Preparation is everything!!

Monday, 10 May 2010 08:47

'Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal.'
Henry Ford (1863-1947)

I promised to tell you about my preparations for San Diego, so here is the visa application part. My most useful tip here is: prepare in time. With sufficient time, everything will be ok. In the end. In my case, I not only had to arrange all the documents for myself, but also for my wife and baby son. This doesn't change which documents you have to fill out, but it does increase the number of them and the amount of supporting documentation you need to collect. And that takes time. A lot.

This is going to be a long, long post and a bit factual, but it will prove useful if you decide to 'do a post-doc abroad'. So take a cup of coffee, sit back and relax. It all starts with getting a passport that is valid at least six months after your stay in the US. Then you need to get the human resources specialist (or whatever they're called at your place) of the university/institute where you are going to work to arrange a DS-2019 form (which is the official document you need for your J1 visa) for you at least three (preferably four) months in advance. You will need to provide all the relevant information regarding yourself (and your family, who will need a J2 Dependent visa) and education.

Here's a another tip: make digital copies of everything, including all the forms you completed. You are likely to need them again later in the process and maybe when you enter the US (customs may ask for supporting documents to prove that you are not entering illegally even though you already have the visa stamped in your passport by then. The last customs person at your last airport still has the right to refuse your entry in the US. And you really need him/her to approve the white I-94 card you have  completed during your flight to the US).

Also make sure all the information is correct and consistent, because if it isn't, it will be entered into 'the system' anyway and your visa approval can take more than half a year (which was the case with a friend of mine who had to go to the whole process of having her information corrected). The DS-2019 form will be sent to your home address after which you will need to pay the Student Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) fee. Once in the US, you are required to carry your passport, DS-2019, I-94 and SEVIS fee payment confirmation with you at all times (although I have to find out whether that's still the case once you have an official US Identity card, I'll get back to you on that).

Before going to US embassy/consulate, I needed to complete the forms DS-157, DS-158 as well as DS-160 for myself and my family (also for our babyson who is just a couple of months old and therefore had to mention that he 'had help while completing the form'). This will take hours, if not days, depending on how fast you can access information on the past ten years of your life, including, but not limited to, every country you have visited (for most Dutch people this doesn't fit in the space provided), every job you had, every place you lived, every type of education you had since kindergarten, et cetera, et cetera. The US consulate website now mentions that you only need to complete the DS-160, so I guess some things have improved. If you do find the DS 157 and DS 158 however, complete them anyway and bring them with you. There is no such thing as being over-prepared. If at any time you are not sure what to fill out on any part of the form, consult your human resources specialist. Better safe than sorry.

When you have your passport, SEVIS fee payment confirmation, completed DS-160 and creditcard ready, call to make an appointment with the US consulate in Amsterdam (or the US embassy in The Hague) for an interview with the consul. See http://amsterdam.usconsulate.gov/how_apply_types_niv.html This site provides most of the information you will need, but you should also ask your human resources specialist if they have additional information (the International Office at UCSD has a very informative handbook about preparations as well as post-arrival tips, most of which is also applicable to people who go to other places than San Diego.

Bring photo's with the correct format. And bring an A5 envelope (with sufficient stamps) for every visa that you apply for since every passport will be returned to you separately. You wouldn't believe how many people have to go out and buy extra ones for their relatives. In case you have a child under 14: arrange a baby sitter. Children are not allowed to be present during the interview. It will also save you from trying to keep your children calm in a place where you really don't want to cause a scene. There is also no restroom where you can change diapers. The whole place is very similar like going through US customs (in fact, you are officially leaving the Netherlands and entering US territory), so leave your belt and electronic devices at home and keep your passport and important documents ready.

The US consulate website mentions some of the supporting documentation that you will need to bring (most of which you already needed during the completion of the DS-160). Again, I would suggest to consult the UCSD handbook as well. Even though you might not need it, it will save you days, maybe weeks, if they do ask for it during the interview. The supporting documentation I collected included original documents as well as copies of passports, completed forms, marriage certificate (Dutch as well as international, which can be applied for at the Population Affairs Department, or 'Burgerzaken', of your town), birth certificates of your children if applicable (Dutch and international), driver's licence (Dutch and international, which you can get at the ANWB), rental agreement of your prior house/room, offer letter from your future boss (this will also come in handy when looking for apartments when you don't yet have a copy of your contract or any other proof of income), contracts and year overviews of previous employers, diploma's (get an English translation of your PhD certificate as well), bank statements of the past two months to show you have sufficient funds to pay the first couple of months in the US, old passports in case you travelled to the US in the past (to show that you routinely return to the Netherlands after your primary purpose has been fulfilled), proof of housing or hotel where you will stay (the US government really wants to know where you are at all times), a letter from your current/previous boss that you are eligible for a position upon return to the Netherlands (although not required, it helps to demonstrate your intention to return to the Netherlands), and updated curriculum vitae. For me, health insurance is covered by UCSD. Make sure that you have health insurance as well. If you are on medication, get an (international) medical history from your doctor/pharmacy so you can proof that the medicine in your suitcase is really yours.

In the end, it only took two days at the US consulate to get the visa. The first day I found out we missed the DS-158 for my wife and son so we had to go home again. Luckily, we could return the next day without an appointment (if you're not lucky, you need to make a new appointment). The second day, everything went very smoothly. We handed over our passports and documents at the first office window and had the interview at the second (no fancy office with leather chairs and antique book cases for us). The vice-consul asked us for our marriage certificate and birth certificate or our son, congratulated us on choosing a wonderful city to work (she did her Bachelor in San Diego) and that was it. The next day the postman delivered our passports. I know I must have scared you with all the required preparation, and it does seem a bit silly now, but I am still convinced that you cannot be over-prepared for a US visa application.

Last but not least: buy your plane tickets three months in advance and don't wait until the last moment (even though the US consulate website suggests getting a ticket after the approval of your visa) and get a good cancellation policy. Most companies will consider not getting your visa in time as a good excuse and it will definitely save you hundreds of euros/dollars. I went to the Vliegwinkel in Utrecht. Cheap and very helpful in case you want to reserve extra room for a baby on a plane.

Good luck and bon voyage !!