Student Information
School Information
Student and Exchange Visitors Program, or SEVP on the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement website
The Immigration and Nationality Act provides two nonimmigrant
visa categories for persons wishing to study in the United States.
The "F" visa is reserved for nonimmigrants wishing to
pursue academic studies and/or language training programs, and
the "M" visa is reserved for nonimmigrants wishing to
pursue nonacademic or vocational studies.
F-Academic Students and M-Vocational
Students Requirements
Foreign students seeking to study in the U.S. may enter in
the F-1 or M-1 category provided they meet the following criteria:
- The student must be enrolled in an "academic" educational
program, a language-training program, or a vocational program;
- The school must be approved by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS);
- The student must be enrolled as a full-time student at the
institution;
- The student must be proficient in English or be enrolled
in courses leading to English proficiency;
- The student must have sufficient funds available for self-support
during the entire proposed course of study; and
- The student must maintain a residence abroad which he/she
has no intention of giving up.
Click to find out more specific information about becoming
an academic student in the United States.
Click to find out more specific information about studying
the English language in the United States.
Click to find out more specific information about becoming
a vocational student in the United States.
Information on How to Apply for the Student Visa, Visa Ineligibility/Waiver,
Student Employment can be obtained via Visa
Services at Department of State Website.
Also see Sec.
641 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility
Act (IIRIRA) of 1996 (Pub. L. 104-208).
Section 641 of IIRIRA is one of the catalysts behind a new interagency
initiative known as the Student Exchange and Visitors Program, or SEVP program. SEVP is
designed to improve processes for foreign students and exchange
visitors holding F, J, and M visas, and schools, colleges and
other organizations sponsoring programs for these visa holders.
SEVP will facilitate and automate several processes affecting
foreign students, such as:
- Visa issuance
- admissions to the U.S.;
- benefit requests; and
- information reporting.
Please visit the Student and Exchange Visitors Program, or SEVP website at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for more information.
Useful information for Schools
Obtaining Approval to Receive Nonimmigrant Students
Petition
for Approval, Form I-17, must be filed with the district office with jurisdiction for the the locality where the school is located. There are two types
of foreign students, F-1 and M-1 nonimmigrants. A school may be
approved for F and/or M students, as described below. However,
an individual student's classification depends on his/her principal
educational goals.
F-1: Approval for attendance of academic students may be solicited
by an accredited college or university that awards bachelors, masters, doctorate or professional degrees; an accredited community or junior
college that provides instruction in the liberal arts or the
professions and awards associate degrees; a seminary; a conservatory;
an academic high school; a private elementary school; or an institution
that provides language training, instruction in the liberal arts,
the fine arts or the professions, or instruction in one or more
of these disciplines.
M-1: Approval for the attendance of non-academic students may
be solicited by a community college or junior college that provides
vocational or technical training and awards associate degrees;
a vocational high school; a trade school or a school of nonacademic
training other than language training.
Current USCIS regulations recognize the following as approved
schools:
- A school operated as a public educational institution by
federal, state, or local government; and
- A school accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting
agency.
If an institution of higher education does not fall into one
of these two categories, it must submit evidence that its course credits are accepted by at least three accredited schools.
If a private elementary or public or private
secondary school does not fallinto
one of these two categories, it must submit evidence that it satisfies
the compulsory attendance requirements of the state in which it
is located and that it qualifies graduates for acceptance by approved
schools at a higher educational level, and in the case of a private elementary or secondary school, that it is accredited by an accrediting organization, certified by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Non-Public Education.
Approval Process
Petition for approval (Form I-17) is filed in duplicate with
the district director in the school's locality. The following
requirements must also be met:
- The Form I-17 must be signed by an officer of the institution
who has authority to sign contracts.
- The petitioning school must submit certification indicating
that it is licensed, approved, and/or accredited.
Where to apply?
All applications submitted by schools and institutions wishing
to accept nonimmigrant students, should
be mailed to the "Attention of the USCIS Schools Officer" at the USCIS District Office having jurisdiction over
the geographic area in which the institution is located.