Immigration - F1

F1 Visa - Student Visa

This is the student visa. This means that you’re a student, and you need a school to sponsor you. A special thing about this visa is that you have to prove that you’re financially taken care of. For me, I had to show my dad’s bank statements, translated to english. In graduate school, I was paid for by the school so I was good. 

 

The process of an f1 is basically this:

1. Gets accepted to school (doesn’t have to be college)

2. School gets you i20 (this means that you’re in the school)

3. Apply for SEVIS

1. This is a system to manage foreign students

2. YOU PAY $200 fee

4. Fill out form DS-160 for visa interview

5. Make interview reservations

1. ANOTHER $160 for the interview fee through Citibank

6. Go to the interview with all your documents

1. Passport, photo, I-20, financial statement, family statement, etc.

7. Get that visa

 

Pretty simple ey? Not really. The entire process is quite taxing and there’s a lot of fees to pay, and it’s just a hassle. Usually every international student has a binder that has all their documents in it, and it is quite thiccc. As you’ll see for the h1b, the procedure for applying for a visa comes after the status establishment. At step 2, you’ve established your status, and with that confirmation, you can get a visa. 

 

A thing to note is that you are in the US as a student. So you cannot work. But you can work on campus jobs. For example, I had a friend who worked as a janitor in the school. I worked as a resident advisor, and a graduate research assistant. So those, you can do. Actually, I recommend doing them because you can get a Social Security Number (SSN) by doing so, and start building your credit by getting credit cards and shit. Just a heads up, they give you a SSN to GET YO TAXES (Well, also to consider you for social security benefits but really taxes). You thought that they were being nice, didn’t you.  Hopefully the previous sections made it clear why it’s important to build your credit in the US. So if you’re on a student visa, get a random job to get your SSN, pay taxes, get credit cards, and build your credit. The true American way. 

 

Another thing to note is to `remain a good relationship with your school’. This could mean a lot of things, but generally you want to be a good student. One of the things is that you need a signature from your school representative (usually an immigration coordinator of some sort) for your I-20 to be `valid’. This means that you have to have a continuous relationship with the school in some shape or form. And the obvious, don’t get expelled, because if you’re not a student any more, your status is no more.

 

Last thing to note is the Optional Practical Training (OPT) and Curricular Practical Training (CPT). These are basically opportunities for you to do real work (off-campus jobs related to your major) during or after your education. For both, you need to have been in school full-time for a year to apply. These jobs could be paid or non-paid. Consult your official for exact details, but basically:

CPT is for working during your education (e.g. part-time during semesters, summer internships), and OPT is (usually) working after graduation (It could be done during your education). To set up a CPT, you have to have a job offer, and then you follow the procedures of: (1) proving this is relevant to your major; (2) usually registering for a CPT course, to maintain connection with school. CPT is limited to 12 months, and the time you are under CPT is counted towards your time limit for OPT. To set up an OPT, you don’t need a job offer. It’s usually used for recently graduated students to find a job without an H1b. Since applying for an H1b (will talk about that) is a burden to companies, a lot of companies will not hire foreigners. Thus OPT makes it easier for both employers and students to work it out. You need to complete the application process for OPT before 60 days after your graduate date (grace period), for you to be not illegal. If you plan to get a job directly after graduation, it’s safe to start the process 6 months prior to graduation. What you do is you send a bunch of documents (too long to list here, google it) to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for approval. When done correctly, you’ll receive a Employment Authorization Document (EAD), and a new I-20 saying that you’re under an OPT. Having this EAD will now allow you to work in the US. Now if you don’t have a job offer yet, you have 3 months to find one. If you don’t find a job till then, you have to leave. With an OPT, you must work at least 21 hours per week, and you can’t be unemployed for more than 90 days. Also, you have to always let your school know if there is a change in your employment status (e.g. got a job, lost a job, moved jobs), or personal information (e.g. name, address). An OPT lasts a year, but if you’re in the STEM field, you can extend it for 24 more months. If you’re getting graduate degrees, you get 12 months for each degree level (bachelors, masters, doctorate). But note that you don’t get an extra year if you get an extra bachelor’s degree.  It’s generally not recommended to leave the US while your immigration status is under review (changing), and you should always have all your documents ready whenever travelling. If you want to remain in the US, the next step is usually have your company sponsor you for an h1b (or get married!).