F-1 Visa Summary:
The F-1 visa is for students who wish to study in the USA. The
F-1 visa allows the student to live in the USA as long as the student
is enrolled in a government approved school and is making progess
in his or her studies. The school may be a university or college,
but may also be an English as a Second Language (ESL) school, a
trade school or vocational school. The student may change schools
during the course of study. The student may work for the school
under certain conditions. The student may stay in the USA even if
the F-1 visa expires. There is another visa sometimes used for study
in the USA called the M-1 visa; we do not usually recommend this
visa.
Why "F" and what is the "-1"?
The "F" in F-1 visa is just an arbitrary name for the visa. Most
USA visas are named as a letter (examples include: B, E, L, M and
R visas). The number "1" indicates that the visa holder is will
be a the student. There is an F-2 visa. The "2" indicates that the
visa holder is a dependent of an F-1 visa holder, and will not study.
F-2 visa holders are usually the husband, wife or children of an
F-1 visa holder. For example, if a man comes to the USA to study,
and he brings his wife and child, the man will have an F-1 visa,
the wife an F-2 and the child an F-2. However, if the wife also
will attend school then BOTH the husband and wife will have an F-1
visa, and only the child will have an F-2 visa.
Why get an F-1 visa?
The most common visa is the B1/B2 visa, which is for business or
tourism. The problem with the B1/B2 visa is that you cannot stay
in the USA very long. Typically a B1/B2 visa holder can only stay
in the USA a maximum of 180 days. With an F-1 visa you can stay
in the USA as long as you are a student. You can even stay in the
USA if your F-1 visa has expired. As long as you are a student,
you can stay. With an F-1 visa it is very easy to change your school
(called "transfer"), and it is usually easy to change to another
visa (such as an H1-B, or work-visa) if your situation changes.
How do I get an F-1 visa?
A quick summary of the process:
- You apply to a school in the USA that is authorized by the USA
government to accept foreign students
- The school accepts you, sends you a document called an "I-20",
and the school registers you with SEVIS
- You apply for an interview at the USA embassy in your country
- You go to the interview with all your documents
- The embassy approves your application
- You get your passport back from the USA embassy with the F-1
visa in the passport
- You come to the USA
The most difficult part of the application process for most students
is proof of financial support. You have to show the USA embassy that
you have enough money available to you, usually from yourself and/or
parents, to pay for your school and living costs of the duration of
your stay. See our Tips for success section for helpful information
on financial support and other common problems, and how to overcome
them.
How to apply for an F-1 Visa:
This section includes the following vocabulary: DS Forms, I-20,
I-94, SEVIS and more. We recommend that You check our Glossary section
first to get an idea for what all these terms mean.
The main points?
The two main steps to getting an F-1 student visa for the USA are
1) Getting an I-20 from a school in the USA, and 2) Applying for
the visa and attending an interview at the USA embassy or consulate
in your country.
I-20?
This is basically and official acceptance letter from an American
school. You apply to the school, and when they accept you, they
will send you the "Form I-20". When you apply for your visa at the
USA embassy or consulate you will need the original I-20, not a
copy.
To get the I-20 you will need to show your school that you have
enough money to both pay for your studies and pay for your expenses.
You must have enough money before you go to the USA, you cannot
count money you hope to earn by working! (Remember, you cannot legally
work as a student with an F-1 visa in the USA, except for your school
and for only 20 hours or less per week.)
If you are applying to college or university, DO NOT WORRY, you
only need to show enough money for the first year! You do not have
to show enough money for the entire program. However, the more money
the better.
You show the same bank statement(s) you give to your school when
you go to your interview at the US embassy or consulate.
OK, I can get an I-20.... what else?
You also need a SEVIS form, called the "Form 901". This form is
simply a receipt proving that you paid the SEVIS registration fee
of $100. You must pay this fee at http://www.fmjfee.com/,
or your school can pay it for you (depends on the school, please
ask them). You can use a copy of this form, you do not need the
original.
OK, I got the I-20 and I-901....
You need to make an appointment with the US embassy or consulate
in your country (See a list of websites here). In some countries
you make the appointment by calling an automated phone system, in
others you make the appointment online. There is a fee of approximately
$145. Once you get the appointment you need to fill out the application
forms DS-156, DS-157 and DS 158. Some embassies allow you to do
this online, and most embassies post these applications on their
websites.
More?
Not really! Just take your I-20 and I-901 to your appointment. If
your country lets you complete the DS-156, DS-157 and DS-158 online
you may not need to bring them, but we suggest to bring a copy anyway,
just in case. You will also need your bank statement(s), of course.
Then just relax and prepare to calmly do your interview with the
consular official.
Tips for Success:
Most Important
Remember: The F-1 visa is a "Non-Immigrant Visa"! This is the most
important point we can make. If the USA embassy thinks for any reason
that you plan to immigrate to the USA, they will probably deny your
visa. Second, remember that you cannot legally work in the USA with
an F-1 visa! (There are exceptions, see Can I work in the USA?)
So the result is: Do not give the embassy any reason to think you
will immgrate to the USA; and, do not tell them that you plan to
work in the USA.
But my university has offered me job!
That is OK, and you can count the income from that job in you financial
resources (section 8b on your I-20). You can work up to 20 hours
a week for your school, but you can only count that income on your
I-20 if the school has offered you a job, and the school must put
that income on the I-20. If there is nothing listed on the I-20,
you cannot count it.
But I do not plan to immigrate, how do I prove that?
Ready for the bad news? The embassy considers you guilty until you
can prove yourself innocent. That means, it is your responsibility
to show that you will not immigrate. How can you prove this? Well,
it is difficult, but to keep it easy we will divide it into two
areas: 1) What to do, and 2) What NOT to do:
What to do
- Show enough money. You must show enough financial resources
to pay for your studies and living expenses. (Need help with this?
Click our More Tips section.)
- Present evidence that you have connections in your country
that will make you return to your country. Examples: A job offer
in your country, property in your name in your country, a spouse
(husband or wife) and/or children who will stay in your country.
. .
- Be ready to explain how you plan to use the education you
will receive in the USA in your country.
- Be ready to explain why you want to study in the USA, and not
in your own country.
- At all times remember, you plan to get an education and RETURN
to your country.
What NOT to do
- Lie. Never lie. The embassy can check many things, and if
you are caught lieing you will be denied the visa. However, you
only should answer what the embassy official asks you. Do not
over-explain or offer extra information, just answer the questions
asked.
- Say that you plan to work in the USA to support yourself (unless
your university has offered you a job, and listed it on your I-20).
- Say that you will live with relatives in the USA, or that relatives
in the USA will support you. If you have relatives in the USA,
it may indicate that you plan to immigrate.
- Say that you hope to get a job in the USA after graduating.
More Tips for Success:
This section is for students who are having trouble meeting the
requirement for an F-1 visa. If you have enough funds and are otherwise
comfortable with your application, you probably will not need this
information, though you may want to check out our Tips for the Interview
section. Further, certain countries are really easy to get a visa,
so you probably will not need these extra tips if you are lucky
enough to be a citizen of one of them. Please see below.
Countries where it is easy to get the visa-
The following countries are fairly easy to get the visa; in our
experience most students from these countries applying for an F-1
get the visa: Australia, Canada, EU member countries, Japan, New
Zealand, and Taiwan ROC. NOTE: of these Australia, Canada, New Zealand
and the UK can be difficult if you are applying for an English school
because the language of the education system in these countries
is English. Be ready to explain why you need to study English in
the USA instead of your country.
Countries where it is somewhat easy to get the visa-
The following countries are a little more difficult, but usually
students from these countries can get an F-1 easily also (in our
experience): Czech Republic, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico,
Poland, Singapore, Slovenia, South Korea, Thailand and Turkey. Note:
Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore can be difficult for English schools
for the same reason as above.
Countries where your only chance is if you are applying to
university-
In our experience students from the following countries cannot get
visas for English schools at all, and thus we recommend only apply
for the F-1 visa with an I-20 from a university: China (mainland),
India, Nigeria, Pakistan, Vietnam.
Surprising countries-
We have been surprised recently by the number of successful visa
applications from the following countries (it looks like students
from these countries are recently having good success): Inner Mongolia
(part of China, but students from this part of China seem to get
the visa much easier than Han Chinese?in our experience), Mongolia,
Tajikistan.
Tip #1: Money problems
A lot of students have trouble showing enough financial resources
to pay for their studies, so what to do? First, money from your
bank account and your parents? bank account is the best. Money from
other relatives (aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters, etc?) is OK.
Money from a sponsor in your country who is not related to you is
difficult, but better than nothing.
- If possible have relatives other than your parents or a sponsor
consider transferring money to your or your parents? bank account,
which will make those accounts look better. You can always transfer
the money back after you get the visa. Of course, this requires
a lot of trust on everyone?s part.
- Consider a cheaper school and/or shorter term of study. If
you do not have enough money to show for a year of study at
a big university, you might apply to a much cheaper English
school. Once you get the visa, you can come to the USA and transfer
to the university.
- If you do not have enough money to show for one year at the
English school, apply for just three months, or one month or
whatever. After you get to the USA you can extend your study,
even if your visa is expired you can stay in the USA as long
as you are enrolled in school.
Tip #2: My visa application for an English school was denied
Consider applying to a university. Once you get to the USA you can
immediately transfer to the English school, without paying any tuition
to the university. As soon as you arrive in the USA, go to the English
school (or call them, but going in person is better), and tell them
that you entered the USA on the university?s I-20, but changed your
mind and want to attend the English school instead. The English
school should provide you with the necessary documents, and the
English school will contact the university and arrange the transfer.
Do not report to the university and start classes; but, do not wait.
Go to the English school immediately to arrange the transfer. If
you do not report to the university, and do not transfer, the university
will report you to immigration. You need to arrange the transfer
right away.
Please replay me and guide me.
thanks in advance for your help
i m livingg in australia as a student.but now i wanna do my further studies in usa universities ,i m not australian PR or citizen,can i appy frm here or not can i get visa. plz suggest me?????
or its better if i can do it frm my country.
Thanks!
WHT R THE MAIN QUES. US EMB!@#$$Y PUT TO THE CANDIDATE.
THANKS
even i got admission there in London college
and i even shown property and bank statements...
can u tell me if i apply for student visa in future in Canada,USA,Australia will it create problem for me since i got rejected for UK visa???And will i be able to live permanently in UK if i get married to a British p!@#$$port holder girl???i mean my F-1 visa will create any problem in that too or not???
or how much money in number is the best
to show in my account bank ?
tips for my interview please
thank you
Thanks