F1 Student Visa

Introduction

The F1 visa is a nonimmigrant visa for international students who are qualified to attend a full course of study at colleges, universities, conservatories, academic high schools (subject to strict regulations) and institutions with language-training programs in the U.S.

VisaPro’s experienced immigration attorneys will prepare and file all the required documents for academic or language students with an approved I-20 applying for the student F1 visa.

F1 Visa Eligibility – It Is Suitable For:

• Foreign nationals qualified to attend a full course of study at colleges, universities, conservatories, or academic high schools in the U.S.
• Foreign nationals coming to attend a full course at U.S. institutions with language training programs

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Working on The F1 Visa

You may obtain, in certain limited circumstances, permission to work on-campus during your stay in the U.S. on US student visa. You may also obtain off-campus employment if you can prove that unforeseen circumstances beyond your control have occurred causing you unexpected financial hardship.

Unforeseen circumstances could include:

1. The university reduces or eliminates your financial aid through no fault of yours that is, if budgets change, or a professor leaves and takes the research grant that paid you. This category could include the elimination of your on-campus job. It does not include losing your job through poor performance
2. The university drastically increasing its costs, or its living expenses
3. Unexpected and necessary expenses such as medical bills or other emergencies
4. Unexpected change in financial source, which could be family, home, government or sponsor

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F1 Visa Benefits

1. You can enter the U.S. as a fulltime academic or language student
2. You can legally work part-time on-campus. You may also work off-campus if circumstances change after entry and it becomes necessary
3. You are eligible to take up employment as a part of your optional practical training
4. You can travel in and out of the U.S. or remain in the U.S. till the completion of your studies
5. You can bring your dependents (spouse and unmarried children under the age of 21) to live with you in the U.S.
6. F1 visas are issued quickly

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F1 Visa Requirements

To be eligible for an F1 visa, you must prove that:

1. You have successfully completed a course of study normally required for enrollment
2. You have been accepted for a full course of study by an educational institution approved by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The institution must send you a USCIS Form I-20A-B, Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant F1 Student Status for Academic and Language Students
3. You are sufficiently proficient in English to pursue the intended course of study, or the school you intend to attend has made special arrangements to teach you the English language or conduct the course in your native language
   Note: You may be exempt from this requirement if you intend to come to the U.S. to participate exclusively in an English language-training program
4. You have sufficient funds to cover the first year of study, and access to sufficient funds to cover subsequent years
5. You have a permanent residence in your home country, which you do not intend to abandon
6. You intend to depart the U.S. upon completion of the course of study. You may establish this by presenting evidence of economic, social and/or family ties in your homeland sufficient to induce you to leave the U.S. upon completion of studies
7. Your proposed education in the U.S. would be useful in your homeland, and therefore induce you to leave the U.S. upon completion of studies

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F1 Visa Notes

• Students on F1 visa may accept employment in the U.S. as a part of their practical training by obtaining an Employment Authorization Document.
• To change the purpose of your visit while you are in the U.S. on an F1 student visa, you must change your visa status.

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F1 Visa Fees

VisaPro Processing Time 2 business days

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