All about the entry and F-1 visa renewal

• When the student enters the U.S. for the first time, the school information on the visa should match the I-20.
• This means that if the international student chooses to use Form I-20 issued by a different school after the visa is issued and before the first entry, the student will need a new visa.
• F-1 visa holders who transfer after their arrival to the U.S. do not have to have the school information matched on the visa and Form I-20.

Form I-20 does not have to be printed in color

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.

There’s no earliest date that students can apply for a new visa.

In other words, students can technically apply for a new visa right after they arrive in the U.S. to ensure they have valid visas.

International students can make visa appointments in the U.S. but they will have to travel overseas to conduct the visa interview to get a new valid visa.

Even if the student is eligible for the visa interview waiver, they should depart the U.S.

To learn more about the visa interview waiver, check out the post titled “2023 U.S. visa interview waiver for international students“

If not, it can be problematic as the I-94 record will not show that the student left the U.S. 

To learn more about the I-94 record and how to retrieve it online, check out the post titled “Not submit the I-94 record? 300 Chinese students are terminated“

Students are advised to leave the U.S. and receive the new valid visa and re-enter the U.S. with a newly issued visa with new expiration date.

To reiterate, foreign students cannot go through the visa renewal process entirely in the United States.

Students in certain countries where visa applicants can experience delays in scheduling visa interviews are welcome to apply for a visa from anywhere they can get the visa interview date.

Please be prepared to answer why they chose a different county to conduct the visa interview.

There’s no letter required from the academic institutions for the student’s visa interview. When they are required to provide the research plan, then students should bring the plan.

Visa applicants can request a translator but not recommended given the nature of the visa that students are applying for.

When the student’s visa renewal request is denied, the original visa with validity likely is canceled.

Continue to scroll down to learn what is the best practice for students whose visas are denied. 

“Applicants sometimes require additional assessment to determine eligibility for a visa.  The term “administrative processing” may refer to various additional steps that must be taken.”

In addition, visa officers confirmed that “no documentation can help to expedite this process“

Consular officers emphasized multiple times that “attendance at an ESL program or community college is not grounds for denial.”