Student Visa USA

The fees for applying for a visa vary considerably depending on the category and may regularly increase or decrease, also as a result of exchange rate fluctuations. Therefore, every applicant should inform himself about the current fees before applying.

The application for a U.S. visa must be made through the official U.S. authorities, e.g. the U.S. consulates and U.S. embassies. The actual visa application is placed online, but almost every applicant must go to the consulate in person for a visa interview. With some work visas, it is sometimes necessary to send extensive files by mail to the U.S. authorities in the USA prior to the consular application procedure.
We advise and support companies and private individuals in all matters relating to visa applications. Read more about the requirements, duration and costs of a visa application. 

Some universities or colleges in the U.S. require their students to present their Social Security Number. However, normally the number is not issued to persons who are temporarily in the United States on an F-1, J-1 or M-1 visa. In this case, the universities should be able to assign a different identification number to the foreign students concerned.

If you want to take up employment that is permitted under the respective student visa, you can apply for a Social Security Number.

SEVIS stands for Student and Exchange Visitor Information System. This is an online database of the U.S. government which enables the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Department of State to access data of all exchange students who are in the United States. The educational institution's SEVIS registration is required in order to issue the I-20 form which is mandatory for the visa application. To pay the SEVIS fee, a SEVIS number is required, which can be found on the I-20 document.

The I-20 form is issued by the respective educational institution provided that the U.S. educational institution is SEVIS registered. You can find out whether this is the case by using the school search tool of the U.S. authorities.
Please note: The I-20 is not an application form that you can download from the Internet.

Global Entry is usable with most US visas, even with ESTA. Except if you are a holder of one of the following visas, then you are excluded from Global Entry:

We work together with the visa sponsors InterExchange and TravelWorks and act as an interface between the main applicant (graduate), the employer in the home country, the host company in the United States, the U.S. authorities and the respective exchange organisation. If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Further visa sponsors can be researched on the official website of the U.S. authorities.

An extension is only possible if the total duration does not exceed 12 months for internships or 18 months for trainings. If the applicant is still enrolled at a university or is still in training, an application for a J-1 visa can be made as often as desired.
Exception: Trainees must wait two years before they can apply again. This also applies to all applicants who had already applied for the category "Internal" and now wish to apply for "Trainee".

The J visa entitles its holder to take part in an internship, training or exchange program. These activities may be remunerated, but ordinary employment or unpaid work is strictly prohibited.

Spouses and unmarried children under the age of 21 will be issued a derived J-2 visa for the same period as the principal applicant and may travel to the United States on that visa.

As a rule, applicants find out on the day of their interview whether the visa will be granted or not.
In certain cases, the visa applicant receives a letter of refusal from the consulate after a certain processing time. Incidentally, no reasons need to be given for a refusal. The reasons for this can be manifold and range - depending on the visa category - from the assumption of an immigration intention, to the presumption of illegal employment, to insufficient application documentation.
Once this has happened, a new visa can usually only be (successfully) applied for after several months or even years. Theoretically, there is no waiting period for the applicant until the next submission. However, experience shows that without a blatant improvement in the requirements of the respective visa category (e.g. proof of the intention to return to the home country, financial means, proof of specialized professional knowledge, etc.), a new application does not appear to make much sense.

There are a variety of J-1 exchange programs:

• Au Pair
• Camp Counselor
• College and University Student
• Government Visitor
• Internal
• International Visitor
• Physician
• Professor
• Research Scholar
• Secondary School Student
• Short-Term Scholar
• Specialist
• Summer Work Travel
• Teacher
• Trainee

Each category, of course, has its own entry requirements and program regulations.

Application documents for a J-1 visa include a variety of documents related to the applicant as well as the U.S. institutions (e.g., educational institution or U.S. company). Processing is a very complex and time-consuming process. Generally, a generous window of time should be allowed for the issuance of a J-1 visa. For example, for the issuance of a J-1 visa in the "Intern" or "Trainee" category, a minimum of ten to twelve weeks Therefore, the application should be initiated as early as possible.

The background to this long process is that the J-1 visa must not be applied for exclusively at the U.S. consulate, but additionally with the help of an exchange organization (J-1 Visa Sponsor). These organizations have been authorized by the U.S. Department of State to verify that the programs are carried out in accordance with U.S. guidelines. After a review of the applicant as well as the U.S. institution, if applicable, the form will finally be DS-2019 ("Certificate of Eligibility for Exchange Visitor (J-1) Status"), which in turn is mandatory to apply for a J-1 visa.

Exchange organizations usually charge a minimum age of 18 years (except for the category "Secondary School Student", where a minimum age of 15 years is sufficient).

Except for the "Au Pair" category, which is subject to a maximum age limit of 26, there are no age limits set by the U.S. Department of State (DOS). However, it is at the discretion of the respective visa sponsors to set such a limit for participants in a particular category. Therefore, this should always be discussed with the J-1 visa sponsor who ultimately submits the form.DS-2019The U.S. Department of State provides specific and very strict guidelines regarding the J-1 visa. Although the U.S. Department of State provides specific and very strict guidelines regarding the J-1 visa, the admission requirements of the exchange organizations sometimes vary significantly.

If necessary, the planned stay in the USA can also be part of a company-internal training with an B-1 Visa (Business Visitor) possible. However, the individual case must always be considered and thus individually checked whether the B-1 visa actually represents an alternative to the J-1 visa.

Whether a high school diploma is a requirement for obtaining a J-1 visa depends on the category.

For example, to qualify in the "Internal" category, the applicant must be an enrolled full-time student at an institution of higher education (outside the U.S.) or have successfully completed studies at such an institution within the last twelve months.

One of the following qualifications is required for the Trainee category:

• a degree from an institution of higher education (outside the U.S.) plus one year of full-time training-related work experience (outside the U.S.).

or

• Five years of training-related work experience (outside the U.S.).

At the Form DS-2019 is a numbered and limited form that cannot be filled out and downloaded from the Internet, but is issued only after a detailed evaluation of the participant and the U.S. institution. The issuance of the DS-2019 form is done with the help of the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS). This web-based database allows both the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Department of State to directly view the data of all J-1 visa holders who are in the United States. SEVIS includes information on the participant's location, U.S. host entity, and legal status, among other information. Once the data has been entered into SEVIS, the exchange organization is responsible for keeping this data current throughout the duration of the stay and adjusting it if necessary, e.g. in the event of an extension of stay or a change of U.S. host company.

Depending on which J-1 category is being applied for, additional documentation may be required (e.g., degree certificates, evidence of job-related work experience, etc.).

In principle, it is possible to assign an intern in the "Intern" or "Trainee" category to several U.S. locations, provided that each of the individual U.S. locations meets the specific requirements of the exchange organization. Among other things, the number of interns and trainees must be in proportion to regular employees in order to ensure professional supervision by sufficient staff.

It is important that this so-called "Company Transfer" is noted in advance in the Training/Internship Placement Plan (DS-7002) with the corresponding US offices and addresses. Please also note that this intra-company transfer is only possible within the company group; a longer-term transfer to a customer's location is not permitted under any circumstances. Interns and trainees may of course participate in business meetings at the customer's site or customer visits outside the specified US location if accompanied by the supervisor of the US host company.

The J-1 visa can be used for multiple entries only if on the form. DS-2019a travel validation has been noted by the exchange organization. The Travel Validation is necessary because the visa is valid only in connection with the DS-2019 form (on which the specific period of the exchange program is noted).

For this reason, it is particularly important that the relevant exchange organization is contacted in good time in the case of an upcoming travel project. First, the original DS-2019 form must be sent to the organization by mail. Subsequently, an authorized signatory signs the DS-2019 again and thus confirms that the holder of the J visa is "in good standing". This signature is valid for six months and allows the U.S. immigration officer at the border to see directly that all program guidelines have been met and the visa holder may re-enter without difficulty.

When the exchange program has officially ended, there is the possibility to stay in the USA for an additional 30 days ("Grace Period"), for example to travel around the USA. Please note that under no circumstances should the United States be left during this time in order to re-enter afterwards. The DS-2019 form and the J-1 visa will have already expired, i.e. re-entry into the U.S. would theoretically have to be visa-free with the electronic travel authorization (ESTA) can be made. However, the risk of rejection on the part of the U.S. border agent would be too high.

Some universities or colleges in the U.S. require their students to present their Social Security Number. However, normally the number is not issued to persons who are temporarily in the United States on an F-1, J-1 or M-1 visa. In this case, the universities should be able to assign a different identification number to the foreign students concerned.

If you want to take up employment that is permitted under the respective student visa, you can apply for a Social Security Number.

No. M-1 visas only entitle the holder to attend a non-academic educational institution. Study programs such as in-service training or evening classes are considered non-academic programs.

Yes an extension or new application for the M-1 visa is possible. If the training takes longer than expected, an extension of up to 12 months can be applied for at the respective educational institution.

The U.S. period of stay is based on the duration of further education or training noted in the I-20, but generally may not exceed one year.However, M-1 visa holders are allowed to enter the U.S. as early as 30 days prior to the start of the program.

Subsequent practical training

Some M-1 programs include a practical training program. The time spent in the practical training program does not count toward the one-year residency requirement. One month of practical training per completedfour-monthContinuation or training unit is allowed, up to a maximum of six months.

Extensions of further education or training possible if necessary

The holder of an M-1 visa may extend the duration of his/her further education or training up to a total period of three years. However, extensions are only possible if:

• The M-1 holder is in lawful U.S. resident status,
• Compelling medical or scholastic reasons (other than warnings or suspensions for poor academic performance) require suspension from the program; and
• The M-1 holder can and does maintain lawful U.S. residency status.

Aside from the Form I-20, M-1 visa applicants must also provide evidence of the following:

• A permanent residence outside the U.S.
• Binding obligations that cause one to leave the U.S. again upon completion of the program.
• Fulfillment of the program's language requirements (generally, a very good command of English is required).
• Sufficient financial resources to cover all costs of the stay, including school fees.
• The payment of the so-called SEVIS fee (proof of which must be brought to the appointment at the consulate).

M-1 visa holders are not allowed to engage in any professional activities. The exception to this rule is temporary work as part of an internship. Accompanying family members who receive an M-2 visa are also not allowed to work. However, M-2 spouses and children may be allowed to study (see "What visa do accompanying family members receive on the M-1 visa?")

Accompanying spouses and unmarried children up to age 21 will be granted derivative status upon application, and thus an M-2 visa. Children who turn 21 or marry while in the U.S. must change their nonimmigrant status or leave the country.

Work not allowed

However, with this visa, the spouses and children are allowed tonotpermitted to work, i.e. the acquisition of a General Work Permit (Employment Authorization Document, EAD) in the USA is excluded (unlike other categories such asL-1orE-1/E-2).

Study only possible to a limited extent

Children may attend an "elementary" or "secondary" school(Kindergarten to High School). If a higher educational institution (e.g. university) is to be attended, a separate F-1 visa must be applied for.

Spouses may only:

• Study occasionally and for fun, or
• Attend an SEVP-approved postsecondary educational institution as a part-time student.

If the spouse wishes to study full-time, he or she must apply for an F-1 visa.

The M-1 visa permits attendance at a vocational or non-academic educational institution in the U.S. (e.g., a flight school). An M-1 visa does not permit attendance at a language school. And the educational institution must be approved by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) must be registered.

Yes, the I-20 form is also mandatory to apply for the M visa. The I-20 form must be issued by the respective educational institution in the U.S. It should be noted that not all schools are authorized to issue the I-20 form. Therefore, it must be clarified in advance whether the targeted educational institution has this authorization. You can read about this at: http://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/school-search