Student visa for USA

Students who plan to study in the USA need to apply for student visa.

The procedure of enrollment and preparation of the student visa application is not easy and it demands good planning of each step in order to achieve your goal and successfully obtain your student visa.

There are two types of student visas for the USA, depending on study program you wish to enroll to:

F student visa - for academic studies at one of the accredited colleges or universities as well as for taking English language course at some English language institute.

M student visa - for non-academic, vocational studies or trainings in America.

Beside these two types of student visas there is also J visitor visa designed for student exchange program, including high school and university studies.

Working while studying

• International students with F-1 and M-1 visa are allowed to work on campus and in certain training programs.
• F-1 students are not allowed to work off campus during their first academic year. Jobs on campus are student oriented, such as work in a library, cafeteria or in a student center.
• Students can apply for a job off campus after they finish their first academic year. There are three programs designed for international students who are looking for a job and want to gain work experience in the USA:
  • Optional Practical Training (OPT)
  • Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Optional Practical Training Extension
  • Curricular Practical Training (CPT)
• M-1 students can take part in practical training after they finish their studies.

Procedure

• Counseling
• Enrollment
• Accepting the offer from SEVP accredited educational institution
• Visa application
• Embassy interview and granting of your visa

Benefits of student visa

• opportunity to study in a country with the highest number of educational institutions in the world and wide range of study programs
• America is the country that offers quality education and has the highest number of educational institutions which are highly ranked on world’s best universities lists
• opportunity to gain work experience and skills which will enrich your CV
• you will have the opportunity to experience American student life
• you can perfect your English language skills
• you will meet persons from all over the world
• you will gain priceless life experience

Conditions of student visa

• you must be enrolled in academic study program, language course program or vocational program
• you must be enrolled as full time student
• school you choose must be accredited by SEVP (Student and Exchange Visitors Program) and you need to have form I-20 which you receive from school after your enrollment
• certificate of registration in SEVIS system (Student and Exchange Visitor Information System) i.e. certificate of I-901 fee payment
• filled out and approved form DS- 160 – online request for non-immigrant visas (online through embassy website)
• you need to have good English language skills or to be enrolled in English language course
• you should have enough financial resources for studying and staying in the USA
• you need to prove that your primary goal is temporarily stay in the USA for a duration of your studies