The F-1 Student Visa Process Explained: From Admission and the I-20 to the Interview, Fees and the 30-Day Entry Rule
Large numbers of Chinese students come to study in the United States each year, and the F-1 is the most common visa for academic students. Under U.S. Department of State rules, the process starts not with the visa but with admission: the student must first be accepted by a school certified by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), which then issues Form I-20, the core document for the F-1 application.
After receiving the I-20, applicants face two fees and one form. The first is the I-901 SEVIS fee of $350, paid at fmjfee.com to support the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System; the SEVIS number from the I-20 is needed to pay it. Next comes the online DS-160 nonimmigrant visa application form. The third item is the $185 visa application fee, which is nonrefundable; once paid, the applicant books an interview at a U.S. embassy or consulate, bringing the I-20, passport, DS-160 confirmation page and proof of funds, and should expect questions about the school, the program and the source of funding.
Two timing numbers matter: a student visa can be issued up to a year before the program start date, but a first entry to the United States on an F-1 visa cannot be earlier than 30 days before the start date on the I-20. The three student categories should not be confused: the F-1 is for academic programs, the M-1 for vocational and nonacademic programs, and the J-1 for exchange visitors, each with different rules. The State Department advises applicants to re-check its student visa pages before paying, as fees and rules can change. (Source: U.S. Department of State)
Source: U.S. Department of State
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图片来源：大学生在校园里（Tom Hilton 摄，Wikimedia Commons，CC BY 2.0） / Image: Students on a university campus, by Tom Hilton, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
