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Renewing
Your F-1 Visa
Consular Policies and Procedures
You should expect that the visa application and issuance procedures
might have changed since you last obtained a visa. Most U.S. Embassy and Consulate
Websites offer good information on these procedures, but be
aware that websites may not have been updated to reflect recent
changes in policies and procedures. The most current information
can be obtained by contacting the consular office where you would
like to apply for a visa.
Applying in a Country Where You Are Not a Citizen
If you would like to apply for a visa at a U.S. Consulate in a country
that is not your country of citizenship, you should research the
specific visa application requirements. You should also contact
that consulate, inform them of your country of citizenship, and
ask (1) if they will accept and consider your application, and (2)
approximately how long it will take for the visa to be issued, if
approved.
It is possible that it
will be more difficult, and in some cases perhaps even impossible,
to obtain a visa from a U.S. Consulate which is not located in your
country of citizenship or lawful permanent residence.
Click
here to find out how long it will take to get a visa application
appointment at a U.S. Consulate.
Applying in Canada, Mexico or the Adjacent Islands
A nonimmigrants who applies for a visa stamp at a U.S. Embassy or
Consulate while in Canada, Mexico or — for those in F or J
status — the adjacent islands, will not be allowed to take
advantage of the Automatic
Visa Revalidation provision to return to the U.S. If the
visa is denied, the nonimmigrant will be required to travel elsewhere
(most likely the home country) to apply for the U.S. visa stamp
before returning to the U.S.
Documents
To renew your F-1 visa, you will need to submit the following documents
to a U.S. Embassy or Consulate (forms can be downloaded, or obtained
from any U.S. Consulate):
- Form
DS-156 or
Form
DS-160 (the electronic version of the DS-156),
Application for Nonimmigrant Visa
- Form
DS-157, Supplemental Nonimmigrant Visa Application
(Generally required of all male applicants between the ages of
16 and 45. Check with the U.S. Embassy or Consulate where
you are applying for additional requirements.)
- Form
DS-158, Contact Information and Work History for
Nonimmigrant Visa Applicant
- Application fee (check with the consulate for the current fee
amount and how it must be paid)
- One photograph (2 inches square [51 x 51mm], showing full face,
without head covering, against a light background)
- Passport
- Your I-20 from Boston University (see below)
- Proof of continued enrollment at Boston University (see below)
- Original financial documents proving the availability of sufficient
funds (see below)
- If you have graduated and are participating in post-completion
Optional Practical Training, you must show proof that you have
a job in the U.S. to which you will return. It is recommended
that you provide a letter from your employer verifying that you
are currently employed.
- Documents that demonstrate
your "nonimmigrant intent" (i.e., proof that you
will return home after your studies)
Preparations before you leave the U.S.
USCIS Form I-20
- You need to request a travel
signature from the ISSO if you do not already have one, or
if you have a travel signature that will be more than a year old
at the time you wish to return to the U.S.
Proof of Continued Enrollment
- We suggest that you visit the ISSO and request a Certificate
of Enrollment that verifies you are a full-time student at Boston
University.
Financial Documents - If the documents that prove
you have sufficient funds to support your education in the U.S.
will be more than twelve months old at the time you apply for a
new visa, we suggest that you arrange for new financial documents
to be submitted with your visa application. If all or any part
of your funding comes from Boston University (e.g., scholarship,
teaching fellowship, research assistantship), we recommend that
you obtain a letter or document verifying the validity and amount
of the award, preferably for the semester or academic year when
you will return to the U.S. to resume your studies. If all or any
part of your funding comes from other sources (e.g., family funds,
government scholarship, loan), we suggest that you obtain a letter
or document verifying the amount and availability of funding, preferably
for the semester or academic year when you will return to the U.S.
to resume your studies.
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