Types of US Student Visa

    Updated on: 04 Sep 2023 7 min read

    us visa types

    Studying in the US is an incredible opportunity to gain world-class education, explore diverse cultures, and experience a transformative journey. Many Indian students understand this and choose the US as the study-abroad site for accomplishing their personal and professional dreams. According to the US embassy, 1,67,582 students from India in the US in the 2020-2021 academic year, and 82,000 US visas were issued in 2022 alone. In 2023 the trend is going high according to reports by numerous individual organizations. 

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    Frequently asked questions

    What happens if I stay in the US after my student visa expires?

    If you stay in the US after your visa expires, it will affect your legal stay in the US. Your visa will be considered ‘Out of Status’ once it expires, meaning that your student status will no longer be valid. Once you are caught and deported, you will not be allowed to enter the US again in future. 

    Can I take my family to the US with a student visa? 

    Your family (spouse or children) can accompany you and they are eligible for a dependent visa to the US. The dependent visas to the US are F-2, M-2, and J-2 corresponding to the F-1, M-1, and J-1 student visas. 

    Are the visa interview questions the same for all types of US student visa applicants? 

    The primary objective of the visa interview is assessing your eligibility and verifying the documents. The questions asked in the interview remain the same for all types of US student visas since the objective of the interview is not directly related to the type of study program. To know more refer to the sample F-1 interview questions here and you will get clarity regarding the US visa interview. 

    Why are there different types of US student visas? 

    The objective behind different types of visas for international students to the US is to accommodate diverse educational programs. While the F-1 visa allows students for full-time courses, the M-1 visa is given to students of vocational training programs. A j-1 visa is specifically for participants of international exchange programs. Different categorization helps the US immigration department to filter the applications easily and set guidelines for each type. 

    How many years an F-1 student visa is valid for? 

    An F-1 visa is valid for 5 years from the date of issuance. If your course duration is more than 5 years, your F-1 visa is valid for the whole study period. The validity of your F-1 visa will be specified on form I-20.



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Written by Rohit Gidwani

Meet Rohit, an expert in the field of study abroad and Ed-tech with many years of professional experience in content creation and creative writing. Being a BBA graduate has helped him to pursue his professional duties strategically and with creativity.


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Reviewed by Aman Jain

Aman Jain graduated from IIT Kanpur, and currently functions as the CMO at GyanDhan. He is deeply passionate about creating equality in higher education and has directly interacted with 2 Lakh students in his 8-year-long journey.


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