Foreign Students attending School in the US:
I have a few college friends that are here from other countries to study and attend school in the United States. When talking with them they often tell me that being able to attend school in the United States is a pretty difficult process. I have done a little research of my own and found that it really is a long and rough process. I will discuss a few here to help bring an understanding to either new students getting started or if you are just curious. First thing a foreign student has to know enough English to be able to study in the US. This is just common sense to be able to really get the most out of an education and learn the subjects. Next you will have to have a valid passport issued by your native country of origin to apply for any type of “exchange visitor or student visa".
The student applying first has to be accepted by a school or institution approved by the INS (Immigration and Naturalization Service). It is a similar process for students who wish to study in the UK Some schools are not able to issue the I-20 form that is needed so you will need to contact any school you are considering to not waste your time. When you find the school you want to go to and apply for the I-20 or IAP-66 form the school will send the form directly to you. Once you have the document you can go to the US Embassy or Consulate’s office and apply for a F-1 student visa or a J-1 exchange visitor visa. Then you have the M-1 Visa (this is issued to students who are studying non academic programs like denial hygienist, machinist, health care technician etc).
Ok so now you have applied and got your I-20 or IAP-66 form back, what is next? Don’t think this is all that it takes and you are in! This is only step one out of what my friends says are a never ending list of requirements. There has been increased pressure on immigration laws and enforcement of the existing laws. It is required now that a person applying to go to school in the US have to show that they really serious about studying and will not overstay their visa. (If you overstay your visa it will be almost impossible to ever come back and study). You must also be able to prove that you can pay for your education and living expenses while you are attending school in the US. There are some grants for international students but I don’t really know much about them and I am sure that they have some requirements you may need to research. The hard reality of this is even if you qualify and have all of the requirements you can still be denied.
Local immigration offices will help foreign students obtain any information on things like work visas, school transfers etc. You should also take note that The Department of State does not issue or renew student or exchange visitor visas in the US. That can only be done in your home country. Hopefully this blog either helps you understand the process or gives you a little information on what steps foreign students must make before coming to school in the US.