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APPLYING FOR A NEW F-1 VISA AT A U.S. CONSULATE ABROAD
Any student who is studying outside the U.S. who has a visa that has expired or for whom the status has changed will need to apply for a new visa at U.S. visa issuing post abroad before the student can return to the United States. In most cases, the visa application will be filled in your home country.
Appointments are now required for virtually all non-immigrant visa application. This has resulted in significant delays at some U.S. visa issuing posts abroad, especially during holiday periods and summer.
Consequently, you should start the visa process at the earliest possible time upon your arrival back in your home country.
It’s important to note that the holiday periods and the summer vacation period are extremely busy times at visa issuing posts due to the large numbers of travelers and reduced staff who may be on vacation. Also in the event of any protests, threats, or terrorist attacks that are judge to be threatening to U.S. embassy or consulate personnel, government officials at those posts may be temporarily close or alter their operational hours.
The State Department has also prepared information sheets about student visas on its web sites which may be useful to you as an international student.
Individuals from Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Sudan and Syria, both male and female will not be eligible to obtain a new non-immigrant visa unless it can be determined that the individual does not pose a security threat. Such individuals will undergo a security check that will lengthen the processing time for their visa applications. Males between the ages of 16 and 45 from Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen who will need to renew their U.S. visas while abroad may be required to undergo security checks that will lengthen the processing time for their visa applications.
These same individuals may be subjected to “special registration” upon their return to the United States. Individuals subject to “special registration” are fingerprinted, photographed and questioned under oath upon entry into the United States and must go through a special exit procedure prior to any departure from the United States. This list of countries can be expanded at anytime with the publication of additional countries in the Federal Register.
Students who are interested in majoring in “sensitive areas of study” as determined by the U.S. government may also be required to undergo security clearances before a visa can be issued. There is a document called the “Technology Alert List” that visa officers consult for this purpose.
China, India, Israel, Pakistan and Russia have received special mention by the U.S. State Department in the context of this list because there countries are considered to possess nuclear capability that is of concern to U.S. national security. But even if you are not a citizen of one of the countries listed above, your field of study (especially if you are doctoral student majoring in sciences, technology, computer science or engineering) might require your visa application to undergo a security clearance. The State Department has announced that these clearances generally take two to three weeks to review. Once granted, the clearance will be valid for the duration of a student’s study, to a maximum of four years, unless the field of study changes. There are fifteen broad subject areas listed on the Technology Alert List, with detailed specializations within each broad area. It is strongly recommended that if your field of study is “sensitive,” you should obtain a letter from your faculty advisor that explains the nature of your studies and/or your research. The letter should also include a detailed description of your faculty advisor’s research in the United Sates, as well as his/her address, e-mail and telephone number. The letter should be written using language that is easy to understand, and should not exceed the front of one page. If you find that your visa application is delayed due to need for the consulate or embassy to send your file for review for any reasons listed above, please notify the OISSA by e-mail, fax or telephone of the situation.
Visa officials are required to verify your record in the SEVIS system before a visa can be approved. This is also true for any dependents. If the visa officials are unable to access your record in SEVIS and you have a SEVIS I-20, please contact the OISSA by e-mail, phone or fax to alert us to the problem. Continuing F-1 students are not required to pay the Federal SEVIS fee. If you have requested a letter of certification from the OISSA and have indicated that you are traveling to apply for a new visa, the letter will contain information regarding the SEVIS fee. In the rare event that you are asked to show proof of SEVIS fee payment and you are a continuing student, contact the OISSA by e-mail, fax, or telephone. We will want to know the date and location of your visa interview. We will verify your records and then provide you with information showing that the SEVIS fee is not required.
To apply for a new visa, you will need to complete application form DS-156 “Non-Immigrant Visa Application” and DS-158 “Contact Information and Work History for Non-Immigrant Visa Applicant.” If you are male, you must also complete the DS-157, the “Supplemental Non-Immigrant Visa Application.” Note that consular officers reserve the right to require the DS-157 from any applicant for any visa classification. Your passport must be valid for at least six months after the date on which you plan to return to the United States. You will also need one photograph 1 and ½ inches square, showing full face, without head covering, against a light background. You will need to have sufficient currency to pay the required visa fees, or a receipt showing that you have paid the visa fee. You will need your SEVIS I-20 form. You will want to have a letter of certification from the OISSA, verifying your enrolment as well as the fact that you have been maintaining valid (F-1) status. If you have previously paid the Federal SEVIS fee, have the SEVIS fee receipt with you. You will also need to show proof of financial support, binding ties to your home country which you have no intentions of abandoning, and that you plan to return to your home country upon the conclusion of your studies. Some U.S. consulates will ask you how you plan to use your U.S. education in your home country. Most consulates will ask you to present copies of your academic transcripts to prove that you have been maintaining student status in the United States and that you have been making satisfactory progress in your program. If you are an optional practical training, you will need to present your EAD card and have a letter from your employer, verifying that you are currently employed, your job title and description of duties, and that you arte returning to the United States to resume employment. U.S. visa posts abroad have implemented new biometric requirements for visa insurance. You should expect to have your index fingers scanned and digital photograph taken as part of visa process.
Since 2002, any non-immigrant who chooses to apply for a new visa while in Canada or Mexico (but is not a citizen of either of those two countries) is no longer be eligible for the “automatic revalidation” benefit during the course of that trip, but will have to wait until the visa is approved in ordered to re-enter the United States. If the U.S. visa application is denied, that individual will not be permitted to re-enter the United States, and will instead have to return to his or her home country. So, international students should consider this matter carefully when applying for a U.S. visa in Canada or Mexico. Individuals from Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Sudan and Syria are not eligible to obtain a new non-immigrant visa in either Canada or Mexico. If you hold “landed status” in Canada, or are an applicant for such status, you are strongly advised not to apply for a new U.S. visa unless you have established a residency in Canada for which you can show proof; such as rent recipients, employment in Canada, immediate family living there, etc. Individuals who have the “landed immigrant status” in Canada but who have not established residency in Canada will find it impossible to prove to a U.S visa official that they that they strong ties to Canada, and equally impossible to prove that they still have strong ties to their home country (U.S. visa officials will assume that anyone who has obtained “landed immigrant” status in Canada no longer plans to return to their country citizenship). In such instances, U.S. visa officials will deny the visa application.
SEVIS I-20
If you need to apply for a new visa, check the front of your most recently issued I-20 carefully to be sure that the field of study, level of study, and source of funds are still correct. If you will need a new I-20, you must provide updated proof of financial support, unless current information is already on file. Allow five working days for the Office of International Students and Study Abroad to prepare new visa documents for you.
PASSPORT Check the expiration day of your passport. If traveling abroad, your passport MUST be valid at least six months into the future upon your return to the U.S. Passports may be renewed at your country embassy or consulate in the United States, or in your home country. The Office of International Students and Study Abroad has a directory of all foreign consulates and embassies, with addresses and phone numbers, for your reference. Or, if you have access to the World Wide Web, you can obtain up-to-date information on passport renewal.
LETTER OF CERTIFICATION
This is a letter issues by the OISSA that verifies that you are a student at New Jersey City University and that you are maintaining valid status. It is required for a new visa application. Any international student traveling outside the United States who will be applying for a new F-1 visa should request such a letter from the OISSA at least ten days prior travel. LETTER FROM YOUR DEPARTMENT (DEPENDING UPON YOUR FIELD OF STUDY) If you are graduate student studying a subject engaged in research that my fit the definition of a “sensitive area of study” (see earlier section on the Technology Alert List) it is recommended that you obtain a letter from your faculty advisor that explains the nature of your studies and/or your research. The letter should also include a detailed description of your faculty advisor’s research in the United States, as well as his/her address, e-mail, and telephone number. The letter should be written using language that is easy to understand, and should not exceed the front side of one page. Such letter may be useful if a visa officer is considering whether or not to require a security clearance before issuing the visa. MAINATINING STATUS Have you been maintaining the conditions of your non-immigrant status? If you are an F-1 student, this means maintaining full time registration each semester at the school you are authorized to attend, reporting changes of address to the OISSA within ten days, refraining from unauthorized employment, not letting your I-20 or DS-2019 expire, and following the appropriate procedures for school transfer and extensions. If you think you may have violated the conditions of your status, be sure to speak to staff in the Office of International Students and Study Abroad BEFORE departing the United States, as you may risk being denied permission to return.
TRANSCRIPT Most consulates ask for transcripts when students come to renew their student visas to show that you have been making satisfactory progress towards your degree. In addition to the transcript, also have with you a printed copy of your current semester’s course registration, stamped by the Registrar’s Office. FINANCIAL DOCUMENTATION Documented proof of financial support that appears on your I-20 is required if you will be applying for a new student visa abroad, OR if you are a national of Canada or Mexico who is traveling home to Canada or Mexico. OPTIONAL PRACTICAL TRAINING If you are an Optional Practical Training post-completion of studies and will need to obtain a new F-1 visa before returning to the United States, you must have your Employment Authorization Document (EAD) with you, your SEVIS I-20 endorsed for practical training with a travel signature on page 3 that is less than six month old, and a letter from your employer, verifying your employment status. Students are warned that visa issuance for individuals on practical training can be highly problematic, since you may have a hard time proving that you do not intend to immigrate to the United States. Such students are urged to discuss their situation with staff in the Office of International Students and Study Abroad before they travel.
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