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F1 visa and F1 status

F1 visa and F1 status

 

The F1 visa is issued at the Consulate and allows you to enter the US.  Each time you travel abroad and return to the US, you have to go through immigration (port of entry at the airport). To be admitted to the US, you need to have a visa –  and in the case of International students, an F1 student visa and an I-20 form (issued by the school after your acceptance into a program).

Once you are admitted, you will have the F1 status for the duration of your studies.  As long as you continue maintaining your F1 non-immigrant status, you will be able to continue attending school and will enjoy all the benefits of being a student in the US, even if your visa (in the passport) expires.

It is important to have the correct visa and status corresponding to your plans while in the US and it is possible to change your status without leaving the country if your plan changes. It is not possible to renew a visa or receive a new visa while in the US – to do that, you must go to a consulate abroad, preferably in your home country.

 

 

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