All United States visas beginning with ‘F’ are classified as non-immigrant visas. These are typically student visas. The F1 student visa is issued to students who have been accepted for enrollment in an educational institution that has been certified by the SEVP, or Student and Exchange Visitor Program.
So eligibility for the F1 student visa begins with applying to and being accepted by a SEVP certified school as a full-time student. But, if you don’t have adequate funds, scholarships, and lines of credit to prove you’ll be able to afford life as a student in the United States, you still won’t achieve eligibility for the F1 student visa.
The SEVIS Internet system is responsible for monitoring your student and non-immigrant visa status. SEVIS is used by your school of choice to issue a I-20 form to you that will be required as a starting point for eligibility for the F1 student visa. SEVIS will maintain a record of this form and verify it as your application is processed.
Once you’ve applied for your visa, your eligibility for the F1 student visa will further be determined when you go to a United States Embassy for the F1 student visa interview. This is a required step in the process for a F1 student visa application, except in special circumstances. As with all steps for non-priority visa applicants, you can expect to wait quite a while for your application to be processed and your F1 student visa interview to be scheduled. Be patient and use the wait time to prepare and practice for the visa interview. On the day of the interview be prepared for your discussion with the counsulate office with all relevant academic, financial, and other visa-related documentation.
You will be guided through each step of the F1 student visa process by mail. Whatever documentation is required of you will be listed. If you apply early, your eligibility for the F1 student visa should be determined before your school year starts, but probably not more than 4 months early. Final processing of the Form I-20 will not take place before this time frame.
If your eligibility for the F1 student visa is approved your visa application will be processed and your application will be approved or disapproved. Once your F visa is approved, you may enter the United States up to thirty days before the start of the school year. While enrolled as a full-time student, you may stay in the United States, regardless of the dates stamped in your passport upon arrival at a port of entry to the United States and the issuance of your F1 student visa. You may stay enrolled as a full-time student until you complete your course of study and any pre-authorized internships or practical studies. You have sixty days to leave the United States after the completion of these studies.
If you are able to find employment with a company willing to sponsor you for a H1-B visa, your F1 visa may be convertible to an H1 visa. The H1-B visa allows you to continue to live in the United States as a skilled worker. If your application for the H1-B visa is turned down, re-apply until it is approved. There are no limits on how many times you may apply for the H1-B visa.
So In conclusion if you are planning on studying in America you most likely will have to get an F1 Student Visa and understanding how to be eligible for such a visa is an important step in the process of getting that F visa.