USA Student Visa - United States

Product Details

This is where things get a little more complicated, so don’t get embarrassed if it takes a while to sink in – imagine how long it took us to research and decipher this for you!

As is the norm with studying abroad, an international student visa is required to enter the American educational system. However, the type of visa you apply for depends on the type of education/work you’re going in to. Conveniently, the U.S. government has split potential students into three categories – exchange students and immigrants (classified J) and non-immigrant students (F and M).

Regardless of which visa you apply for, if you’re between the ages of 14 and 79 (and we’re assuming most of you will be), you’ll be required to attend an interview at the American Embassy consular section. Make sure you book your interview well in advance, as the waiting time can vary.

Exchange Students and Gap Workers (J)

The J category of international students covers all visitors that fall under the U.S. Exchange Visitor Program guidelines. This includes au pairs, summer camp counsellors or other summer workers, exchange students at colleges or universities, and teacher trainees.

As with the F and M-class visas, make sure to start arranging the details of your visa well in advance of your planned trip. When applying for a J-class visa you’ll be assigned a sponsor from the U.S. State Department, and they’ll send you a DS-2019 form, which needs to be included in your visa application along with forms DS-156, DS-157 (if applicable – it’s only for the guys aged between 16 and 45) and DS-158 (example forms can be found below). With all student visas, regardless of category, you’ll be required to attend an interview at the U.S. Embassy.

There are also plenty of opportunities on our site to find a company that can get you a work placement and sort out a visa for you! Here a just a couple of links:

Click here >> for CCUSA.
Click here >> for BUNAC.

Non-Immigrant Students (F and M)

If your chosen course is an academic or linguistic course, you’ll need to take a completed Form I-20A-B to your interview, while vocational courses need Form I-20M-N. Both these forms assert your eligibility to study in the United States. A SEVIS (Student and Exchange Visitor Information System) I-20 form will be supplied to you by your chosen college to sign. The I-20 registers you with the SEVIS program, and allows U.S. Immigration to keep track of you. There will also be a fee to pay for each program of study you’ve picked, so bring the receipts for every payment you’ve made with regards to your visa application.

Also (it’s not over yet!) your interviewer will require completed Forms DS-156 and DS-158, and the boys between 16 and 45 have an extra form – DS-157. They sure do like their paperwork! It’s possible that they’ll ask you for your results for all standardized school tests (like your SATs) so bring those along too, along with proof you or your parents will be able to offer you financial support for your entire period of study. Phew!

The fee to apply for a student visa, whether F, M or J-class, is currently US$100. Many companies that organise summer camp placements for foreign nationals will assist in the visa process, handling a lot of the paperwork for you, so if you’re planning on getting a job as an au pair or a camp counsellor, consider doing it through another organisation instead of going it alone – you’ll find it much less stressful!

As a couple of final notes, make sure your passport is valid for at least six months after you’re planning to enter the United States, and don’t travel to the US on a student visa longer than 30 days before the start of your course – the Homeland Security people don’t like it.

Click here to make an online application.