International students will generally need to obtain one of the following types of visas:

• The F-1 visa, which is the most common nonimmigrant student visa
  


• The J-1, which is for “exchange visitors,” including students sponsored by the U.S. government or other designated exchange programs.
  


• The M-1, which is for certain types of technical/vocational training

Family members accompanying students will generally be awarded an F-2, J-2, or M-2 visa (depending what visa status the student holds).

Visas less commonly awarded to students include the H-1 (for some medical residency and other employment-focused experiences), the Q-1 (for some cultural exchange visits involving practical training or sharing of national culture), and the B-2 with a “prospective student” notation made by the consular officer (this is different from a standard B tourist visa and is intended for individuals who want to enter the United States to visit various colleges before deciding where to attend, or who must take a examination in the U.S. prior to college entry).

Yes, individuals applying for such a visa must show their legal relationship to you as your spouse or child. Only those of your children who are 21 or younger are eligible to apply for a visa as your dependent.

A lot of basic questions (name and contact information, travel plans, recent employment, and so forth) are repeated from form to form so once you have filled out one it becomes simpler to complete the others. Form DS-157 also asks for details on past travel, organizations that you have been involved in, and educational institutions that you have attended. Form DS-158 collects added details on your work history and contact information.

DS-156 is the original form. The other two were introduced following the events of September 11, 2001 to collect additional information designed to help address elevated U.S. security concerns. The U.S. government could more quickly add supplemental forms than design a whole new form and revise existing databases to handle the new form. The forms may not be reviewed by exactly the same people or all be filled out by everyone so some questions repeat themselves.

This is a problem—to avoid confusion all your official documents should use the same version of your name. If possible, contact the admissions office or international student adviser at your university and arrange for them to issue a new I-20 with the version of your name that matches your passport. Use the name on your passport for your visa application.

This is also a problem—to avoid confusion all your official documents should use the same birth date. If possible, contact the admissions office or international student adviser at your university and arrange for them to issue a new I-20 with a birth date that matches the one on your passport. Otherwise you may face difficulties or even be denied a visa at the time of your visa interview. Use the date on your passport for your visa application.

Are you participating in a scholarship or other exchange program sponsored by the agency that issued the DS-2019 form? If so, the DS-2019 form is the one that will be used in issuing the visa (you will receive a J-1 visa), and you should contact your university and return the I-20 form to them. If you are not participating in such a scholarship or exchange form, but have somehow received the DS-2019 form, you need to check with the agency that issued it as to why you have received it. If you are not participating in their program, you will return the DS-2019 form to them and use the I-20 instead in applying for an F-1 visa.

To make the initial time and paperwork manageable, the U.S. government targeted groups that were, based on broad, statistical, demographic information, the most likely to present a security risk. It’s possible that everyone may have to fill out all forms (or some entirely new form designed to better collect relevant security information) in the future.

J-1 students who are sponsored by the U.S. government do not have to pay the SEVIS fees. Your dependents also do not have to pay the SEVIS fees since they do not hold student visa status.

In 2003, the United States began operating the Student Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), a national database system for tracking the visa status of international students enrolled in U.S. academic programs. (The United States had authorized establishing such a program nearly thirty years ago; increased security after the events of September 11 led to putting the program on the fast track.) The U.S. Congress has mandated that costs for putting in place and maintaining the new SEVIS student tracking system should be paid by system “users,” in most cases the students themselves, rather than by U.S. taxpayers.

Yes, all non-U.S. citizen students, even students from countries that have negotiated visa waiver with the United States, are registered in SEVIS. Students were targeted because they tend to remain in the United States much longer than most nonimmigrant international visitors, and in many cases the U.S. government found that it was unable to say what had happened to particular students, whether they were in visa status or even whether they were in the United States or not at a particular time. All nonimmigrant U.S. visitors, including students and others, are currently being tracked to some extent through the new US-VISIT program, and there are plans to develop more extensive tracking of other types of U.S. nonimmigrant visitors in the future.

As of May 2007, the SEVIS fee is $100 for most exchange visitors (au pairs, camp counselors, and a few other special types of short-term visa holders qualify for a lower fee of $35). You apply by filling in a form I-901, which is available on-line (address follows), or may be obtained as a paper form from your local consulate or at many advising centers. Your SEVIS identification number, which appears on your I-20 or DS-2019 form from the institution that you plan to attend, is particularly important information—be sure you fill it in correctly on the I-901 form.

Paying the SEVIS fee on-line with an internationally accepted credit or debit card is the fastest method; you will receive a receipt that you should bring with you when you apply for a visa. Payment may be made through a third party if you yourself do not have a credit/debit card. Some exchange program sponsors pay in bulk for their students and some advising centers offer a fee payment service. (Check with your local advising center to see if this option is available.)

You can also pay the fee by mail, courier, or through a Western Union office with a check or money order in U.S. currency payable by a U.S. bank. If you pay by mail or courier, there is a charge of $30 for “expedited delivery,” through which your receipt is returned to you by courier rather than by mail. Allow at least several weeks for processing if you choose to pay by mail or courier.

The Web address to pay for SEVIS on-line is—

http://www.fmjfee.com

The address for mailed in I-901 forms and SEVIS payments is—

I-901 Student/Exchange Visitor Processing Fee
P.O. Box 970020
St. Louis, MO 63197-0020
United States

Contact information for couriered form I-901 forms and SEVIS payments is—

I-901 Student/Exchange Visitor Processing Fee
1005 Convention Plaza
St. Louis, MO 63101
United States
Phone Number: 1-314-418-4393 (United States Country Code 011)

A record of your payment should show up on the consulate’s computerized SEVIS system within about three business days from when your payment is received. You can now check on whether this record has been generated yet through the www.fmjfee.com site. Bring your receipt for payment of the fee at the time that you apply for a visa.