Applying for a Student Visa

Madison College has U.S. federal government permission to provide applicants with documentation used in F-1 or M-1 student visa applications. F-1 and M-1 visa-holding students may also request documentation from Madison College to apply for F-2 and M-2 dependent visas for a spouse and/or children. These visas types are categorized as “non-immigrant student visas” by the U.S. government.

There are two ways to apply for a non-immigrant student visa:

1. From within the U.S. by applying through the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services.
2. From out of the U.S. by applying at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate abroad.

For more information about these two methods, please see the links to the right.

Visa Application in the U.S.*

To apply for a visa in the United States, an applicant must:

• Currently be in the U.S. in a legal U.S. visa status,
• Remain in the U.S. while the application is pending.

Differences in process as compared to applying from abroad:

• Application is submitted through mail to the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS), a branch of the Department of Homeland Security.
• There is no in-person interview or contact with the visa officer,
• Application decision is typically given in 3-4 months,
• If approved, the student visa status is granted on paper, but a visa stamp/sticker is not physically placed into the passport,
• An applicant may—and must!—remain in the U.S. while the application is pending, so the cost of traveling abroad and re-entering the U.S. is avoided.

*Applying for a visa in the U.S. is commonly referred to as “changing visa status,” since an applicant must be in a legal U.S. visa status to be eligible to apply for another visa status while remaining in the United States.

For a detailed list of the application materials and steps necessary to apply for a change of visa status within the U.S., please visit the Visa Application in U.S. page or view "Changing Visa Status in the US" (PDF, 155KB).

Visa Application from Abroad

It is recommended that an applicant apply at the U.S. Embassy or Consulate in the applicant’s home country or country of citizenship. If this is not feasible, it may be possible to apply as a “third country national” at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate in another country by requesting permission from that Embassy/Consulate directly.

Differences in process as compared to applying from inside the United States:

• Application is reviewed by the U.S. Department of State,
• An in-person interview with the visa officer is required,
• Application decision is made very quickly during the 1-2 minute interview at the Embassy/Consulate, but the interview appointment should be scheduled at least 2-3 months in advance due to potentially high demand for available appointments.
• If approved, a visa stamp/sticker is physically placed into the passport either immediately after the interview or within 1-14 days, depending on the Embassy/Consulate.

For a detailed list of the application materials and steps necessary to apply for an F-1 or M-1 visa at a U.S. Embassy/Consulate abroad, please visit the Visa Application from Abroad page or view "Applying for a Student Visa Abroad" (PDF, 142KB).