The process for obtaining an international visa for America or Canada is fairly straightforward, albeit bureaucratic and time consuming. You know the documents you need. Once you obtain appropriate documents from your prospective college, just go to the nearest consulate and apply for the visa. You should apply for the visa at the earliest possible time. You may be required to produce additional documents not asked for in the standard list.

Meeting the financial requirements is the biggest challenge for most students. Do not engage in financial engineering to "fool" the consulate officials, in order to get the visa. Even if you succeed in doing so, you would still need the money in the host country for education and survival. The need for money is not just a requirement for the consulate officials, it is necessary for your welfare in the host country.

The international student visa for America implicitly permits you to engage in research or teaching assistantship, or in ad hoc employment on campus for up to 20 hours per week. In contrast, the international student visa for Canada explicitly prohibits you from engaging in such activities, because they are considered to be a form of employment. Should you obtain an "acceptable" employment offer - acceptable as defined by the Canadian immigration rules - you must obtain a work permit from the Canadian immigration (or consulate) officials, prior to starting the employment.

You must understand that you should not let the consulate officials surmise that you intend to stay in the host country permanently. Your purpose must be - as stipulated by the international student visa - to pursue education and return to India upon completion of your studies. Any indication to the contrary, and your visa application will be rejected.

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