F1 Student Visa

What is the F-1 visa?

The F-1 visa allows a student to temporarily live in the United States for a defined period of time while studying at a school, college, seminary, or conservatory.

Is the F-1 visa right for me?

For many students, the chance to study in the United States is the culmination of years of hard work and dedication. Unless the person is already a U.S. citizen or green card holder, all prospective students will have to apply for a visa to study in the United States.

Because there are so many courses and places to study in the United States, the F-1 visa has a pretty broad application but also some very clear rules. The first is that you have to be coming to the United States with the intent to temporarily study. In other words, this is not an immigrant visa.

You must be studying at an academic institution, not training at a vocational school, as this will require an M-1 visa. Your academic institution must be approved by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) through the Student Exchange and Visitor Program (SEVP), meaning it needs to be accredited to be able to accept foreign students on F-1 visas.

You will be able to work, but because this is a non-immigrant visa, you will be restricted to where you can work and the type of work. Finally, although your spouse and children can come with you, they will not be able to work but your children can enroll in schools. They will be on F-2 visas and tied to your visa’s status.