Getting a J-1 U.S. Visa (for Malaysian exchange students bound for the U.S.)

[Disclaimer: This guide is written from a J-1 visa holder’s (exchange student) point of view. The contents of this guide are prepared and provided for the purpose of information only.]

Pre-application Preparations Make sure you:

• have a passport valid for travel to the United States throughout the duration of your programme/trip
• prepare financial documents available to pay for your study in the U.S. (this includes bank statements, bank letters, sponsorship letters, etc.)
• prepare a soft copy and several hard copies of your visa photograph (for more information on photograph requirements, click here)
• prepare a folder to hold your documents

The Visa Application Process

1. When you receive the DS-2019 form issued by your host university, read through the information thoroughly and check for errors, especially in the ‘Family Name’, ‘First Name’ and ‘Middle Name’ fields. If your name is in the form of [non-Chinese name, surname, Chinese names] (e.g. Rose Lim Mei Yi), then it should be entered as

Family Name: Lim

First Name: Rose

Middle Name: Mei Yi

If you find any errors, inform the international advisor at your host university immediately and get him/her to issue an updated DS-2019 so as to avoid delays in the visa application process.

At the bottom of the first page of your DS-2019, sign clearly, write ‘Malaysia’ in the ‘Place’ field and record the date.

2. Complete the DS-160 form here. This is where you upload the soft copy of your visa photograph. Make sure that you enter your name exactly as it is printed in your DS-2019. Be sure to carefully read each step of the process and check for errors. Enter all information and submit your application after reviewing your application. Print the DS-160 confirmation page (IMPORTANT DOCUMENT).

3. Pay the visa application fee at any Standard Chartered Bank branch. As of current writing, the fee is RM434 for J-1 visa type. Remember to safekeep the payment receipt (IMPORTANT DOCUMENT).

4. Complete the I-901 form online here. After submitting your form, proceed to pay the SEVIS fee with a credit card. As of current writing, the fee is $180 for J-1 visas. Upon paying the fee, print the receipt immediately because you won’t be able to reprint it (IMPORTANT DOCUMENT).

5. Check the U.S. Embassy (Kuala Lumpur) visa wait times here. Schedule your appointment here. You will need:

• your passport number
• the visa application fee payment receipt number
• the 10-digit barcode number from your DS-160 confirmation page

Print the appointment letter (IMPORTANT DOCUMENT).

The U.S. Embassy (Kuala Lumpur) 376 Jalan Tun Razak
50400 Kuala Lumpur

*Plan to arrive at the U.S. Embassy at least 30 minutes before your scheduled appointment*

How to get there:

Take an LRT (Kelana Jaya line) to Ampang Park station. Exit the LRT station and turn right. Walk past the G Tower (on your right) until you reach an overhead bridge. Cross the bridge, walk a little further and you will see the U.S. Embassy on your left.

1. Approach the information counter. Present your appointment letter and I.C., then join the long queue.

2. Before you enter the Embassy, you will need to undergo a security check, so do avoid bringing gadgets like mp3 players, chargers, hard disk drives or anything with wiring. If you accidentally bring any of these, you will have to surrender them (including mobile phones) to the officers to be kept in a locker. They will then hand you your locker number.

3. Walk up the stairs and enter the Embassy. Get your queue number (for non-immigrant visas). Enter the room on your left and wait for your number to be called. While waiting, sort out and have all your documents in hand.

4. At the first counter, present the important documents (passport, DS-2019, DS-160 confirmation page, proof of SEVIS fee payment, visa photograph) to the officer.

5. Next, you will be called to another counter for a fingerprint scan.

6. Lastly, the moment of truth: a consular officer will interview you. It is important to answer all questions honestly and confidently. For my interview, I was asked two questions:

• What will be your major while studying in the U.S.?
• Do you have any relatives in the U.S.?

:D

7. Once you are cleared, the consular officer will hand over your documents and also a visa pick up ticket. Do safekeep this ticket as you will need to present it to collect your passport.

Collection of Passport/Visa Information about passport/visa collection can be found here.

Resources

• Embassy of the United States (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)
• U.S. Visa Information Service for Malaysia
• Official United States Visa Information Source
• J-1 Visa Exchange Visitor Program
• Education USA

Good luck to all who are applying! :)
If you have any doubts, refer to the websites above or call 03-23023988.
Buzz me if you have any other questions

Gugu gaga Lady Gaga

Meet my iPod.

Her name is Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta.

Yes, she was named after

This is the real Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta. She is better known by her stage name, LADY GAGA.

If you haven’t already noticed, I gave my blog a URL after Lady Gaga’s creative team,

With two studio albums, two compilation albums, three EPs, twelve singles, six promotional singles, one video album and fourteen music videos, Lady Gaga has taken the world by storm and has become one of the most influential artists in the digital era today.

Lady Gaga made her debut with the studio album The Fame back in 2008. I first heard her single Just Dance in November 2008 and I took an immediate liking to her music. I got myself The Fame and loved all the songs. One of my favourites is

When Lady Gaga released The Fame Monster with singles Bad Romance, Telephone and Alejandro, I went BALLISTIC! I got hold of the album as well and put the songs on repeat for months and months. Besides the three singles, I think this song is pretty awesome too:

I’m proud to say that I managed to listen to all three Born This Way singles (Born This Way, Judas and The Edge of Glory) on their release dates. I was also one of the little monsters who waited eagerly for the release of Born This Way on May 23, 2011. I finally got my copy on May 24, 2011!!!

My favourite Born This Way song?

I can totally relate to the lyrics and the composition of the song is WICKED!!!

Discography aside, Lady Gaga inspires me so much with her eccentricity, philanthropy and androgyny. She is good at what she does best: making fashion statements. I especially love her platinum blonde hair bow

and not forgetting,

the world famous 100% meat dress she wore at the 2010 VMAs which knocked everyone’s socks off and is now immortalized at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

And boy, can she dance! I would have to say that Judas wins the Best Choreography Award in my books. :D

*sizzle*

As of today, Lady Gaga has the most number of Twitter followers and Facebook likes. And and and she recently joined Tumblr!!! I admit, I am guilty of stalking Mother Monster day and night, 24/7. Also, according to Wikipedia, she has received 246 nominations and won 120 awards. All this coming from a 25-year-old recording artist who “left [her] entire family, got the cheapest apartment [she] could find, and ate shit until somebody would listen” when she was younger.

Isn’t she sweet? ^_^

I am so, SO proud to be a “little monster”, because Lady Gaga loves her fans more than anything in the world.

I could write a whole thesis on Lady Gaga, but this post is getting a little too cluttered.

Gaga for Queen of Pop?

What say you, Lady Gaga?

All Hail, Queen Gaga! *paws up*

[This blog post is written for Nuffnang and DiGi. For more information, click here.]

[For more Lady Gaga-related posts, hover your cursor over the ‘Navigation’ button and click ‘Tags’.]

Blogging communities

I submitted my Tumblr to Sarawak Bloggers and Kuching Bloggers in the hopes of making my Tumblr more established. I see it as a way of spreading the Harry Potter love or Potter Pride (as we call it) among Malaysians.

[This is also an attempt to attract more bloggers to sign up for a Tumblr.]

16 April 2011, 9.00PM

So Lady Gaga recently released ‘Judas’ and I heard it tonight thanks to Elya(Gaga). When the song started playing on her laptop, I was like

because, well, it’s Lady freaking Gaga! She’s so phenomenal it’s almost like I already know the awesomeness of the song before I even hear it, if you get what I mean.

Despite some ‘messy’ lines (or so claimed by Elya[Gaga]), I told myself, this song is gonna hit - at least - 100 plays on my iPod/iTunes by tomorrow.

17 April 2011, 2.50AM

Kavita visited us. Clare came to our room and we had this conversation about how Lady Gaga is satanic and in the Illuminati and stuff. It supposedly has something to do with mind control, but I still don’t get how it affects me though, other than the fact that her songs are super catchy and addictive.

Let’s face the fact: everyone has their own interpretations of everything that happens around us. It’s just sad that I find a lot of these interpretations made by researchers not familiar to my ears. Like, when singers are being condemned. When actors are being condemned. When Disneyland is being condemned.

“CA–Disneyland has been an off hour site for Illuminati and satanic rituals for years. Programming has gone on using Disneyland as one big prop for programming. Many of the Disney movies are used for programming, and some Disney scripts are especially tailored for Monarch slave programming. The Peter Pan programming can use the ship. The space programming can use the space props. The satanic programming can use the castles. Lots of mirror programming is done at Disneyland, and Disneyworld. There is also Magic Mountain programming, and programming using the Around the World Dolls, and its theme song. Some of Wizard of Oz and the Cinderella programming was also done at Disneyland using costumes. Preverbal children are taken to Disneyland to get them ready for the scripts.”
- Fritz Springmeier, The Illuminati Formula to Create a Mind Control Slave

There you have it. I’m not denying these facts, neither am I ‘worshipping’ Lady Gaga and all, but all this just makes me sad. I don’t wanna believe all this. I don’t want these ‘facts and figures’ to destroy my childhood. But part of me thinks that evolution does breaks traditions and - in simple words - people just turn bad.

Why can’t we live in a world where Disneyland is Disneyland and ‘Whip My Hair’ is actually a song about a girl whipping her hair? What do you think when it comes to conspiracy theories about the entertainment industry?

I’m sorry, guise

My internet is being a bitch so no posts for the time being.

But no worries, I will be

BACK IN NO TIME. :D

Assholes

I hate guys who try to play girls like we girls are stupid. A girl who made a mistake would most probably not want to repeat it. I mean, that’s just logic. So ball up and treat us like real girls or GTFO.

Bastards.

Sinful dream

I called in sick two days ago so I have been sleeping my ass off for the past… two days. I went on medical leave (self-declared) for two days. HAHA alright lets get to the point.

I reckon I should keep a dream journal or something (yeah like the one Professor Trelawney assigned to her students during Divination in Harry Potter and the PoA) cause I have the weirdest, most impossible dreams ever. So yeah, where else to record these dreams down but my dear old Tumblr? XD

My dream this morning began with a spring cleaning session with my paternal family in some small, abandoned house. Funnily enough, none of my cousins were there; just my aunts and uncles. We swept, mopped and cleaned the car porch. Like, hard core spring cleaning yo.

Then along comes this lil Indian waiter boy (let’s call this kid Roy), about four feet tall, tugging at my shirt. I followed Roy into the house, which looked magnificent inside despite its run-down exterior.

An example of how it sorta looks like from the outside:

And inside:

I shit you not, it was like a huge, billion-dollar mansion inside. Like, seriously, complete with high ceilings, thousand dollar chandeliers and the finest oakwood. Anyway, Roy led me through a door that said “Officials only” or something along the lines.

The view was whoa, breathtaking; I was mind-blown. It was a scenery complete out of Beverly Hills or some other paradise. There was a swimming pool with clear blue water, some dining tables with clean, white tablecloths, green palm trees swaying in the wind and such.

Alright it looks something like this.

And sitting on one of the chairs at the dining table nearest to the door with his back facing the pool, was a man. Roy beckoned me to approach the man, so I did. He gave Roy a white towel and Roy just ran off, laughing.

Then the man turned around and I was looking at the most handsome Malay man ever. Right, so I don’t really remember how he looks like exactly. Heck, I can’t even remember if he had a face! He was like one of those faceless people appearing in dreams. I just knew that in the dream, I was stunned, my heart melted and I was like, “Fuck, this guy is hawt!” And how did I know he was Malay?

He introduced himself as Naufal. Naufal. NAUFAL.

*switch to reality mode*

Here comes the weird part. I knew that the name Naufal rang a bell, so I actually tweeted about it this afternoon. Izzi replied and I was like

SO THAT’S WHERE THE NAME CAME FROM.

*back to dream mode*

I remember looking very pretty and glamourous at that point, for some reason.

Naufal and I hung out for a bit. We talked. And that’s that.

I know, I know. “So much for a sinful dream”, “This is some cheesy shit”, “Fuck you.”

Look, there were some sinful bits in the dream ok. I know it. The PROBLEM is, I CAN’T SEEM TO REMEMBER THEM. Maybe it’s programmed into my system that since I have a boyfriend, my brain is obligated to filter the um… dirty details from my short-term memory? I don’t know. How do brains work? Enlighten me.