt that we can go for clerkship on B2 as travel.state.gov states that on B2 we can not take course with more than 18hours/week.
please reply urgently as i have to apply in a day.
reg clinical rotations
reg clinical rotations
Visa inquiry
have one interview in jan 2012 ,have an observership in november
i have had great help at every step of my usmle prep from this site . thank you
i have a situation ,i cleared my usmle step 1, cs ,and have taken my step 2 (results awaited ).
i have as of today only one interview in jan 2012 , i also got an observership in november 2011 .now i want to apply for b1 /b2 ,my question is -1.should i apply now or after my step 2 results come 2. should i give observership or iv as ground for visa .3.i have my sister in us as lpr ,how to face question regarding this thanks
visa refused
and told me to apply for B1/B2 visa without telling the VO about it , so i went to the embassy and my application has been refused due to weak ties to home county
I'm Syrian citizen who lives and studies in Saudi Arabia I've been in Saudi Arabia for 19 years with my parents
the interview was like
vo : hello
me good morning
vo :so you're are going for tourism ?
yes sir
VO :which state
-Chicago sir
vo how long you gonna stay ?
3 month maximum because i don't want to take time of school
vo what do you study ?
medicine
vo : which year and how long does it take to finish your degree ?
I'm in 4th year sir and i still have 2 years to go
VO : does your family live here in Saudi Arabia ?
yes sir
VO : how long have you been in Saudi Arabia ?
19 years sir
VO :what are the countries have you been to the last 5 years
told him about them
VO : have you been to Egypt , Lebanon ?
no sir
VO : do you have any relatives in the us ?
yes sir
vo : who is he ?
my uncle
vo : where does he live ?
in Maryland sir
VO :when are planning to go to USA ?
14/feb sir
VO : why you going to usa now ? you dont have a school to be in ?
no sir i just finished my basic since studies and i want to take some time off since i haven't taken any vocations for 2 years then im gonna come back to start my clinical rotations
VO : who's your sponsor ?
my dad sir
VO :asked for bank statement ?
gave it to him
VO : why did you choose us ?
sir me and 3 of my friends are going there together and one of my friends who is an American citizen recommended us for go USA for tourism
VO Where does he live ? talking about the American friend
sir he is studying with me at the same college but he lives in Colorado .
VO :asked for college identification paper ?
gave it to him then he left for 3 minutes and came back
VO : can you tell me a little more about your exact plans in Chicago ?
sir i haven't booked yet in any hotel waiting for my visa approval
sorry i cant issue you visa right now you can reapply ? and handled me the reason
Hi everyone, I have visa
I have visa interview in 3 days, i applied for b1/b2 . I am going for electives in case western reserve uni. they have send me acceptance letter, but when i asked them abt visa, they said univ. doesn't provide any sort of help in visa, nothing is mentioned on its website either. So I don't have anything to support y I want to apply for b1/b2. Now i am not able to understand what to reply if vo ask on what basis m I applying for b1/b2? If any1 have attended electives in CWRU, plz can u advise me something?
Thank u in anticipation...
Visa Experience
Anyway, this is what she asked me:
Me: (Didnt wait for her to talk first) Good morning.
VO: Good morning, how are you doing (Rather enthusiastically)
Me: Im great, what about you?
VO: Good, good. So, Tell me why you went to US on J-1 before?
Me: Had a research elective at XYZ uni. They were paying me xyz$ for 8 months.
VO: Oh I see, did you have fun?
Me: Loved it.
VO: SO why are you going this time?
Me: Research elective at Yale.
VO: I can't even ask why you chose Yale (Smirking at the Screen)
Me: Yeah its pretty self-explanatory, isn't it?
VO: Yeah. So you are at the XYZ uni?
Me: Yup (I literally said this)
VO: Which yr?
Me: 4th yr.
VO: (Looking at the screen) Hmm. Everything looks good. Ok then, you can collect your passport from the AE in 10 days.
Me; (confused) umm are you going to give me a slip?
VO: Nope, just show ur id at the AE
Me: Thats Amazing. Thank you so much.
Notice that she didnt ask for any document what so ever. I guess it was easier for me because I've been in US on J-1 before. She was ultra-friendly. Tips: 1. STAY CONFIDENT NO MATTER WHAT
2. PLEASE SMILE, GIVES A GOOD IMPRESSION.
3. GO AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE TO AVOID QUES.
4. BEST OF LUCK!!
b1/b2 visa
i applied for b1/b2 visa from karachi pakistan for the step 2cs and they gave 28th march date for interview. dear umar i did a mistake in my online application foam, i could not gave the detail of my educational information mistakenly. what can i do for fill this mistake at interview ...
please give me some advise i m so confuse because of that...
b1/b2 visa
i applied for b1/b2 visa from karachi pakistan for the step 2cs and they gave 28th march date for interview. dear umar i did a mistake in my online application foam, i could not gave the detail of my educational information mistakenly. what can i do for fill this mistake at interview ...
please give me some advise i m so confuse because of that...
Visa
Just came across this page searching for a yellow 22g form for my father in law in Canada. Irrespective, I read some of the comments posted here about interview experience..some good, some bad...
Just one advise for everyone going for visa interview. Visa officers are just like any other person..They are not out of this world or some hot shots....deal with them with smile and be confident, but don't use words like sir..specially if visa officer is a young person...Treat them equally and well but also be self confident. Answers like "no sir" "yes sir" should be avoided...it can be " No, actually I did not ....<and reason>" or " Yes, because..." Just my .02 cents...
b1/b2 visa
secondly, my visa has already been rejected once due to lack of ties to home country. my siblings live abroad but my parents are here and im studying here... but the visa consular was so strict and mean. how should i try to convince them this time?
thanks for the help
B1 Visa
Hi,
I need help.I was f2 status and stay with my husband in US;,Last year i divorced to my hubby and come back to my country Pakistan and right now i live with my faimly .I have two kids,they are US citizen and kids is minor .My son is 6 years and daughter is 7 years.My Ex husband is in US.My kids everytime miss dad.Now they have vacation so they asked me to meet with dad in US .I have noticed that they have lack of Confidence and emmotionally they are very disturbed .I want to go US and let my kids meet with dad so may be they will be fine..Please Advice me what should i do, Where do i get form.How to submit ,what documents i need,what should i tell to them on Interview .I need strong reason. Thanks .
10 year multiple entry visa for an elective
I had applied for an elective of one month at harvard and was lucky to get one.
They had sent me the notification of acceptance with only 20 days before the elective start date. So I had to apply for B1/B2 successfully withing these many days.
First of all you have to fill up a DS-160 form from HERE
You also have to pay your VISA fee from a HDFC bank. For the list of branches HERE
It takes 2 days after you pay your fee to register a date for interview. You do not need the form for it so you can pay the fee before you fill out the DS-160 as I did.
After that I set up an interview date at the earliest which was 7 days away.
I then started collecting documents for the interview.I had divided my documents into various categories and striked off each one as I prepared them
List of Documents I had
ELECTIVE RELATED
1)Harvard letter showing my proof of acceptance
2)Printout of email conversations with the Harvard clerk
3) Letter from my dean stating I am eligible and allowed to do the elective
4) US manual showing that medical electives require b1/b2 visa. You can get it from HERE. You only need to have the pages 16 & 17 with you.
INTENT OF RETURN
1) Medical school transcript showing I am still a student
2) Deans letter stating I am still a student and am in good standing.
3) Affidavit stating that I will return back after the electives
FINANCIAL SUPPORT
1) Sponsors bank statement
2) Letter from the bank stating the sponsor is capable of supporting my education in the US
3) CA`s letter showing the net worth of movable and immovable assets of my sponsor.
4) Documents proving everything mentioned in the CA`s letter (property,etc)
5) Affidavit of the sponsor stating that he will sponsor me.
EXTRA DOCUMENTS
1) Step 1 score
2) TOEFL score
3) Letters of recommendation
4)Health Insurance
5) Proof of immunization
6) Lastly my step 2 CS letter showing my appointment in MAY. ( I didn't want to show this letter so I kept it last)
I had all the documents ready within three days. I had scheduled my appointment at the Mumbai consulate which requires you to submit documents at the VFS office at Mahalaxmi ( and not the US consulate at BKC) 3 days ago the interview.
I was scared about rejection as I had only one shot at it. I had my primary schooling done in Oman which could prove as a disadvantage plus my brother was rejected a visa 6 months before this. So I tried to keep all the documents ready before I applied.
THE INTERVIEW
My interview was at 10 am and I had reached the consulate at 8 am. I had kept my attire formal with a tie.
First they get a sticker attached on your passport which also has your token number for the interview. Then you go through security checks like that at the airport.After that you enter an area which is like a glorified post office. You can see a lot of people sitting and waiting for their turn to be interviewed. Before getting into the sitting area you have to get your finger prints registered. Now if you have a blister or a big cut on your finger your prints cannot be registered and then you will have to postpone your interview. During the pre interview days I was very careful not to injury myself.
After you are done with the finger printing you have to take a seat and wait for your turn. I had to wait almost 30 minutes before my number was called out. I hoped for a male interviewer as I had heard lot of rejection stories when the interviewer was female ( I don't mean to be biased here. Just my opinion) and I was lucky to have one. I had three people in front of me. I could also see people in other queues. I observed that all the people in my queue were issued a visa while the queue next to me had many rejections. ( The interviewer was a female.May be a coincidence) This made me nervous. Then my turn came. It went like this
ME: Hi, good morning how are you? [with a smile. :) ]
VO: Not bad. Could have been better. :) .So what is the purpose of your visit ?
ME: I have been selected for an elective at harvard medical school.
VO: Ok. ( kept typing for some time) So are you a final year student.
ME: yes. ( after saying this I realized I am not :). I had just completed my internship. So I got scared but tried not to show it just hoping he doesn't ask for my transcripts )
VO: Who is sponsoring you ?
ME: My dad.
Kept on typing for some time.
VO: Have you ever had any hands on clinical experience before ?
ME: No ( I thought he asked me this question to reject my visa )
VO: OK Your passport will sent to you by mail.
ME: Thank You. ( got too excited. He could almost see it on my face )
Thats it only 2 minutes of interview with no documents asked. I left the hall but then I realized I should have asked the duration of visa. :(
So now I waited 2 days to see what I had been issued.
After two days I was shocked to see that I was issued a 10 years multiple entry visa.My excitement knew no boundaries. :)
Things I would like to add.
The mood of your interviewer plays an important part for you to get a Visa.
Just be confident. I think the Harvard letter did the trick for me but one cannot be sure.Have a positive attitude , it actually shows on your face.
And finally best of luck for all those who are applying for a visa.
visa foe elctive and CS?
I am currently pursuing my internship in INdia. I have been accepted for an elective in NWU, Chicago. I would like to take up CS after my elective. However, I havent finished step1 or CK. Im really worried as i have read on many forums that it is risky to tell the VO that you will be taking up CS along with the elective during your stay in the US. ( that too considering that i havent finished step 1 or CK).
So please advice regarding this matter. If I do conceal my intentions of taking up CS, isnt there a way for the VO to find out that I have a scheduled date for the exam?
I have already been to the US last year for a month's elective.
B1/B2 for step2 Cs exam OR F1 for Kaplan Step2 Cs course?
I have my Cs exam booked on Aug 8 & I am also taking a 5 day Step2 Cs course by Kaplan starting from 23rd to 27th july 2012.
So I need help with what type of visa should I apply,B1/B2 for my exam or F1 for the cousre?
Plz reply soon.
Thanks.
Aneela.
Visa Sponsorship by a Relative who is a US citizen
My aunt is a doctor and also a green card holder. If she sponsors my B1/B2 visa, will it have a positive or negative impact on my chances of getting a visa. Please help. Very confused!!!
visa before ck
hi umer bahi/ anyother,
i appreciate all of your efforts here.
my qustions is that can i apply for b1/b2 on the basis of cs before taking ck ?
extension of stay in usa
hi i am dr saba memon i did my usmle steps and now i am applying for residency in the september but my stay ends on sept so.... i want to know what reason usually people give when applying for extension to stay in usa,,,,,,,,can you please help me how can i extend my stay in usa because i want to be here for my interview of residency,,,,
about b type visa
hi umer bahi and anyone,
i also posted previously , i am graduate and i have taken step 1.
my question is that can i apply for b type visa before step 2 ck?
my plan is to take step 2 cs in january2013 and to take step 2 ck in febryary2013 after taking cs .
what you suggest me ?
thanks
Can I mention in interview
Can I mention in interview as Selfy Sponsoring as I am Medical Officer in PIMS hospital ISB? And what documents do I have to show?
Confused..
Umer Bhai,
i wanted your help in a few things.. actually i applied for electives in orlando florida on the basis of which i got my B1/B2 visa. But now due to some problem i cannot go there in May .instead i ll be doing an elective in sarosaota ,Florida in June. So will that be a problem for the immigration and all?Because i applied for the month of may .Will they let me enter for this purpose a month late?
Secondly i wanted to ask that if i donot visit USA for the whole 1 year span will this be a problem for future visa applications? like will it be an obstacle ?
Kindly Guide me
Regards
B1/ B2 VISA