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F-1 visas are required for visits to high schools, US universities or colleges, and many language courses in the US. With the student visa, education and training in the United States is therefore possible. If you need help with the F-1 application, we will be happy to assist you.
Visa category: student visa
Target group: students, pupils, participants in language courses
Validity: up to 5 years
Length of stay: tied to program / study duration
Characteristics: valid I-20 form from the educational institution required
The F-1 student visa allows for attendance at an academic / scientific educational institution in the United States.
F-1 visas are generally required when foreign nationals enter the United States to attend a higher / degree-granting institution, public or private secondary school, private elementary school, seminary, conservatory or other academic institution, including a language training program.
In simple terms, this includes the following visits:
Interested foreign students or their families often search for universities, colleges or schools in the USA themselves and contact them directly. These are often private institutions, privately funded high schools or religious schools.
If a person independently organizes their academic / research stay in the US, i.e. without the help of an exchange organization, or if an agency merely acts as an intermediary between the student and the educational institution (and not as a visa sponsor), an F-1 visa is usually considered.
A non-academic language course with less than 18 hours of instruction per week does not usually require an F-1 visa, but may be attended under the Visa Waiver Program.
In addition, there are exchange programs in which the applicant applies for a visa for the USA in cooperation with an exchange organization. In cases where the exchange organization acts as the visa sponsor, a J-1 visa can be applied for.
Several requirements must be met for the approval of the F-1 visa, both on the part of the applicant, i.e. the student, and on the part of the corresponding educational institution.
I-20 form and SEVIS
The educational institution in the USA must be SEVP-certified and SEVIS-registered. SEVP certification or SEVIS registration of the educational institution is required in order for the I-20 form (Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status) to be issued. The I-20 must be submitted to the U.S. consulate when applying for the F-1 visa.
An F-1 visa can only be issued if a properly completed and valid I-20 form, signed by a designated school official (DSO), is submitted by the relevant educational institution. Otherwise, another US visa may be considered.
SEVP stands for Student and Exchange Visitor Program, SEVIS stands for Student and Exchange Visitor Information System. SEVP is a program of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which is part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and manages foreign students and exchange visitors in the United States via the web-based SEVIS database of the US government.
Please note: The I-20 is only issued in the United States by approved institutions for students who are completing a full course of study or exchange program. This means that not all educational institutions in the US are authorized to issue the I-20 form.
It is important to check in advance whether the educational institution is actually SEVIS-registered. This can be checked using the web-based School Search Tool of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
F-1 applicants must also meet certain requirements:
The residence status in the USA is valid for the entire duration of your studies or attendance at the educational institution (e.g. language school). The length of stay is noted on the I-20 form.
Important: If you attend a public SEVP-certified high school, your stay in the USA is limited to a maximum of 12 months. Private educational institutions can be attended for longer than one year (or shorter).
If the program duration (e.g. duration of studies, high school attendance, etc.) is delayed, e.g. due to a change of major or illness, students can apply for an extension of their stay at the respective educational institution.
In addition to the pure program duration, F-1 visa holders may stay in the United States for up to 30 days before the start of their studies and up to 60 days after graduation. During this grace period, travel in the USA is permitted, but working in the United States is not allowed.
Please note: If you stay outside the US for longer than five months and without any connection to your studies / school attendance, you may lose your student status and therefore also your F-1 visa.
The F-1 visa is usually issued for up to 5 years. The period of validity of an F-1 visa depends on the nationality of the applicant. Depending on the nationality, the so-called Reciprocity Schedule is used to decide the period for which the visa is issued. German nationals normally receive a five-year F-1 visa.
It is important to note that F-1 visas are only valid in conjunction with a valid I-20 form.
The validity of an F-1 visa does not automatically mean that you are allowed to stay in the USA for the entire duration. The validity period of the visa is not the same as the authorized length of stay. It is important to distinguish between the validity of the visa and the residence status.
The validity period of the visa refers to the period between the issue date and the expiration date during which the applicant can apply for entry at the border. The validity period is determined by the US consulate or US embassy where the F-1 application was submitted and is indicated on the expiration date of the visa.
For the F-1 visa, the main applicant must first pay a SEVIS fee of 350 $ (there is no SEVIS fee for family members applying for an F-2 visa). In a second step, the F-1 consular fee of 175.75 € (185 $) per applicant is due.
Important: The payment of the SEVIS fee must be made in advance of the visa appointment and cannot be made at a US embassy or US consulate. Otherwise, the F-1 visa application will not be processed.
The SEVIS fee is paid after the I-20 form has been issued using the SEVIS number or SEVIS ID. Payment of the I-901 Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) fee is usually made online at www.fmjfee.com (or by mail) by credit card, debit card, check, money order or Western Union Quick Pay. You must bring the I-901 payment receipt with you to your interview appointment at the US consulate / US embassy, as proof of payment is mandatory for the issuance of an F visa.
The visa application fee for the US consulate / US embassy can be paid either by online bank transfer, online payment by debit card or cash payment at a bank and must be made by all F-1 applicants. The fee is non-refundable and non-transferable. If there is a delay in your visa application, proof of payment will remain valid for one year from the date of payment.
Furthermore, additional costs may be incurred for certain F-1 applicants:
You can find more information about the different visa fees, other possible costs and the current payment methods on our fees page.
When applying for an F-1 visa, a thorough understanding of the process and careful planning of the necessary steps are crucial. There are numerous aspects to consider, from choosing the right visa depending on the purpose of the trip, from filling out the application forms to preparing for the personal interview appointment.
In the following section, we provide an overview of the individual application steps for the F-1 visa and thus provide a guide to a successful visa application ready for you.
As mentioned, the I-20 form from the US educational institution is the basic requirement for the actual visa application. Once the I-20 form has been issued, F-1 applicants between the ages of 14 and 79 can go through the consular procedure. This means that for the F-1 visa, the online form DS-160 is normally filled out and the visa is applied for during a personal interview at a responsible US representation (US consulate or US embassy) in the home country.
All requirements for students and all necessary documents must be fulfilled or available in advance of the F-1 visa application.
Note: Applicants for F-1 visas are often also required to take out international health insurance.
In our experience, the application for a student visa takes in most cases 4 to 6 weeks - from the preparation to the examination by the US authorities to the receipt of the visa.
Applications for F-1 visas can be submitted maximum 365 days before the start of the course. However, the application should be submitted in good time before the start of your studies so as not to jeopardize the timely issue of the visa.
The application period for the F-1 visa is tied to the availability of interview appointments, i.e. the personal interview at the US consulate / US embassy.
The waiting time for an interview appointment at a US consulate or US embassy varies depending on the location and time of year and depends on the number of applications to be processed in the respective US consulates / US embassies.
You should therefore start your F-1 application as early as possible, especially during peak travel times when there are very long waiting times.
Applicants usually find out whether the F-1 visa has been approved directly after the visa appointment. In this case, the passport including the F-1 visa will be retained and sent by post to a delivery address or a pick-up station approximately one week after the visa interview.
In the case of an exemption from the interview appointment requirement, the processing time of the postal application of approx. 2 weeks must be taken into account.
Attention: In some cases, an additional security check, the Administrative Processing, is necessary. This procedure can take several months and considerably delay the visa application.
The following steps are required to apply for an F-1 visa for the USA:
The first step in applying for an F-1 visa for the USA is to fill out the electronic visa application form DS-160 on the website of the U.S. Department of State.
The online application form must contain detailed information about the applicant and the planned stay in the USA. You should have the following documents ready when completing the online DS-160 form:
A few days after submitting your DS-160 form, you can check the status of your visa application online.
Did you know? The professional processing and return of your DS-160 is part of our service.
Create a visa profile on the website of the Visa Information Service through which F-1 visa applications are processed. Here you can pay the visa processing fee and make an appointment for the visa interview.
When you commission our US Visa Service, we create the required online profile, advance the consular visa application fee and arrange the appointment for the personal interview with the US consular officers.
Show up on day of the interview personally in the US consulate or at the US embassy. Your documents will be checked there and you will be interviewed by the consular officers.
The following documents must be prepared and brought along for the appointment at the US consulate or US embassy:
Be prepared to answer questions about your visa application, your planned stay in the US and other relevant topics.
Generally, US visa applicants are informed at the end of their interview at the US consulate or US embassy whether or not the F-1 visa will be granted.
Our visa consultants will prepare you perfectly for this important appointment and provide you with the necessary documents to ensure that your visa interview runs as smoothly as possible.
If your F-1 visa application is approved, you will receive your passport with the F-1 visa returned by post or can arrange a pick-up appointment.
Under certain conditions, the Interview Waiver Program allows foreign individuals to apply for the F-1 visa by post without having to appear for an interview at the US consulate / embassy.
The main requirements for submitting the visa application by mail include the choice of visa (only certain visa categories are eligible for exemption from the interview appointment requirement), the place of application and any previous history of visa refusals or criminal convictions.
However, the program grants neither an automatic approval of the F-1 visa nor a 100% interview exemption. Applicants may be summoned for an interview in the event of discrepancies or inquiries by the US authorities despite having applied by post. The decision on this will be made by the respective US officials who process your visa application.
Further information on the postal visa applicationThe US consulates or US embassies are responsible for issuing visas.
The US consular officers usually decide on the day of the visa interview whether or not to grant the visa. Applicants for F-1 visas therefore usually find out during the interview whether or not their visa will be approved.
The status of the US visa application is available online. There are usually 3 options:
Your F-1 student visa was granted verbally by the US officers during the visa interview and is now being processed.
After the F-1 visa has been affixed or issued to the passport, the passport with the corresponding US visa will be sent by post (to a delivery address or pick-up station).
In some cases, US consular officers determine not to approve an F-1 visa immediately and issue a visa denial under Section 221(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). The consequence of this is the so-called Administrative Processing.
The US visa application therefore requires a further security check and is subject to additional processing steps. Additional documents or information may be required from you.
If the US officers conclude that you do not qualify for the F-1 category, your F-1 student visa will be denied. A reason for the denial is not required, but applicants usually receive further instructions or a denial letter on the day of the interview.
The reasons vary greatly depending on the visa category and applicant (e.g. assumption of an intention to immigrate, suspicion of illegal employment, incorrect application documentation).
First of all, it is generally possible to submit a new application for an F-1 visa at any time after a visa refusal. Theoretically, there is no waiting time for applicants until the next submission.
In our experience, it is only advisable to reapply for the same category if the conditions or circumstances have changed since the first visa application and you are able to provide evidence of these changes or new circumstances.
It makes little sense to apply for a new visa if you still do not meet the requirements of the respective visa category (e.g. proof of intention to return to your home country, financial means, proof of specialized professional knowledge, etc.). In practice, a new F-1 visa can therefore usually only be (successfully) applied for after several months or even years.
After a visa refusal, applicants must start the visa application process all over again. In addition, an alternative visa category may be considered under certain circumstances. This should be carefully checked on a case-by-case basis. However, no appeal can be lodged against a visa refusal.
There are many reasons why an F-1 visa application may be rejected and sometimes even minor errors during the application process lead to a rejection.
The consequences of a denied F-1 visa for the applicant vary depending on the reason for the denial.
Although US authorities are not obliged to explain the reasons for a visa refusal, you can ask politely during the interview at the US consulate or embassy. This information may be helpful if you intend to reapply for the F-1 visa.
We recommend that you prepare the application for a renewed F-1 visa carefully and convincingly: Choose a SEVIS-registered educational institution, fill out the DS-160 online form correctly and completely, and collect valid supporting documents.
Many applicants assume that they are guaranteed entry to the USA with an approved US visa. However, F-1 visas in passports do not automatically guarantee entry to the United States. Legally speaking, a visa for the USA is not a residence permit, so even with an approved US visa in your passport, there is no guarantee of entry to the United States. A valid US visa allows you to apply for entry into the United States at the border crossing (e.g. airport).
The decision on entry generally lies with the border officers who check the visa for the USA when foreign nationals enter the country. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers have the final say and decide whether you are allowed to enter the country and, if so, for how long, i.e. for how long you will be granted residence status. This also means that you may be refused entry.
If you have received an entry permit, it is recommended that you verify the I-94 onlineor check the entry stamp in your passport to see how long you are legally allowed to stay in the USA.
By the way: With Global Entry, certain biometrically registered and security-checked travelers can complete entry formalities independently and automatically at almost all major US airports. This allows foreign nationals to avoid long waiting times and enter the USA more quickly.
The period of validity of a visa cannot be extended, regardless of the visa category, as it is technically a new application. Of course, you can apply for a new visa in good time before or after the expiry of an old F-1 visa. apply for a new F-1 visa. The F-1 visa can be reapplied for as often as you like - provided you meet the requirements.
Please note that the remaining period of validity of your old visa will not be automatically transferred to the new visa. In addition, a previous F-1 visa is no guarantee for a new visa approval. All application documents (application forms, supporting documents, etc.) must therefore be resubmitted to the US Consulate / US Embassy.
We therefore recommend that you prepare your application well and ensure that all required documents are complete. This will minimize potential delays or rejections during the renewal or reapplication process.
When reapplying for your F-1 visa, you should also bear in mind that processing times can vary greatly depending on the US consulate or embassy responsible. You should therefore allow sufficient lead time.
Attention: Under certain conditions, an extension of the legal residence status is possible. If there is a delay in the duration of studies, for example due to illness or a change of major, the student can apply to the respective educational institution for an extension of their stay in the United States.
You may be eligible for the postal submission procedure. The Interview Waiver Program allows certain applicants (including those between the ages of 14 and 79) to apply for an F-1 visa under strictly regulated conditions without a personal visit to the US consulate / US embassy – i.e. by mailing in the application.
Spouses and unmarried children under the age of 21 receive a derived F-2 visa for the same period as the main applicant.
Family members are not permitted to take up employment. It is therefore not possible to apply for a general work permit (EAD) under F-2 status. However, F-2 visa holders may attend a public or private elementary or secondary school in the United States (kindergarten through high school).
Spouses may only attend an SEVP-recognized educational institution occasionally and as part-time students. If a higher educational institution (e.g. university or college) is to be attended as a full-time student, a separate F-1 visa must be applied for.
Please note: F-2 visa holding children who reach the American age of majority of 21 or who marry during their stay in the USA must change his or her (nonimmigrant) status, i.e. apply for another US visa if possible, or leave the United States. Unfortunately, unmarried spouses and children over the age of 21 are not eligible for a derivative visa. If they wish to travel to the United States with the main applicant, a different visa category may be applied for.
F-1 visas allow you to attend an academic / scientific educational institution in the USA and you may not take up a regular employment.
However, there are three options for student employment with the F-1 visa:
Some universities or colleges in the US require their students to present their Social Security Number. But the Social Security Number is not normally issued to individuals who are temporarily staying in the United States with an F-1 visa. In this case, the universities should be able to assign a different identification number to the foreign students concerned.
However, if you wish to take up student 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. SEVIS is an online database of the US government which enables the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Department of State to access important data on all international students who are in the United States. SEVIS contains, among other things, information on the student's place of residence, the educational institution and the student's legal status.
The SEVIS registration of the educational institution is also required so that the I-20 form necessary for the visa application can be issued. A SEVIS number, which can be found on the I-20 document, is required to pay the SEVIS fee.
The I-20 form is issued by the respective educational institution in the United States. The US educational institution must be SEVP-certified and SEVIS-registered. You can find out whether these requirements are met via the School Search Tool of the US authorities.
Attention: The I-20 form is not an application form that you can download and fill out on the internet.
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