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US student visa: F1 applicants can now apply 1-year ahead
US student visa application process to open 365 days before start of academic program

US student visa: F1 applicants can now apply 1-year ahead

Edited by Chanshimla Varah
Feb 24, 2023
06:21 pm

What's the story

In a major update for international students looking to study in the United States (US), the US Department of State announced that students can apply for their F-1 visa up to a year before their academic term starts. This now gives students more time to apply for their visas, as universities can issue and accept I-20 applications 12-14 months before term time.

Details

Students can enter US 30 days before program: Know how

After receiving their US visa, the students can travel to the United States 30 days before their academic course begins. Until now, the interview process for the visa could only be scheduled up to 120 days before the start of the term. Furthermore, I-20 forms could only be issued 4-6 months before the start of the term.

Official statement 

US Department of State's official statement on student visa

In a release, the US Department of State said: "F and M student visas can now be issued up to 365 days in advance of the I-20 program start date, allowing more time for students to apply for a visa." "Students are still not allowed to enter the U.S. on a student visa more than 30 days before their program start date," it added.

Twitter Post

Twitter post by the state department

Visa increase

Issued 36% more visas to India after COVID-19: US

Addressing a media interaction on Tuesday, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Visa Services in the Bureau of Consular Affairs Julie Stufft said that India is their number one priority. "We are absolutely committed to getting out of this situation," she said, adding that it has issued 36% more visas this year than it did before the COVID-19 pandemic in India.

Numbers

US issued 1.25 lakh student visas to Indians in 2022

Earlier this month, Mike Hankey, Consul General at the US Consulate General in Mumbai, stated that the US issued 1.25 lakh student visas to Indians following the COVID-19 pandemic in 2022. "Post COVID-19, there was a huge backlog of visas, and last year, the wait time was about 1,000 days," Hankey told the news outlet The Indian Express in Gujarat's Vadodara.

In-depth

Know about F visas for students

The F visas are non-immigrant student visas that allow foreigners to study in the United States. All F-1 visa students must maintain a full course of study and are only issued at American embassies and consulates outside the country. These students must also show they can support themselves during their stay, as their chances for lawful employment are very slim.

Information

Know about F-2 and F-3 visas

When it comes to students with F-2 visas, they are given to dependents of F-1 students but are not permitted to work for pay. The F-3 visa is issued to students from Mexico and Canada who cross the border to attend American schools.