Check your United Statesvisa application status.

A US student visa is decided by one person: the consular officer who interviews you at the US Embassy in Dhaka ¹. The officer may also tell you at the end of the interview that your case needs more checks, and and the official term for this is "administrative processing" ⁴.

The $20,000 bond is for visitor visas, not student visas

The US Embassy in Dhaka says Bangladeshi nationals who are otherwise eligible for a B1/B2 visa must post a bond of up to $20,000 before that visa is issued ¹. B1/B2 is a visitor visa. It is not the F-1 or M-1 student visa, and the embassy states the bond for visitor visas only, not for student visas ¹². The embassy adds that the officer explains how to post the bond at the interview, and that it must be paid only on the website the officer names ¹.

The student visa

Students use an F-1 or M-1 visa, which is a non-immigrant visa, and the school must be approved by SEVP and issue you a Form I-20 ². The documents named by the State Department are the Form I-20, your DS-160 confirmation page, proof that you paid the SEVIS I-901 fee, and your passport and appointment letter at the interview ².

Timing has two limits. A new student visa can be issued up to 365 days before your course starts, but you cannot enter the United States on it more than 30 days before the start date ².

Checking your case on CEAC

The Department of State's CEAC Visa Status Check shows the stage of your application as recorded by the Department ³. You choose the application type (Nonimmigrant Visa), then enter the case number, which for a non-immigrant visa is your DS-160 application ID ³. You also enter your passport number, the first five letters of your surname and the code shown on the screen ³.

Two statuses that worry students

"Administrative processing" means that after the interview the officer decided the case needs more checks before a final decision ⁴. The officer tells you at the end of the interview, and how long it takes depends on the case ⁴. Wait for the embassy to contact you, and apply early so a delay does not push past your course start ⁴.

"Refusal under section 221(g)" means the officer decided you had not yet shown you are eligible, often because information or checks are still outstanding ⁴. This is not always final: it can be reconsidered later, once you send more information or once administrative processing is finished ⁴. Send what the officer asked for, in the way they asked ⁴.

The embassy publishes no processing time for Dhaka on the pages used here, so the embassy is the one to ask about timing.

Have your DS-160 application ID and passport number ready for the status check above.