Student Visas (F, M, J)

What visa do I need to attend an American college?

The United States has some of the greatest colleges and universities in the nation. The U.S. is considered the top country of choice by the largest number of international students. At present, at least one million international students are enrolled in U.

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Volunteer positions that are not directly related to your course of study do not qualify as optional practical training (OPT) and must not be listed as OPT employment. Reporting non-qualifying volunteer opportunities as OPT employment will be deemed a violation of your reporting requirements and subject you to removal from the United States.
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Quais são os tipos de visto acadêmico disponíveis?

As políticas de imigração dos Estados Unidos costumam ser complexas e podem ser muito confusas. Para um estudante estrangeiro que deseja estudar ou trabalhar nos EUA há vários vistos acadêmicos diferentes que podem se enquadrar no seu caso.
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United States immigration polices are often complex and can be very confusing. If you are an international student who is looking to come to the United States to study or work, there are several different academic visas that you might be able to obtain.
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Per federal regulations, B-1 and B-2 nonimmigrants (i.e., visitors who are in the United States for business and pleasure purposes) are prohibited from enrolling in a course of study at a U.S. Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP)-certified school.
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As several U.S. schools prepare to end their current terms and begin a summer recess, we want to remind F-1 students to regularly visit the Study in the States blog during your break to stay informed about maintaining your status.
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United States immigration polices are often complex and can be very confusing. If you are an international student who is looking to come to the United States to study or work, there are several different academic visas that you might be able to obtain.

It is important that you are aware of the specific regulations and stipulations associated with each visa type. The breadth, depth and scope of some of the rules and regulations associated with some of the visas can be overwhelming. The entire application process can sometimes take long amounts of time and require a lot of different paperwork and diligence on your part.
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On October 19, 2015, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) proposed to amend its F-1 nonimmigrant student visa regulations on optional practical training (OPT) for certain students with degrees in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) from U.S. institutions of higher education. The comments are due by November 18, 2015. In addition to improving the integrity and value of the STEM OPT program, this proposed rule also responds to a court decision that vacated a 2008 DHS regulation on procedural grounds. The proposed rule includes changes to the policies announced in the 2008 rule to further enhance the academic benefit provided by STEM OPT extensions and increase oversight, which will better ensure that students gain valuable practical STEM experience that supplements knowledge gained through their academic studies, while preventing adverse effects to U.S. workers.

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This past week, a Federal District Court decided Washington Alliance of Technology Workers v. DHS. The lawsuit sought to prevent foreign students from having an opportunity to gain practical experience in the U.S. following their full-time course of study. The Court invalidated a 2008 U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) rule which permits an F-1 student to receive up to a seventeen (17) month extension of their Optional Practical Training (OPT) on top of the twelve (12) months previously authorized (for a maximum of twenty-nine months), if their field of study is in a designated as a Science, Technology, Engineering or Math (STEM) field and the employer is registered in the E-Verify Program.

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The following is the information with regard to AILA (American Immigration Lawyers Association) intake on persons who overstay their visas.

Policymakers are calling for a solution to address those who have "overstayed their visas." However, the label of "visa overstays" is widely misused and misunderstood. The reality is that identifying visa overstays is an ambiguous, difficult task, a fact often overlooked in these debates.
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