Visa Information
Applying for An F-1 or J-1 Visa At A U.S. Consulate Abroad
Has your U.S. visa stamp inside your passport expired? If it is still valid, is it for multiple entry, or has the entry been used up? Finally, is the category for which the visa was issued the status you currently hold (for example, if your visa is F-2, are you currently in F-2 status or did that status change after you entered the United States).
What is a Visa?
The visa stamp in your passport indicates you are qualified to apply for admission into the U.S. as an F-1 student. Although your passport and I-20 must remain valid while you are in the United States, your visa need not remain valid once you have used it to enter the U.S. However, if you travel overseas and your visa has expired and/or the number of entries have been used, or the visa stamp does not identify your current status, you'll need to request a new visa at a U.S. consulate prior to your return. (Canadian citizens are not required to have a visa to enter the U.S.).
Appointments are now required for virtually all non-immigrant visa applications. You are urged to check with the U.S. consulate or embassy where you will apply for the visa, or its web site link: http://travel.state.gov/travel/abroad_embassies.html BEFORE leaving the United States to determine that particular post's policies and procedures. For information on waiting times for student visa appointments at embassies and consulates world-wide, visit the following link: http://travel.state.gov/visa/tempvisitors_wait.php.
You should start the visa process at the earliest possible time upon your arrival back in your home country. It is important to note that the Christmas/New Year's holiday period and the summer vacation period are extremely busy times at consulates due to the large numbers of travelers and reduced staff who may be taking vacation. Also, in the event of any protests, threats, or terrorist attacks that are judged to be threatening to U.S. embassy or consulate personnel, government officials at those posts may temporarily close or alter their operational hours.
The U.S. State Department has also prepared two information sheets about student visas on its web site which may be useful to you as an international student. They may be obtained at http://travel.state.gov/visa/tempvisitors_types_students2.html for F-1. http://travel.state.gov/visa/tempvisitors_types_scholars.html for J-1.
Automatic visa revalidation
An exception to the rule requiring a valid, unexpired visa exists for students in F-1 status who travel for less than 30 days solely to Canada or Mexico or islands in the Caribbean except Cuba. Your visa will be considered to be "extended" (and "converted" to the proper visa category if you had changed status while in the U.S.) to the date of reentry, eliminating the need to obtain a new visa at a U.S. consulate before that particular reentry. This procedure is known as "automatic visa revalidation." Note that if you apply for a new visa while in Canada, Mexico and islands in the Caribbean, you will not be able to return to the U.S. unless the visa is granted. Also, citizens of Iraq, Iran, Syria, Libya, and North Korea are not eligible for automatic visa revalidation
U.S. Department of Homeland Security SEVIS fee
The Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) is an electronic data collection network that maintains and manages information on F-1 Students and J-1 Exchange Visitors. To cover the costs for the continued operation of the SEVIS program, individuals seeking initial F-1 or J-1 status on the basis of a form I-20 or DS-2019 issued on or after September 1, 2004 must pay a $100 SEVIS fee to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. There is detailed information about this fee here, http://www.ice.gov/graphics/sevis/i901/index.htm. Students and Exchange Visitors have the option to pay the fee with a check by mail or with a credit card via the internet. The fee must be paid and processed prior to issuance of an F-1 or J-1 visa (or for Canadian citizens who are visa-exempt, prior to applying for admission at a U.S. port of entry).
Application Procedures
Apply for the visa in your home country, unless circumstances or travel plans make this impossible. The U.S. Department of State maintains an excellent website on the visa application process and should be studied carefully, http://travel.state.gov/nonimmigrantvisas.html. At the consulate, include the following items:
Visa application
Complete the forms provided by the U.S. consulate in the country where the application will be submitted. You may download the forms at: http://evisaforms.state.gov/ .These forms are also available as paper copies at any U.S. visa issuing post abroad. You will be charged a fee for the visa application. U.S. visa posts abroad have implemented new biometric requirements for visa issuance. You should expect to have your index fingers scanned and a digital photograph taken as part of the visa process.
Receipt confirming payment of the SEVIS fee
If applicable.
Valid passport
Your passport must be valid for at least six months when seeking admission or readmission to the United States, and should remain valid throughout your stay in the U.S.
Passport-size photos
I-20 or DS-2019 form
If you are applying for a visa to continue studies at the WWU, be sure that the International Programs Adviser has signed the travel validation section of the form within the past six months.
Financial evidence detailing source and amount of funding
Consular and immigration officers exercise considerable discretion in determining whether financial support exists and is sufficient to cover your entire period of stay. Prepare documentation that is thorough, consistent, credible and varied.
Verification letter issued by the WWU International Programs & Exchanges office
Verifies you are a student at Western and are maintaining valid status. This is usually required for a new visa application. Any international student traveling outside the United States who will be applying for a new F-1 or J-1 visa should request such a letter from IPE prior to travel.
Copy of your current course registration
Which can be obtained from your online account in Web4U, https://www.admin.wwu.edu/pls/wwis/twbkwbis.P_WWWLogin.
Evidence of continuing ties (such as family, career, or property) to your home country
Visa applicants are presumed to be "intending immigrants." Your visa will be denied unless you satisfy the consular officer that you will return home. Unfortunately, there is no single explanation, document, or letter than can guarantee visa issuance.
Consular officers conduct quick interviews! Their initial impression of you is critical to your success. Keep your answers concise. Be honest in everything you write on your visa application and say during the interview. Anticipate that the interview will be conducted in English. Don't bring other people to speak on your behalf.
If your spouse and children are remaining behind in your home country, be prepared to explain how they will support themselves in your absence. If they are accompanying you to the U.S., what are the financial arrangements?
If you are denied the visa, ask the officer for a list of documents he or she would suggest you bring the next time you apply, and try to get the reason you were denied in writing. Maintain a positive attitude! Do not engage the consular officer in an argument.
Visa Applications in Canada or Mexico
In 2002, the U.S. State Department announced new rules that any non-immigrant who chooses to apply for a new visa while in Canada or Mexico (but is not a citizen of either of those two countries) will no longer be eligible for the "automatic revalidation" benefit during the course of that trip, but will have to wait until the visa is approved in order to re-enter the United States. If the U.S. visa application is denied, that individual will not be permitted to re-enter the United States, and will instead have to return to his or her home country. So, international students should consider this matter carefully when applying for a U.S. visa in Canada or Mexico.
Individuals from Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Sudan and Syria are not be eligible to obtain a new non-immigrant visa in either Canada or Mexico.
Practical Training
If you are on Practical Training and will need to obtain a new F-1 visa before returning to the United States, you must have your Employment Authorization Document (EAD) with you, as well as your SEVIS I-20 endorsed for practical training. It is strongly advised that you have with you a letter from your employer, verifying your employment status. Federal regulations state that an F-1 student on authorized practical training may depart the country temporarily and re-enter the United States to "resume" employment, which means not only must you have a job offer, but employment must have already commenced. Students are warned that visa issuance for individuals on practical training can be highly problematic, since you may have a hard time proving that you do not intend to immigrate to the United States. Such students are urged to discuss their situation with the International Programs Advisor before they travel.
This document has been modified from information courtesy of Binghamton University, State University of New York, and Office of International Student and Scholar Services and the University of Washington, International Services Office (2004)
