The F-1 Student Visa

Once you have connected with a college program, have been admitted to the school, and deemed eligible to compete athletically, you will need to secure an F-1 student visa in order to actually attend your new college and begin your time as a student athlete. The first step in the visa process is to receive your Form I-20 from the college program you will be attending.

The Form I-20 is one of the most important documents you will receive as an international student-athlete coming to the United States. The I-20 serves as your official proof that you are eligible to apply for an F-1 student visa, and it includes key details about your academic program, school, and financial support. On the I-20 you will see the total cost of attending your school for one year, and also the amount of scholarship that you have been awarded by the school. If your scholarship covers the full cost of attendance, the I-20 will reflect this and you will not need to provide any additional proof of financial support.

If you don't receive a scholarship, or your scholarship doesn't cover the full cost of attendance, you will need to show that you can cover the remaining amount by other means. The most common ways of doing this are by providing proof of your own funds or providing an Affidavit of Financial Support from a family member or friend who is willing to guarantee you access to the amount necessary. Other ways of showing sufficient funding include grants from government entities or non profit organizations, and loans from financial institutions. The school you are applying to should be able to provide you with the forms needed to show funding by whichever of these methods you will use.

Once you have arranged the funding necessary to cover the cost of attendance listed on your I-20, you will need to pay your SEVIS fee and schedule your visa interview at the US Consulate.

The SEVIS fee, or Form I-901 fee, is a one-time payment of $350 used to fund the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP). While it is possible to pay the fee by mail or Western Union, it is recommended to do so online at https://www.fmjfee.com/, using the SEVIS number issued to you on your I-20. Remember to pay the fee at least three days before your visa interview.

Scheduling your visa interview requires four steps. First you must fill out Form DS160 on the Consular Electronic Application Center website (https://ceac.state.gov/). Think of Form DS160 as a general information form that collects background information on every visa applicant. You will be asked to submit information about your background, your family, your employment history and educational history, and details about your planned trip to the U.S. Make sure to be honest and thorough in the information you provide. Once you submit your DS160, you will receive a confirmation page that includes your DS160 Confirmation Number, which you will use to book your appointment and also bring to your interview.

Next, you must create an account for yourself on the website of the U.S. consulate at which you will be scheduling your interview. Keep in mind, you can only interview in the country of your nationality or residence. This means if you are not a citizen of the country you are currently residing in and will be interviewing in, you will need to bring proof of lawful residency to your interview. You will be asked to provide information such as your full legal name, your passport number, and your DS160 confirmation number which will appear on you

Once you have created an account, you can pay your visa fee and book your interview. Each consulate is different; some will allow you to pay the fee instantly online using a credit card, some will require you to print a payment form and bring it to a local bank where you will pay in cash. Wait times for F1 visas can be long at certain consulates, so try to book your interview as quickly as possible. If the earliest appointment available is not until after your academic program has begun, you can apply for an emergency expedited appointment through the consulate's website. It is strongly recommended to include support documentation, such as a letter from your new coach or school athletic director explaining that you've been offered a scholarship to their institution and it is critical to the program that you arrive in time for the date listed on your I-20 as your program start date. On most consular websites, you can also rebook your appointment at least once, and earlier appointments will often show up due to cancellations or other causes- so it may be worth your time to frequently check the consulate's booking calendar in case you can grab an earlier appointment that would allow you to receive your visa and fly over in time for your program start date.

Finally, you will need to attend your interview. You will need to bring your passport, your DS160 Confirmation Page, your interview appointment confirmation page, two passport photos (2" x 2" photos you can generally have produced at a pharmacy or photo studio), your Form I-20, and any additional supporting documents such as an Affidavit of Financial Support or an emergency expedite request letter from your school if you needed to make such a request. Be sure to arrive early, and be prepared for the consulate to prohibit cellphones or other electronic devices inside. It is important to know as much as possible about the school's athletic and academic programs you intend to enroll in, and remember that F1 student visas are a type of non-immigrant visa. This means you should be prepared to demonstrate your intent to return to your home country upon the conclusion of your academic program. For example, this could mean articulating to the consular officer the type of employment in your home country your new academic degree will allow you to pursue once you have completed your program.

If your interview is successful, the consulate will take your passport and return it to you within a week or so with your F1 visa stamp inside. The visa stamp will be valid for the length of your program as specified in your Form I-20, allowing you to come and go from the U.S. during that period. As we will discuss in the next section, there are restrictions on what you can do while in the U.S. on an F1 visa, and other important parameters to keep in mind.

While the steps involved with securing an F1 visa may seem challenging, successfully applying for your visa and thus being able to come study and compete in the US for your chosen program can be an amazingly positive and life-changing experience for an international student-athlete.

Tips on this part of your student-athlete journey:

1. Treat your visa interview like a job interview -> the consular officer has broad discretion to approve or deny the applicants they interview, so go to the effort to make a good impression. Dress nicely, present your support documents in an organized manner such as a folder or binder, and address the officer respectfully during your interview.
2. Social Media matters -> Your DS160 form will ask you to list all of your social media accounts, and to make sure that they are set to public. You should assume that the consular officer will look at all of your social media posts, and will not take kindly to anything that might suggest you intend to act unlawfully or outside of the scope of your student visa while within the United States.

If you are a current or prospective student-athlete, or even a coach or administrator at a college program with questions about the F1 visa process, you should consult with an immigration attorney to ensure that you are aware of the latest rules and regulations governing the F1 visa process.

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.