Length of time required to obtain F-1 visa

[AstroMason]

Hi all, so now that I've accepted my offer to MIT*, I'll work on getting my F-1 visa from Australia. I wrote this in another thread awhile ago, but I'm actually a New Zealand citizen, so I'll be applying for my F-1 visa as a Third Country National which seems to not be a problem. The department has an Open House from 4th April to 6th April, and so they'll be quite busy organising it until then. This also means that they'll be too busy to help me start the process, i.e. with the I-20 form. Is that still alright in terms of the timeline for getting the visa (seems like they're mailing it over too)? Or should I be more assertive in getting it started?

* Stating the university out there in case someone has experience pertaining to MIT

Edited March 25, 2018 by AstroMason

[fuzzylogician]

What field? Some fields might lead to your application being flagged under TAL, which can take some unspecified amount of time to work through the system with nothing you can do about it, could be weeks or even months. FWIW the I-20 comes from the ISO and not from the department; the MIT ISO can sometimes be mildly incompetent, but they process a whole bunch of these requests right around this time of year and at least for this part, I think you can trust them. The question will be when there are interview dates near you; if you're fine for TAL, there's most likely no problem, assuming you'd want to move around mid-/late August. Otherwise, the sooner the better. 

[AstroMason]

"What field? Some fields might lead to your application being flagged under TAL, which can take some unspecified amount of time to work through the system with nothing you can do about it, could be weeks or even months."

>> I'm in astrophysics - the proposed PhD topic (should have mentioned this) will be something to do with the theory of tidal deformations of neutron stars (I'll explain this better in the interview), so nothing on experimental nuclear physics. 
 

"FWIW the I-20 comes from the ISO and not from the department; the MIT ISO can sometimes be mildly incompetent, but they process a whole bunch of these requests right around this time of year and at least for this part, I think you can trust them. "

>> Ah, then do I continue corresponding with the department to start the process, or should I start through the department liaison to the MIT ISO? I think I need to go through the department to get some web certificate to start the housing applications and the email account, but that shouldn't be a huge priority since it doesn't work on a first-come-first-serve basis, and the first round of housing applications close around April 28th.

"The question will be when there are interview dates newar you; if you're fine for TAL, there's most likely no problem. Otherwise, the sooner the better. "

Regarding interview dates, I should be able to go for one within a week (appointment wait time of 2 days?) at the latest of booking them, according to the closest consulate to me.

[fuzzylogician]

11 minutes ago, AstroMason said:

"What field? Some fields might lead to your application being flagged under TAL, which can take some unspecified amount of time to work through the system with nothing you can do about it, could be weeks or even months."

>> I'm in astrophysics - the proposed PhD topic (should have mentioned this) will be something to do with the theory of tidal deformations of neutron stars (I'll explain this better in the interview), so nothing on experimental nuclear physics. 
 

"FWIW the I-20 comes from the ISO and not from the department; the MIT ISO can sometimes be mildly incompetent, but they process a whole bunch of these requests right around this time of year and at least for this part, I think you can trust them. "

>> Ah, then do I continue corresponding with the department to start the process, or should I start through the department liaison to the MIT ISO? I think I need to go through the department to get some web certificate to start the housing applications and the email account, but that shouldn't be a huge priority since it doesn't work on a first-come-first-serve basis, and the first round of housing applications close around April 28th.

"The question will be when there are interview dates newar you; if you're fine for TAL, there's most likely no problem. Otherwise, the sooner the better. "

Regarding interview dates, I should be able to go for one within a week (appointment wait time of 2 days?) at the latest of booking them, according to the closest consulate to me.

- If students in your field aren't usually flagged for TAL, you should be just fine (you could reach out to some current first year international students and ask about their experience). 

- Your department may need to complete some forms for you, but they have nothing to do with your email account or housing. There may be some form concerning funding, especially if your funding package doesn't meet the precise criteria for the I-20. I think I ended up getting a letter from the bank for something like $500 which were lacking based on my offer. This was almost a decade ago so things may have changed. If you're concerned you can write/call the ISO and ask, but my guess is that they're swamped right now and work on a first-come first-serve basis. Ask you department admin what's the next step. 

- Sounds good on the interview front. If TAL isn't a concern, you really have nothing to worry about; it'll take a few days from interview to getting your passport back, but we're talking just a few days and practically no wait for the interview, so there's plenty of time.