US Embassy Interviews

A guide for Pan Atlantic J1 participants

Approved - What now?

Once your application has been approved and you have received confirmation and details from Pan Atlantic, you can then book your face to face interview at your local US Embassy or Consulate.

This is the last step in the process!

Please see below for a step by step guide on how it all works.

*Please note this information relates to interviews booked at either the US Embassy in London, the US Consulate General in Belfast or the US Embassy in Dublin.

If you are planning on attending an interview in a different country please refer to the local instructions for your location embassy - just click the link below.

International Embasssies

Paying your SEVIS Fee

All Pan Atlantic participants must do this regardless of their location

You must pay your SEVIS fee ($220) well in advance of your face to face visa interview.
You will receive guidance on how to do this from Pan Atlantic, but please see below for additional guidance
For applicants in most countries (such as the UK and EU countries), you will be able to do this via card payment at https://www.fmjfee.com/i901fee/index.html

For some other countries, you will not be able to pay the fee using a card but will need to use the Western Union Quick Pay service

    1. Fill out the Form I-901 online. A payment coupon will be generated upon completion of the form.

    2. Print a copy of the payment coupon and take it to your local Western Union.

    3. Fill out the Quick Collect/Quick Pay Form according to the information found at the bottom of the printed coupon. Example below:

    4. Company Name (or Code City): SEVISFEE or SEVISFEEMO

    5. Account Number: This is your Coupon Number (ex: 010222013872390)

    6. Amount: $220 (SEVIS fee for J1 Intern and Trainee categories)

    7. Present the coupon and your payment to the Western Union Agent for processing


    Payment will be linked to your Form I-901 and your online payment confirmation will be available immediately. We recommend doing this as soon as possible - do not wait until 3 days before your interview as you need to allow as much time as possible for the payment to show in US Government systems!

    Note that not all countries where Western Union services are available offer the Quick Pay™ service. To confirm that the Quick Collect™/Quick Pay™ service is available in a location near you, find your nearest Western Union branch by visiting https://location.westernunion.com/ or calling 1-800-325-6000

Remember - you can't complete your DS-160 or book your face to face interview until you have your DS-2019# (also known as a SEVIS ID) - this number shows on your online BEACON account when your application has been approved.

You'll need to have your hard copy documents for your interview however, so please make sure you print these out!

Please note the US Embassy charges $185 US for visa interviews (approx £150). This is called the MRV FEE and is separate to the SEVIS fees paid on your behalf

Documents you will need for the Embassy Interview

Your DS-2019 Certificate of Eligibility (you should download and print this from your CIEE BEACON account once you have been notified to do so by CIEE).

  • Your signed DS-7002 Training Plan (TIPP)

  • Your Passport!

  • Your DS-160 Confirmation print out

  • Your I-901 SEVIS receipt print out

  • Your Embassy appointment letter/ email - you must print this out

  • Any other documents that may be useful to an embassy officer

  • We also recommend taking 2 visa size photos - even if your photo has uploaded to the DS-160 successfully.

Please check your paperwork

If you have lost or damaged any of your documents you should download these again from your email as you must have these when you attend your face to face interview.

SIGNING YOUR DS-2019 CERTIFICATE OF ELIGIBILITY

You'll need to sign and date your DS-2019 before you hand it to the consular officer at the US Embassy - DON"T FORGET you MUST use US style dates - MM/DD/YYYY

Important information - don’t skip Step 1

You will not be able to book an interview without FIRST completing Step 1 - the DS-160. Only with your DS-160 confirmation number will you be able to create an account in the Embassy/ consulate booking system.

*In order to compete your DS-160 you will need your SEVIS ID/ DS-2019# from your Pan Atlantic Representative

What's my PROGRAM NUMBER?

Your Program Number can be found in Box 2 of your DS-2019 Certificate of Eligibility

Booking the Interview - Step 1: The DS-160 form

Go online and complete your DS-160.
This can be found at https://ceac.state.gov/genniv/.
Remember you are a J1 Exchange Visitor when choosing certain options!

You will need to complete the DS-160 and upload a digital photograph of yourself before you can move to Step 2.

Use our slideshow guide to make sure you complete this correctly - an incorrect DS-160 can delay your visa!

Step 2: Booking the Visa Interview

Please note: Only residents of the Republic of Ireland may book an interview at the Dublin Embassy.

If you are based in the UK you must apply at either London or Belfast.

If you are attending an interview in any other country please refer to your local embassy instructions for guidance on booking an interview for your J1 Visa.

Go to the US Visa Appointment system using one of the buttons below

UK/N. Ireland
Ireland

In some cases, where you have been issued a non-immigrant visa of the same type (ie J1) in the past 24 months, your local embassy system may decide you don't need to attend an interview and just need to submit your documents.


If this is the case, then please follow the guidance from your local embassy booking system

You will need to provide the following information when booking your visa interview:

  1. Your DS-160 number (see Step 1)

  2. Determine your VIsa type (J1)

  3. Select a courier return location - read the options carefully as an additional fee may be charged

  4. Pay your US Visa Fee (MRV fee) via Visa or Mastercard - this is currently $185 but may be sugject to change

  5. Schedule an appointment

Interview Tips

When attending an interview at the US Embassy, there are some important things to remember.

You should make sure you have read your DS-7002 carefully and are ready to discuss this in detail with the consular officer.

You should be able to clearly explain your plans for when you return from the programme.

You should be able to clearly explain the benefits of the international experience this opportunity will offer you - and why this differs from opportunities available in your Home Country.

You should always be polite, professional and respectful of the US Embassy and what it represents

Embassy/ Consulate Locations - London, Belfast and Dublin

London

Belfast

Dublin

Embassy and Interview FAQs

  • No. They are totally separate. Even though your SEVIS fee has been paid you still need to pay the embassy MRV fee ($185 US dollars at the time of writing).

  • In many cases when the embassy is busy, they may ask you to send your paperwork in for initial processing before allowing you to book an interview.

    If this is the case, please follow their instructions on submitting your paperwork via the Embassy courier system.

    They will then review these and send them back to you

    You will then be allowed to book your interview

    *There have been some cases where a participant has received an email informing them their visa has been denied after submitting documents to the embassy - this is not correct. The embassy systems are automated and this message is normally meant to imply you are not eligible for an interview waiver and must now book your in person interview.

    You may need to email the embassy after receiving your paperwork back to request your account be unlocked. You can then move forward with the booking process.

    At all times please make sure you follow their instructions carefully - failure to do so may delay the process.

  • In almost every case the answer is YES. The only time you will not automatically be required to go for an interview is if you extending a current J1 visa - this is where your DS-2019/ SEVIS ID number remains the same. For all new J1 visas an interview is required.

  • No.
    In order to book your interview you need to complete the DS-160 and to do this you need your DS-2019 Number (also known as your SEVIS ID).
    This number can only be generated once your application for the programme has been approved in the USA.

  • No.

    The wait times are published here You may get lucky and get a quicker appointment by checking in on your account daily to see if any free up.

    There is also an option within the online booking system to request an expedited appointment - HOWEVER please note this is normally reserved for emergencies so do not expect to be successful in gaining an expedited appointment.

    You can't speed up the processing at the embassy however - this takes 3-5 working days AFTER your interview before you will get your passport (with J1 Visa printed inside) and DS-2019 Certificate returned to you.

  • Normally YES.
    In some cases however your application may be put forward for more checks and administrative processing - which can take longer.

  • No. You can choose to have your passport sent back to one of the pick up locations around the UK - or for an additional fee you can choose to have it delivered to an address of your choosing.
    These options are made clear when you book the interview using the online system.

  • We recommend allowing at least one week from the day of interview to allow for your passport and visa to be returned to you. In addition, if you are currently on a programme in the US the embassy recommends you be in the UK for at least 2 weeks prior to your interview. You may choose to be in the UK for less time than this but please note this is at your own risk.

  • Your visa will normally show an issue date of on or around the date you attended your visa interview.

    This does not mean you can travel to the US on this date - it just shows when you were approved by the embassy!

    You can only enter the US on or after the date listed as PROGRAM\ Date of Departure to US on your online training plan within your CIEE account.

    The END date of your visa relates purely to the last date you are allowed to undertake your Internship, Traineeship or Work and Travel Program with your US Host Company/ Employer.

    It does not mean you have to leave the US on this date.

    Please check your PROGRAM/ Date of Return to Home Country in your online training plan for the last date you are allowed to be in the USA

  • If applying for an interview in the UK You will need additional documents such as an ACRO certificate and VCU1. Details can be found at https://uk.usembassy.gov/visas/ineligibilities-and-waivers-2/arrest-caution-conviction/

    If     you are applying for an interview in Dublin and your arrest was in Ireland please see https://ie.usembassy.gov/visas/ineligibilities-and-waivers/arrest-caution-conviction/

    If     you are applying for an interview in another country please check the requirements for your local embassy or consulate - you can find the links for world-wide embassies at the top of this page