What is the "F" Visa?

The F visa is a nonimmigrant (temporary) visa for academic students in colleges, universities, seminaries, conservatories, academic high schools, other academic institutions, or in language training.

You will need a different visa if you wish to pursue nonacademic or vocational studies (see Becoming a Vocational Student in the U.S.) or if you are planning to study in the United States as an Exchange Visitor (see Exchange Visitor Visas).

Am I Eligible?

For eligibility criteria, please see Student Visas.

Limits on Attending Publicly Funded Schools

If you wish to attend "public" high school (grades 9-12) in the United States on an F-1 visa, you must submit evidence that the local school district has been reimbursed in advance for the unsubsidized per capita cost of the education, and your attendance cannot exceed a total of 12 months. F-1 visa students are prohibited from attending public elementary schools and publicly funded adult education programs in the United States.

Students attending "private" schools, or in privately funded adult education or language programs, are not subject to these requirements.

Also, please be aware that these requirements affect only students who obtain F-1 student visas (those to whom Form I-20 would be issued). These requirements do not affect students in any other status, for example exchange students (who hold J-1 status), or dependents of foreign nationals in the United States on long-term visas (students whose parents are here as diplomats, researchers or foreign workers).

How Do I Apply from Outside the U.S.?

You first must apply to study at an USCIS-approved school in the United States (a school approved by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services for accepting foreign students). When you contact a school that you are interested in attending, you should be told immediately if the school accepts foreign national students. If you are accepted, the school should give you USCIS Form I-20 A-B/ID (Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant (F-1) Student Status - for Academic and Language Students). You should also be prepared to prove that you have the financial resources required for your education and stay in the United States. Please see Student Visas for more information on eligibility.

If you require a visa, you should generally apply at the U.S. Embassy or Consulate with jurisdiction over your place of permanent residence. Although you may apply at any U.S. consular office abroad, it may be more difficult to qualify for the visa outside your country of permanent residence.

Documentation
Each applicant for a student visa must pay a nonrefundable US$45 application fee and submit:

1. An application Form DS-156, completed and signed. Forms are also available without charge at all U.S. consular offices;
2. A passport valid for travel to the United States and with a validity date at least six months beyond your intended period of stay in the United States. If more than one person is included in the passport, each person desiring a visa must make an application;
3. One photograph 1 and 1/2 inches square (37x37mm) for each applicant, showing full face, without head covering, against a light background;
4. Form I-20A-B (only bring this form from the school you plan on attending); and
5. Evidence of sufficient funds.

Additional Requirements
You must establish to the satisfaction of the consular officer that you have binding ties to your residence in your country that you have no intention of abandoning, and that you will depart the United States when you have completed your studies. It is impossible to specify the exact form the evidence should take since circumstances vary greatly.

Visa Ineligibility / Waiver
There are categories of persons ineligible to receive visas under U.S. law. In some instances an applicant who is ineligible, but who is otherwise properly classifiable as a student, may apply for a waiver of ineligibility and be issued a visa if the waiver is approved. If you are found to be ineligible, the consular officer will advise you of any waivers.

Visa Denials

For an explanation of the most common circumstance under which a visa is denied, as well as your right to reapply, see Visa Denials.

Admission through a U.S. Port of Entry

You should be aware that a visa does not guarantee entry into the United States. A visa is issued by a Department of State Consular Office abroad, but a separate U.S. agency, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), has authority to deny admission at the port of entry. Also, the period for which you are authorized to remain in the U.S. is determined by the USCIS, not the Department of State Consular Office.

At the port of entry, an USCIS official must authorize your admission to the U.S. At that time, the USCIS official will provide you with a stamped Form I-94 (Record of Arrival-Departure), which will include your admission number to the U.S. and which will note how long you are permitted to stay in the U.S. An USCIS inspector will also write your admission number on your USCIS Form I-20 A-B/ ID. The USCIS inspector will then send pages one and two of this form, known as I-20 A-B, to your school as a record of your legal admission to the United States. You are expected to keep pages three and four, known as the I-20 ID. This document is your proof that you are allowed to study in the United States as an F-1 student.

The date of departure stamped on your Form I-94 will probably be marked with the notation "D/S", which means duration of status. This notation essentially means you are welcome to stay in the United States for as long as you are enrolled as a full-time student in an educational program and making normal progress toward completing your course of study.

You should see your designated school official (DSO) if you need a replacement copy of your I-20 ID. You should also keep safe your USCIS Form I-94, because it proves that you legally entered the United States.

For more information, see:

• Inspection Process for U.S. Entry
• Obtaining an Arrival-Departure Record (I-94) (which also explains how to obtain a replacement)
• Length of Stay is Determined by Your I-94 Arrival-Departure Record -- NOT Your Visa

Changing My Status to Become a Student If I Am in the U.S.

If you are already in the U.S. on another nonimmigrant visa, and you would like to change your status to a student, you first must apply to study at an USCIS-approved school in the United States. When you contact a school that you are interested in attending, you should be told immediately if the school accepts foreign national students. If you are accepted, the school should send you USCIS Form I-20 A-B/IID (Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant (F-1) Student Status - for Academic and Language Students). You must submit this form and an USCIS Form I-539 (Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status) to the USCIS. You must also prove that you have the financial resources required for your education and stay in the United States. For more information, please see How to Change to a New Nonimmigrant Status.

Applying for Permission to Transfer Schools

You must be a full time student in good academic standing. You must notify your current school of your intent to transfer. You must ask the school that you plan on attending to give you a new USCIS Form I-20 A-B/ID (Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant (F-1) Student Status - for Academic and Language Students). You must complete your portion of the USCIS Form I-20 and give it to your new designated school official (DSO) within 15 days of transferring. The designated school official (DSO) should give you the last two pages, known as Form I-20 ID, and forward a copy of the first two pages, known as Form I-20 A-B, to the USCIS and your prior school.

Bringing My Spouse and Children to the U.S.

Your spouse and children may come with you to the United States in F-2 status. They should go with you to the U.S. embassy or consulate when you apply for your student (F-1) visa. They should be prepared to prove their relationship to you. If your spouse or children are following to join you at a later date, they should provide the U.S. embassy staff with a copy of your USCIS Form I-20 ID (Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant (F-1) Student Status - for Academic and Language Students) and proof of their relationship to you. The F-2 status of your family will be dependent upon your status as the F-1 academic student. This means that if you change your status, your family must change their status. If you lose your status, your family will also lose their status. (For more information on changing status, please see How to Change to a New Nonimmigrant Status).

Your family members must meet all visa eligibility requirements, including evidence that they will have sufficient funds for their support, and that they will depart the U.S. when your program ends. Spouses and children of students may not accept employment at any time.

How Long Can I Stay in the U.S.?

You are allowed to stay in the United States for as long as you are enrolled as a full-time student in an educational program and making normal progress toward completing your course of study. If approved, you also will be allowed to stay in the country up to twelve additional months beyond the completion of your studies to pursue practical training. At the end of your studies or practical training, you will be given sixty days to prepare to leave the country. See the Code of Federal Regulations (Title 8, Section 214.2(f)) for more complete time limits.

Extending My Stay as a Student in the U.S.

You do not need to apply to extend your stay in the United States as long as you are maintaining your student status and making normal progress toward completing your academic course of study. The designated school official (DSO) from your school will write down a completion date on your USCIS Form I-20 A-B (Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant (F-1) Student Status - for Academic and Language Students). Under normal circumstances, you should be able to complete your studies by this date.

If you need to extend your stay longer than the date listed on your I-20, you should contact your designated school official (DSO) or the USCIS in advance for specific instructions. Generally, you will complete Form I-539 (Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status) and send it, along with your original I-20 to the USCIS before your authorized stay in the country expires (the USCIS recommends at least 45 days in advance). You may include your spouse and any unmarried children under the age of 21 in your application if you are all in the same nonimmigrant category. For more information, please see Extending My Stay in the U.S.

Student Visa Abusers

An F-1 student who violates a term or condition of status is inadmissible for U.S. entry until having been outside the United States for a continuous period of 5 years after the date of the violation.

Will I Get a Work Permit?

Your visa allows you to work on-campus for 20 hours a week (or full time when school is not in session, such as during holidays or annual vacation), but you may not work off-campus during your first year of study. After the completion of your first year of study, you may apply to the USCIS for a work permit that authorizes you to work off-campus, but you must demonstrate a special need (and work no more than 20 hours per week, except when school is not in session). The application process involves filing Form 538 (Certification By Designated School Official) signed by your designated school official (DSO) and Form I-765 (Application for Employment Authorization). You should discuss employment with your DSO. For a general overview, see Working through School. If you would like to see the specific federal regulations, see Code of Federal Regulations (Title 8, Section 214.2(f))). Your accompanying spouse and child may not accept employment.

Can I Travel Outside the U.S.?

Students may leave the United States and be readmitted after absences of five months or less. Upon your return to the United States, you should provide immigration inspectors with:

• A valid passport.
• A valid F-1 entry visa stamped in the passport (if necessary).
• A current USCIS Form I-20 ID (Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant (F-1) Student Status - for Academic and Language Students) signed by your appropriate school official (you should have the appropriate school official sign your USCIS Form I-20 each time you wish to temporarily travel outside the United States).
• A new USCIS Form I-20 A-B/I-20 ID if there have been any substantive changes in your course of study or place of study.
• Proof of your financial support.

When making your travel plans, please remember that you must be a full-time student to keep your F-1 student status. You will be considered to be "in status" if you take the annual summer vacation, as long as you are eligible and intend to register for the next school term.

How Can I Get USCIS Forms?

Your should be able to pick up immigration-related forms from your designated school official (DSO). Only your designated school official (DSO) can give you an USCIS Form I-20 (Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant (F-1) Student Status - for Academic and Language Students) or an USCIS Form I-538 (Certification By Designated School Official). If you would like other immigration forms, they are available online, or by calling 1-800-870-3676, or by submitting an online request to receive forms by mail. Further information on forms, filing fees, and fee waivers is available in Forms, Fees & Filing Locations. 

HELP!

• Your school will have a designated school official (DSO) to help you with immigration issues. (However, you are solely responsible for following U.S. immigration laws.) Questions on how to obtain Form I-20A-B should be made to the school. If the school does not have the forms, it should contact its local USCIS office.

• For assistance in your country, contact the nearest U.S. Consulate. You may also wish to contact a U.S. Educational Advisor in your country. See Assistance in Your Country, in the area of our website called Study in the U.S.

• For inquiries on visa cases in progress overseas, contact the appropriate U.S. Embassy or Consulate handling your case.

• For assistance within the U.S., contact the State Departmentís Visa Office at 202-663-1225. You may also email a general inquiry to usvisa@state.gov. Be sure to indicate the general subject of your inquiry on the subject line (e.g., student visa), and do not expect an immediate reply. You may also write to:

• For assistance within the U.S., you may also contact your nearest USCIS District Office or Sub Office. This link provides telephone numbers, addresses, directions, office hours, local filing procedures, and more.

• In the U.S., you may also call the national USCIS toll-free information service at 1-800-375-5283.

Additional Information & Links

For eligibility criteria, see:
Student Visas

For information on sources of financial aid, on applying to schools, and on organizations in your country that can assist you, see:
Study in the U.S.

If you are already in the U.S. on another nonimmigrant visa, and you would like to change your status to a student, see:
Changing My Status to Become a Student If I Am in the U.S. (above)

For an explanation of the most common circumstance under which a visa is denied, as well as your right to reapply, see:
Visa Denials

If you wish to pursue non-academic studies or language training, you will need a different visa. See:
Becoming a Vocational Student in the U.S.

If you will be participating in an exchange program, you will need a different visa. See:
Exchange Visitor Visas

The information provided in this website is not legal advice and should not be interpreted as legal advice. This website is intended to provide a basic understanding of this information in summary form. This information may not be comprehensive, is subject to change, and may not apply to all individual circumstances. Any information received here should be confirmed with the appropriate government agencies or with an attorney, particularly as it relates to your individual circumstances. Your use of this website indicates your agreement to be bound by our Terms of Use.