All You Need To Know About The F1 Visa Application

What is an F1 student visa?

The F1 student visa is given to foreigners who are approved to study at educational institutes in the USA. F1 visa are primarily issued by universities or other colleges, but are also required if you plan to study full-time at high schools, secondary/elementary schools, seminaries, ESLs, etc.

An F1 visa is what gives you permission to enter the United States. When you arrive, you will typically be given an I-94 form stating that you are allowed to stay in the U.S. for the “duration of status”. This means you will be allowed to stay in the U.S. for as long as you are a full-time student enrolled in classes.

Once your studies end, you will have a 60-day grace period to either return to your home country or renew/change your visa status. Please note that your F1 visa may be issued for less than the duration of your studies, which will require you to renew it.

How do I apply for an F1 student visa?

There are a few steps to getting approved for an F1 visa, with a few things required before even being able to apply:

1. Apply and get approved to study at a SEVP-approved institute- Before you can apply for your visa, you must first choose and get accepted by an academic institute you plan to attend. Once you are admitted, a Designated School Official (DSO) will issue you an I-20 form.
2. Pay the SEVIS I-901 fee- When admitted, you will be entered into the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS). There is a fee you will be charged that will need to be paid before you are able to apply for your visa.
3. Apply for your visa through your country’s U.S. embassy- The order of the following steps depends on your country’s embassy’s process., Next, you should complete the DS-160 online visa application form and print/save the information you receive.
4. Schedule an interview with a U.S. embassy or consulate- Almost all countries will require an interview before you can officially be approved for your visa. They will ask questions about your course of study. You can view wait times for scheduling interviews here.
5. Get approved and prepare for your trip to the U.S.- Once you are approved, you can travel to the U.S. and arrive within 30 days of the start of your program. Once there, you will need to show your passport, visa, and Form I-20 to be approved by the Customs and Border Protection to enter the U.S.

Read more about these steps in the sections below.

How do I apply to a school in the U.S.?

The first step in applying to a school is deciding which one(s) you would want to attend. There are thousands of schools in the U.S. so it’s good to try to settle on a short list based on things such as school size/location, amount of international students, programs offered, graduate study options, tuition cost, etc. You can use a school finder tool to locate places you might be interested in.

You may also be required to take some sort of standardized test before and/or a language exam that is dependent on your school. Some of the most popular tests that are asked for include:

• The TOEFL subject exams
• International English Language Testing System (IELTS)
• The SAT/ACT

You should also become familiar with the schedule in which schools allow enrollments, such as if they have Early Decision/Action or are known to have a waitlist, and terms such as FAFSA and the Common App. You may need to fill out a FAFSA application to determine financial need. Many schools require you to submit your application through the Common App system.

Every school has different needs, and it may get tough to manage if there are multiple schools you’re applying to so it’s always smart to begin the process as soon as possible and track every action you take when submitting your applications.

How much is the SEVIS I-901 fee and how do I pay it?

On average, the SEVIS I-901 fee is going to cost you around $350. Make sure to save the payment confirmation since you will need to present it during your interview with the U.S. embassy.

When you go to pay, make sure you have your completed I-20 ready as it includes the SEVIS ID you will need to fill out the I-901 form. There are currently three accepted ways to pay this fee:

• You can pay via credit/debit card at fmjfee.com. You can also check your payment status at this website after enrollment.
• Check or money order sent out to SEVP with the completed I-901 included.
• Western Union Quick Pay
• Payments can be made by a third party through the methods above.

How do I apply through my country's U.S. embassy?

Once you’re accepted to a school and have paid the SEVIS fee, you will be able to officially apply for an F1 visa. You are allowed to apply for your visa 120 days prior to when your studies are supposed to start so you should do so as soon as this period begins to avoid any potential complications from processing delays.

You can apply online by filling out a DS-160 form, which is a non-immigrant visa application. You must also submit a photo of yourself when submitting the application. Around the same time, you can try to schedule an interview with your home country’s U.S. embassy or consulate.

Please note, there may also be a wait time to schedule an interview, so you may need to schedule it prior to applying for your visa. You can view estimated wait times here.

Prior to your interview, you will need the following:

• A valid U.S. passport
• The DS-160 confirmation letter
• Two photographs of yourself
• Proof of the paid SEVIS fee
• Your I-20

You may also need to show:

• Transcripts/standardized test score results
• TOEFL/IELTS results to prove English proficiency
• Proof of financial stability (bank statements, tax records, scholarship information, loan documentation, etc.)
• Ties to your home country
• When enrolling for an F1 visa, you are supposed to show “single intent”, meaning you are only planning on staying in the U.S. to study. You may be asked to prove this by showing job/family/financial connections.

What should I expect from my F1 Embassy interview?

Things to note when your F1 visa application is ready to be scheduled for an interview:

• The interview is very brief and typically lasts about 5 minutes, which requires you to be as prepared as possible since your responses need to be concise and time efficient.
• All interviews will be conducted in English, so you’ll need to be at a level of proficiency to understand what is being asked and answer clearly.
• You should dress professionally for the interview to make a good impression and present yourself well.
• The intent of the interview is to prove why you want to study in the United States. For this, you need to convey that the school you plan to attend is the best course of action for you and give reasons as to why.
• Any indication that you are planning to apply for permanent residency in the U.S. or seek employment after will result in a visa denial. You are supposed to arrive to study and return to your home country after.
• Most information they ask about will already be available through the documents you submit so you should not lie under any circumstances.

Kinds of questions to expect:

• About your college/university
• Why did you choose to apply