JEDDAH, 20 November 2006 — Saudi students approved for US scholarships by the Ministry of Higher Education can expect to receive notices by the end of this month, said a US Embassy official in Riyadh.
In a presentation given yesterday at the Dar Al-Hekma College for girls urging students to apply for US universities early, Vice Consul Carrie Giardino said that officials at the embassy had been told by the ministry that names of students approved for 10,000 US scholarships announced months ago would be disclosed at the end of November. The ministry plans to announce the names in groups every two weeks.
The problem arose when the ministry announced scholarships, which caused the embassy to block appointment times for students in order to process their visas as quickly as possible thus reducing the number of interviews for other types of visas from the usual 200 a day to 80 a day. This created a backlog of interviews for other visas and many people complained that it took months just to schedule an interview.
“Now we have opened 2,000 new appointment times in December and January for the public, but priority of no-wait-time is given to students. As soon as the ministry makes available the scholarships, the times would be reserved again for students,” Giardino told Arab News.
Another problem caused by the ministry’s delay in issuing the scholarships is that even the students who applied for a visa have their documents pending until they receive a confirmation of their scholarship.
“We cannot issue the visa until the student gets the scholarship. We are asking them to at least get us a letter from the ministry confirming that they have a scholarship,” said Giardino.
The US Consulate in Jeddah gave a presentation yesterday at the Dar Al-Hekma College on the occasion of International Education Week.
Najat Al-Saied, educational adviser at the consulate, talked about choosing a university for graduate studies, admission requirements and other information.
She recommended students start applying 12 to 18 months before their intended study time and to research the universities based on their area of interest and requirements.
In general the minimum academic year grade accepted is B and the average international student pays between $16,000 and $46,000 a year depending on the university. More than 500,000 international students apply for graduate studies in the US every year — most of them from India, China and South Korea — 80 percent of whom are issued visas. The most competitive colleges to be accepted in are medical and dental where less than 3 percent are accepted.
All US visa applications worldwide, as of Nov. 1, 2006, must be completed online. “Prepare all the required documents before going to Riyadh for the interview otherwise there would be a delay,” said Giardino to the students explaining to them the process of getting a student visa.
The validity period on the I-20 form given by the school is the maximum that a student can stay in the US, although due to the reciprocity agreement between the Kingdom and the US, the visa is issued for only two years even if the study period is longer than that, so the student would have to renew it.
“If you have all the required documents we can issue the visa in a week, but sometimes there is additional processing in Washington so it might take two months especially for male students. There is a lot of security concerns, so you need to apply early,” said Giardino.
For female students worried about needing a mahram to accompany them, the ministry issues an exemption card attached to the passport allowing her to travel by herself if her family permits her, according to Giardino. However, the embassy does not issue a “mahram visa,” a person wanting to accompany the female student must apply for a visa separately and go through the process.
Once a student identifies the school they wish to attend, there are five steps that make up the visa application:
1. Make an appointment for a visa interview by going to http://ksa.us-visaservices.com, pay $12 to receive a PIN number that allows you to log onto the appointment system.
2. Pay the application fee at a Samba branch and receive a yellow receipt which you should bring with you to the embassy. Or go online to http://www.samba.com and print a copy of the receipt.
3. Complete the application by going to http://evisaforms.state.gov and bring the printout.
4. Pay your SEVIS fee by going to http://www.fmjfee.com to pay $100 and bring a copy of the receipt. All primary student applicants for F-1, M-1 or J-1 visas must pay the SEVIS fee but the fee does not have to be paid for the derivatives or dependents of those applicants.
5. The documents needed are: application form, full face photos showing hairline and chin, I-20 from the school you will attend, SEVIS fee receipt, application fee receipt, high school/college transcripts, financial statements (three months or scholarship verification), and passport valid for six months.
