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International Students and Scholars Office


Obtaining an F-1/J-1 Student Visa

To study at Brandeis University, all International Students must have valid student status.

All insternational students, with the exception of Canadian Nationals, must obtain a F-1 Visa Entry stamp at their local U.S. Embassy before arriving in the U.S.

An F-1 Student Visa enables non-U.S. citizens to enter the U.S. and be granted F-1 Student Status at the Port of Entry.  

F-1 status is granted by the U.S. Customs and Immigration official who will examine and perhaps ask you questions upon entry to the U.S.

Students entering the U.S. as a tourist or without a visa will be required to leave the U.S. and re-enter on a proper student visa.

Please review the following FAQs to find out more about the process of obtaining an F-1.

F-1 Visa FAQs

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  • How can I obtain a Student Visa?
    • Though requirements vary among U.S. Embassies, our office recommends the following guidelines for obtaining a student visa.  

      We recommend that you schedule an appointment at the nearest U.S. Embassy or Counsulate as soon as possible.

      Our office requires original official bank statements as proof availability of sufficient funds to study at Brandeis. We recommend that you obtain multiple copies of the original statements so that you can keep one for your own records and present to the U.S. Embassy or Conulate when applying for your visa. Keep in mind that embassies prefer more recent bank statement and generally do not accept statement that are more than 6 months old.

      Step 1:  Submit Documents to Brandeis

      Once you've been admitted to Brandeis, your admission office will ask you to complete a Visa Information Declaration of Finances (VIDOF) form. Complete the VIDOF and submit the following back to the appropriate admission office.

      • Completed VIDOF

      • A legible copy of your valid passport.

      • Original bank statements or other official bank document showing immediate availability of sufficient funds to attend Brandeis. The bank statements must not be older than 6 months.

      • If any of the bank statements provided belong to an individual other than the student, a letter of sponsorship is required. The letter must be signed and clearly state the specific amount of sponsorship.

      Step 2:  Your I-20

      You will be sent an I-20 document. Carefully review your document. If you have any questions or concerns about your document, feel free to contact the ISSO.

      Step 3:  Interview at the U.S. Embassy

      If you have not already done so, contact the nearest U.S. Embassy or Counsulate and schedule an appointment. When scheduling the appointment please specify that you are applying for a Student visa. Embassies try to have quicker processing for student visas than many other visa types.

      Your interview with the Conular Official will usually take less than one minute. Within that minute you need to convince the U.S. Conular Officer that you plan to return to your home country after the completion of your studies in the U.S.  Being prepared and having all necessary documents will increase your chances of obtaining your visa.  The Consular Official interviewing you may ask to see any or all the following documents:

      • Evidence that your SEVIS processing fee has been paid.

      • Your letter of admission to Brandeis.

      • Your I-20 document.

      • Your valid passport.

      • Evidence that you have sufficient funds to attend Brandeis. Please have any and all award letters from sponsoring agencies including Brandeis as well original bank statements from personal and/or family sponsors. At a minimum you must prove that you have sufficient funds for at least one year of study at Brandeis.

      • Evidence of strong economic, family, social, or career ties to your home country will better convince the Consular Official that you have every intention of returning after the completion of your studies in the U.S.

      • Evidence of your student status such as transcripts from current or former schools you have attended.

      • Copies of your TOEFL or English test results.

      • Be prepared to state clearly your educational goals; why your studies at Brandeis are important to your future career in your home country; how your Brandeis degree will help you when you return home.

      Typically the Consular Official will inform you about the decision regarding your request for a student visa at the conculsion of the interview. Well over 90% of student visa requests are granted immediately. In some cases, a background check (which can take 2 to 3 months) must be completed before the visa can be granted.

      If successful, you will be issue an F-1 entry visa stamp in your passport.

  • What is an I-20?
    • An I-20 is a "Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant (F-1) Student Status for Academic and Language Students".  The I-20 is issued by our office and it certifies your eligibility to study at our institution. This document is essential to obtain an F-1 student visa. When you receive your I-20, please review and sign it.  Your I-20 is also necessary when traveling to the U.S. Throughout the time that you are on in the U.S. as a student, you will be issued a number of I-20s. The most recent I-20 is the one needed for travel. However, it is important that you keep all your old I-20s in a safe place. You will need the older documents when applying for Optional Practical Training or H1B visa.
  • What is SEVIS and the SEVIS Fee?
    • SEVIS, the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System, is a central computerized system that maintains and manages data about foreign students (F-1), Exchange Visitors (J-1 students, J-1 scholars), and their dependents (F-2 and J-2) during their stay in the United States.
    • Effective September 1, 2004, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) mandated an additional fee of $100 for all new F-1 and J-1 applicants. This fee is required by U.S. law and is used to cover the costs of the operation of the program.
    • F-1 Students and J-1 Exchange Visitors issued new SEVIS numbers are REQUIRED to pay the SEVIS fee before applying for a visa or change of status.
    • F-2 or J-2 dependents do NOT have to pay a SEVIS fee.
    • J-1 visitors whose DS-2019s are issued by the U.S. government do NOT have to pay a SEVIS fee.
    • Those applying for an entry visa to the U.S. should pay the SEVIS fee at least 3 business days before their interview at the U.S. Embassy or Conulate.
    • New students applying to more than one school can have their SEVIS fee transferred. The SEVIS fee payed for one SEVIS number can be applied to another SEVIS number issued to the same individual. The SEVIS fee receipt and the unused visa document should be taken to the embassy as proof of payment.
  • The U.S. Conular Official denied me a student visa. What can I do?
    • In the event that your application for a student visa is denied, contact the ISSO immediately. With your help, we can write a letter that details your educational and career plans and how your studies in Brandeis will help you achieve these goals. We will also help you highlight the facts that will help prove that you intend to return to your home country after the completion of your studies.

      We do our best to help each one of our incoming students obtain an entry visa.  However there are instances when students are not issued a visa.  It helps to be prepared.  So read the FAQ "How can I obtain a Student Visa?" on this page carefully before appearing at your appointment at the U.S. Embassy.

  • What is an entry visa?
    • A visa is an official document issued by a consulate overseas allowing a foreign national to apply for admission into the United States.  Having a visa stamp in the passport is not an automatic guarantee that you will be admitted into the U.S. in that status. A visa is like an invitation that allows you to apply for admission into the U.S. in a particular immigration status.
  • What can I expect at the Port of Entry upon arrival in the U.S.?
    • On January 2, 2004, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) implemented the US-VISIT program. This program is for all non-immigrant visa holders who enter the United States. Below is from the US-VISIT fact sheet posted from DHS:

      "Many of the procedures in place today remain unchanged and are familiar to international travelers. A U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officer will review each visitor's travel documents, such as a visa and passport, and ask questions about the visitor's stay in the U.S.

      In addition, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officer will use an inkless fingerprint scanner to automatically read the fingerprints of arriving visitors holding visas. The visitor will be asked to put the index finger of one hand and then the index finger of the other hand on the scanner. The Customs and Border Protection Officer will also take a digital photograph of the visitor.

      The biographic and fingerprint data will be used to verify the identity of the visitor and compared against watch lists. At that point, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officer will either admit the visitor or conduct additional inquiries based on the verification results. These procedures should reduce fraud, identity theft, and the risk that terrorists and criminals will enter the United States undetected."

  • What is an I-94 card?
    • An I-94 Card also known as a Arrival/Departure Record, is a small white card that the Immigration Inspector will staple into your passport. This documents your lawful entry the U.S. and specifies your visa status. For F-1 students, the inspector should write F1 - D/S on the top right corner of your I-94 card. This means that you have been granted an F-1 student status and have been granted permission to remain in the U.S. for the entire duration of the time that you remain a valid full-time student at Brandeis.

      If your I-94 does not indicate "F1 D/S", contact the ISSO by email or call us 781-736-3480 upon your arrival on campus.

      You are issued a new I-94 card every time you enter the U.S.  When leaving the U.S., airline officials will remove the I-94 card from your passport and submit it to U.S. Immigration officials.

      It is very important to keep this card with your passport at all times. If you lose this card, you must apply for a replacement card by completing an I-102 Form. Please be aware that replacement of the I-94 card is very costly and time consuming.

Information for New Students