Student Visas – F and M

The first step is to apply to an approved school or institution in the U.S., and after they accept your enrollment, you will be then registered for the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) and pay the required fee. The approved school will issue you a Form I-20. After you receive the Form I-20 you may apply at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate for a student (F or M) visa. You must present the Form I-20 to the consular officer when you attend your visa interview. If your spouse and, or children intend to live with you in the U.S., they must also register in the SEVIS, and obtain an individual Form I-20s and apply for a visa.

The Applicant is required to be a genuine student who is qualified to undertake the course of study, and must maintain a foreign address which they will be returning to at the conclusion of their study. As mentioned above your study must be at an approved SEVP school or institution for a temporary period, and you will be required to have sufficient funds to support your stay in America.

F-1 recipients are allowed to work on-campus in their educational institution whilst studying and maintaining a good academic record. You are limited to twenty hours of on-campus employment, however, if there is a hardship and you are maintaining your studies to a certain standard, you may be able to gain employment off-campus work, but you must obtain approval for this.

It should be noted that F-1 students generally may not be employed off-campus during the first academic year, but may accept on-campus employment subject to certain conditions and restrictions. After the first academic year, F-1 students may engage in three types of off-campus employment:

• Curricular Practical Training (CPT)
• Optional Practical Training (OPT) (pre-completion or post-completion)

If a F-1 student is experiencing severe economic hardship conditions, due to unforeseen circumstances beyond their control, the student may request employment authorization from the DHS to work off-campus.

Some examples of hardship are as follows, but are not limited to:

• Loss of financial aid or on-campus employment (through no fault of your own).
• Substantial fluctuations in currency value or exchange rate.
• Inordinate increases in tuition or living costs.
• Unexpected changes in the financial condition of your source of support.
• Medical bills; and

Once F-1 students have completed their studies and graduated from their academic program they are eligible for a total of twelve months of ‘Optional Practical Training’ (OPT). The F-1 student will need to apply and be approved for OPT, and if this approval is given it provides students with an opportunity to get on the job experience and apply what they learned from their studies in the U.S.