Student Visas for International Study

F1 Student Visa

Learn more about the F1 student Visa here. The F1 student visa must be obtained for a non-citizen who is studying at an accredited secondary or post secondary institution in the USA. This applies to public, private, or independent schools. After a student has completed the admissions process and been admitted to the school, the institution can then provide students with the documents needed to go to the US embassy in their home countries to obtain the F1 student visa.

While schools provide the documents, admissions representatives or school officials are not often immigration experts and cannot always answer extensive questions regarding obtaining the student visas. Often times, the school will recommend you contact an immigration lawyer or specialist for specific questions about things like changing your visa status or studying on another type of visa besides the F1.

Here are some resources you can use when you have questions about the F1 visa process:

U.S. Department of State (official)
US Customs and Immigration Services (official)
International Student
Study in the USA

J1 Student Visa

The J1 visa is an exchange visa granted to non citizens to work or study in an exchange related field. Education is a great example of this, and we often have students studying for one semester or one year, as well as visiting faculty from other countries, who will come to the USA on the J1 visa. Outside of visiting students, other candidates that can apply for the J1 are camp counselors, au pairs, interns, summer work positions, and trainee positions.

Schools typically have authorization to issue either the F1, J1, or both visas to incoming students. The same system is used to issue the documents needed to obtain the visa and the process is similar for both applications. The international office on campus typically handles the J1 exchange programs, while the enrollment or admissions office often times handles the F1 student materials and processes (this could vary from school to school).

Here are some resources you can use when you have questions about the J1 visa process: