I had to read and then do and didnt know what comes next always..etc. No doubt some people have put full answers to questions on Orkut Visa communities about the forms you have to fill during the booking procedure. I will not write that again. I will see if i can make your life easier.
Do this only if you are ready with the things i had said in the previous article on What to do before you book the Visa Date . so here we go !
- Go to VFS GLOBAL US VISA site
- Click on the Apply for a Non-immigrant Visa link
- You get a page saying "How to pay your fees" : which you have already done, so continue
- Next you are asked " Do you have a BEP User ID : " , just say No , it will take you to the next page (dont worry what it is now..even then if you wanna know, click here to see what is BEP )
- Next you get a page with three options :
* Create a new application
* Retrieve/ Modify a saved application
* Download details of a confirmed appointment
Click on * Create a new application
- Next page says " US visa online application " , just say I Agree and continue
- Now you will asked to choose " state of residence" , fill it up properly to view what dates are available for booking.
- Many a times you will see this prompt. 
( non-availability visa prompt)
- Normally people stop after seeing this prompt, thinking you cannot fill the forms which are available for filling. But its wrong , click on " Emergency Appointment ".
- You get a page giving details of what is "Emergency Appointment" , read and click on continue.
By doing this you are not going to book the dates for emergency appointment, this is a way to fill out the forms and keep them ready , so that when the dates are available you can just choose the dates and click on submit. You will know what i am telling later..read on .
- Many a times you have emergency dates available , they will be displayed in green.If these are also not there, you will see the same prompt again which you saw above.
So if the dates are in green , then click on continue.
- The you are asked " Passport Expiry Date: " , fill it and continue.
- Next you will be asked to " Enter details from Visa Fee Receipt issued by HDFC Bank" , fill it accordingly. Here mother's name is shown in asterix, as its considered as a password when you want to retrieve a filled application.
- Then you will get form DS-156 fill all of it, wherever necessary write NA , DON'T LEAVE ANY COLUMN BLANK.
- After completing DS-156 and click on continue . It will take you to page where all the three forms are listed. DS-156,DS157,DS-158 .Fill all of them accordingly.
Note: Read Guidelines carefully (given on right top of the page) if you need any help in filling the forms. Even then if you have problems , check out US VISA community on Orkut.
- After filling all the three forms and Sevis form, you will see tick mark on all. Re-check all forms again , if you want save and exit ,if you want to choose the dates later. or click Submit
Final Steps :
- When you click Submit, you will see this screenshot.
You can add new applicants or click on "Continue for Confirmation "
- Select Address for delivery of passport and Continue ( screenshot below)
- Now you can choose if you want priority or normal ( read everything written on that page)
Click on " Continue " if you want normal appointment
- Next if you find dates click on them and confirm your booking otherwise , the same prompt of dates not available will come up again . screenshot below.
- I waited for loooong ..no normal visa dates available. So booked an emergency slot just now.
So next step is go back and start from first , choose the link with priority after the previous step shown above.
- You get a page saying " Check for Emergency Appointment Eligibility " , so tick on Students/Visitors checkbox and say select.
- You will be taken to the next page where calendar dates will be displayed and you have choose any dates which are available.
- You should choose the available dates from the calendar box .
Note : Clicking on the date is confirmation of appointment, so think before you click.
- Next you will get a page saying " Appointment confirmed at the US consulate in (place name) "
- Finally the last page " Download Application" and " Email Your Application " .
Send the email first and then exit. You can download your documents later by saying " Download Confirmed Appointment " also , but this email thing is better as you dont need to login to get your pdf's downloaded.
You will get the email with a link to download the pdf's immediately.
Note : You can modify all the three forms and the SEVIS form too even after confirmation of appointment. But if you have any doubts about this .please call us consulate helpline .
And please dont ask just anybody if you have any queries, go through FAQ's on VFS site or contact the consulate helpline here ( text file)..
Very Important Note : You may retrieve the same application and continue to schedule your US Visa Interview appointment within 7 days of your creation date , failing which your application will be deleted. No problem if deleted, only thing is you need to do all this filling up all 3 forms again.
Very gooD guidance Shashya…..
Please let me know once we book the dates can V change the college or in otherwords SAVIS ID etc….
Thanks once again [:)]
Keep bloging, Keep Smiling [:)]
Thanks for posting your experience. I was trying the normal path since many days but could not get anywhere. Good luck with your interview!!
Prasad.
I have a question. I have saved an application form. When I check whether appointments are available in the home page of the vfs website, it shows some date in green as available. But then, I retrieve the application form and continue for confirmation, it just says there are no dates available, please check back in 24 hours even when the date is available. Do you have any suggestion?
When you see normally the dates are available. But after logging into your application it says dates not available.
because many a times , people book so fast that the dates get over in fraction of a second.
So while checking also you check after logging into your application, so that if the dates are available you can book instantly..
And moreover now its less than 120 days .So which college have u got and when do they start ?
if its less than 120 days you can book for emergency , no problem of that .
You have to prove that u have genuine emergency by showing you i20 document where its mentioned about the start of course date.
i hope this helps.
Great post dude!! Helped me a lot while booking my F-1 date. Keep up the good work
Great work dude !! It really helped me a lot in creating the appointment.
One quick Question: I have an appointment confirmation,confirm whether still I will be able to modify the details before 2 days of appointment or not..
This doubt is because after confirmation I have modified my DS-156 and clicked save application and quit.
after that it showed the message You application is saved for next seven days.Before 7 days u can modify ur application and all….
It is very easy to understand and apply after going through the contents.
is it possible to book this way i mean enter details nd change later, and how about F2 visa since they dont qualify for any emergency appointment,
let me know.
thanks
Thanks for the post , but everytime I am trying , I am getting the same mess that appointments are not available check after 24 hr. I am applying for visitor visa.can you pls tell me which day or time the date is released as I can’t be on internet 24/7. Is there any other way to get appointment like going to embassy directly etc. Pls help me i am trying from last two week with no success.
This is a very gud and useful blog..
Keep up the gud work.
Thanks
hi,
Good job. This blog have been very useful.It was very easy to follow. But i could’nt get the date still when i reached the last step to book for an emergency date. it said.
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what does that this mean.wht shld i do. can you give me any suggestion. I have been trying to apply for a student visa for the chennai counsalate.
thanks
How about F2 visa since they dont qualify for any emergency appointment,
let me know.
Can we book the same way as F1.
thanks
Thanks a lot for your efforts man. I live in US, and was able to complete my application at a convenient time during the day.
Hi,
I have the same problem as “pkm” and “ananth” above.
I can see dates available in Chennai using the “Check Appointment Availability” link. However, when I fill the forms, I get the ” No interview appointments are available. Please check in 24 hours” pop up for both normal and Priority appointments. I’ve been getting this message for a long time now for the Consulate in Chennai.
Any help is appreciated.
Thanks.
Hi great job…
I applied for US pilot training college and i am going there through “M1″ visa,
I am trying from 2 months i am not getting dates.so plz anyone can help me how to
get dates and can i apply for emergency dates.plz help me friends…
Dear Sir/Madam
This is Deepika trying from past 10 days for Business Visit Visa, but i am not getting any dates its too urgent to me and also iam calling your help line numbers regarding this but there is no help what you want me do. From the website there is no response. Kindly do the needful.
Thanks & Regards
S.Yojana Deepika
This is really detailed and informative…
thanks a lot sir.
hai every thing is clear, but in my case i am applying for the second time as my visa rejected in jan 08.so i can select priority order. could you please tell me how can i apply now?
Nice post, but I got one doubt (F1 visa)…. after seeing dates not available message, can I continue on to fill the DS forms without clicking on emergency dates?
Then when I return to book after 2/3 days will these forms still be filled or I have to refill again and again?
Hii…can i book the visa date without paying sevis fee?? i ve not yet finalized d univ…so,want to pay SEVIS later but want to book visa date…plz help me frnz
Thankss
That was damn informative
Even my consultants didnot explain this clear
hello sir can we change the i20 for the f1 visa type if we get another i20 from some better university after paying the sevis fee and booking a slot for the visa interview… please help me with this nice guidance sir……….. you made it damn easy…
Sir,
I am basically from Hyderabad(Andhra Pradesh) and have completed my Btech from Gujarat.Even my passport is from Gujarat and has Gujarat has my temporary address.I wanted to know whether I can appear in Chennai consulate or should I have to go to the Bombay one.Is it zone wise that so and so state persons have to go to so and so state only.I would be grateful if you could answer my query.
I have a question. I have saved an application form. When I check whether appointments are available in the home page of the vfs website, it shows some date in green as available. But then, I retrieve the application form and continue for confirmation, it just says there are no dates available, please check back in 24 hours even when the date is available. Do you have any suggestion?
Thanks guys. This was a very helpful blog.
Especially cleared my doubts about whether we are eligible for emergency visa or not.
Hi,
I need a H4 visa slot in november. when would i have to ideally book the slot? You have mentioned that one can alter the visa date only seven days after its creation.
Kindly help.
Thanks,
Anu
hi you had done a great job these particulars are necessary for everyone
thankyou
hii
my visa got rejected 2 times on may 27th 2k8 n july 1st
both the slots r emergency
can i go to interview one more time vd emergency date?
please reply me…
hii,im karthik,ive been rejected twice and with in a span of one month and i went on emergency dates ,now i wanna apply once again,and is t ok if i apply wid another emergency date or shuld i need to take a regular date for sure this time,,plzz help me out and also plzz gimme a way of getting a regular date for myself plzzz guyz help me out.
Hello
How about F2 visa since they dont qualify for any emergency appointment,
Could you pls let me know. Can we book the same way as F1. I dont see any dates available to book an appointment. Is there any other way?
Thanks to let me know.
Regards
Hello friends,
Pl confirm, what to do.
I have two questions with regard to confirmed appointment - H1B on 6th Nov,2008
1. while filling up the online application (chennai consultate), regading the question are u appliying the for the same type of visa , i mentioned due ambiguity as Yes. (but this is the first time apply for h1b)
2. Noticed a typographical error after printing of ds156 , regarding passport issue date as 28/06/2004 instead of 28/06/2006 (year mistake)
Pl advise me what to do for both the errors? is there any problem while attending the interview?
shall I cancell the appointment or
sending/forwarding any mail to concerned consultat/vfs
regards
venkat
I have a doubt…..
Can I book the emergency dates for my F1 visa as it was third time…..