USA - F1
About F1
It is for the prospective international student considering the pursuit of education in the United States of America.
Becoming part of the more than 640,000 international students studying in the United States is exciting! F-1 Student Visa is here to inform you about applying for and maintaining your F-1 Student Visa status. This site provides information on changing your visa status and transferring to a new school while studying on your visa. For a list of the terms and definitions associated with F-1 Visa an F-1 Visa index is provided. Be sure to also check out the useful links page for other sites dealing with student visa and international education.
Applying For Overseas
If you are applying for an F-1 Student Visa from your home country, you will begin by selecting a school in the U.S. where you want to study and applying to the school. You may also want to begin looking into housing information at this time. If your application is accepted you will obtain Form I-20 from the DSO (Designated School Official) and pay the I-901 SEVIS receipt. You will be added to the SEVIS database with an individual ID number.
After the school enters your information into the SEVIS database, you will receive Form I-20 and schedule the "Initial Entry Visa Interview" with your local U.S. Embassy or Consulate. Please check with your U.S. Embassy or Consulate to determine their policies and procedures. You can check the U.S. Department of State website and select your city, then click the link for visa information. Wait times for student visa appointments at embassies and consulates world-wide can be found at Travel.State.Gov.