Many students from around the world come to the U.S. in order to study in an American university. These students must go through the process required for a student visa (usually an F-1 visa). If your dream is to leave your country for a few years to study in the United States, you might have looked at the requirements for obtaining a student visa, and you might feel overwhelmed by how long and complex the process is.
Luckily, with the help of experienced professionals, qualifying for a student visa is not as hard as it may seem.
Requirements for qualifying for a student visa
There are a few basic requirements that you need to meet before you can even begin the process of applying for a student visa.
First, you must be accepted to an academic education program. This is usually a university or college, but sometimes other educational programs can qualify – such as a language training program. The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will check to make sure that the institution that you enrolled in is on their list of approved institutions.
Second, you must be proficient enough in English to be able to follow the academic coursework and complete your assignments. If you are not proficient in English when you apply for a student visa, then you must enroll in a language program that will allow you to become proficient for your studies.
Finally, you must have enough money to be able to support yourself for the entire duration of your stay in the United States. This will require that you calculate how much you will have to pay in housing, food, transportation and tuition costs, as well as any other costs you are likely to incur while living and studying in the U.S.A.
Once you meet these three requirements, you will be able to begin the process of applying for an F-1 or other student visa. There are a couple of different types of visa that you could apply for. An immigration lawyer can help you to decide which visa is best for your particular situation.
Contact us today to schedule a consultation to discuss your student visa or other U.S. immigration plans.