• United States visas are placed in passports.passport image by Gemma Williams from Fotolia.com
  
  The United States is home to some of the world's best schools and provides many educational opportunities for students throughout the world. In order for citizens of other countries to come to the United States to study, they must first get a visa which, in most cases, will be an F-1 visa. A visa is an approval by a U.S. Department of State official that allows a person to enter the United States for a specific purpose or period of time.
  
  

Rules for Obtaining an F-1 Student Visa

• In order to obtain an F-1 visa, a student must first be accepted to a school in the United States. The school will then send the paperwork to the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS). There is a $200 fee for being enrolled in SEVIS on an F-1 visa. After paying for SEVIS enrollment, a prospective student must interview with a U.S. officer at a United States Consulate or United States Embassy. At the interview, the prospective student must bring certain documents: the payment receipt for enrollment in SEVIS, the visa application and fee, a passport, a 2 inch by 2 inch photograph, the document supplied by the educational institution that qualifies the student for a visa, and financial documents.
  
  

Rules for Qualifying for an F-1 Student Visa

• A student must prove that she qualifies for an F-1 student visa. One rule governing whether a student qualifies for an F-1 visa is that the student must have adequate money to receive the education for which she is applying for a visa. The student must bring documents to her interview at the U.S. Consulate or Embassy proving that she has enough money to pay for her education. Also, the student must have a residence outside the United States and she must intend to return to it. Further, the student must intend on leaving the United States when her education is complete.
  
  

Rules for Students Enrolled in Public Schools

• There are special rules for students who are in the United States on an F-1 visa attending public schools in grades 9 through 12. These students may only attend school in the United States for 12 months and they must pay the full cost of tuition for attending the public school. Further, these students may not attend adult education classes or elementary school.
  
  

Additional F-1 Visa Rules

• If a student is in the United States on an F-1 visa, but has not taken classes for a period of five months or longer, then she must reapply for an F-1 visa. Generally, students who are taking classes in the United States, unless they are attending public school in the 9th through 12th grades, may stay in the United States for the total length of their education, even if their visa expires during this time. Students on F-1 visas must leave the United States on the last day that they are authorized to be in the United States on their visas, or they will be in violation of United States immigration laws.