How do US student visas work? F-1, M-1 and J-1 explained

Which visa fits which kind of study?

F-1 covers study at a university or college, a secondary school, a private elementary school, a seminary, a conservatory or another academic institution, including a language training program. M-1 covers study at a vocational or other recognized nonacademic institution. J-1 covers exchange visitor programs run by sponsors designated by the State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Applicants must be accepted by the school or sponsor before applying for a visa.

Study is not a visitor activity. The State Department's Foreign Affairs Manual (FAM) says study leading to a degree or certificate is not permitted on a visitor (B) visa, even if it is short, and Visa Waiver Program travelers cannot study except for recreational study incidental to a visit.

Sources: 9 FAM 402.5-2; 9 FAM 402.5-5(B)–(G) and (R)

What must be true for an F-1 or M-1 visa?

The FAM lists five requirements. Failing any one is a refusal under section 214(b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act:

• Acceptance at a school, shown by a Form I-20.
• Intent to enter solely to pursue a full course of study at an approved institution.
• Present intent to leave the United States when the approved activities end, with a residence abroad the student does not intend to abandon.
• Enough money to meet the student's needs. The school must check funding before issuing the I-20, and the consular officer must also be satisfied that the student can study for the whole period without resorting to unauthorized employment.
• Preparation for the course of study.

Sources: 9 FAM 402.5-5(B)–(G) and (R)

What must be true for a J-1 visa?

For a J-1, the FAM requires acceptance into a designated exchange visitor program shown by Form DS-2019; enough funds or arrangements by a host organization to cover expenses; enough English to take part in the program; present intent to leave when the program ends; the qualifications for the program; and compliance with the two-year home residence rule in section 212(e), where it applies (see below).

Sources: 9 FAM 402.5-6(B)–(H)

Form I-20, Form DS-2019 and SEVIS

Only a school certified by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) can issue a Form I-20, and only to students it has accepted. Form DS-2019 is issued by the J-1 program sponsor. Both are produced through SEVIS, the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System, a DHS database that tracks students, exchange visitors and their dependants from entry to departure.

The FAM says the SEVIS record, not the paper form, is the definitive record, and visas are issued only when it shows a SEVIS status of "initial" or "active".

Sources: 9 FAM 402.5-4(B)–(C); 9 FAM 402.5-5(B)–(G) and (R); 9 FAM 402.5-6(B)–(H)

How does the process work, step by step?

• Acceptance: the school issues a Form I-20, or the program sponsor issues a Form DS-2019, in SEVIS.
• SEVIS fee: the student or exchange visitor pays the I-901 SEVIS fee to DHS before the visa interview. An interview can be booked before paying.
• Visa application and interview: the applicant applies at a US embassy or consulate. The consular officer checks the SEVIS record and fee payment and decides the visa. An initial F-1 or M-1 visa is annotated with the SEVIS ID and the name of the school.
• Admission: at the port of entry, the inspecting officer decides admission. For an F-1 student, the officer endorses the I-20 and, on first entry, writes the Form I-94 admission number on it. The visa is a travel document; the I-94 arrival record shows the period of stay granted.

Sources: 9 FAM 402.5-4(B)–(C); 9 FAM 402.5-5(B)–(G) and (R); 8 CFR 214.2(f)(1)–(5)

Fees, as of 19 October 2026

No fee schedule was among the sources checked, so no amounts are given here. Fees change; check FMJfee.com, the official SEVIS fee site, before paying. Tuition and living costs are separate from government fees.

• F-1 and M-1 students and J-1 exchange visitors pay the SEVIS fee. F-2, M-2 and J-2 dependants do not pay a separate SEVIS fee.
• For J-1s it is a one-time fee. It is reduced for some categories, including summer work travel, camp counselor and au pair, and not charged for US government-sponsored programs (DS-2019 serial numbers beginning G-1, G-2, G-3 or G-7), whose participants are also exempt from the visa application fee.
• An M-1 student applying for practical training work authorization files Form I-765 with the fee set in 8 CFR part 106.

Sources: 9 FAM 402.5-4(B)–(C); 9 FAM 402.5-6(K)–(L); 9 FAM 402.5-5(M); 8 CFR 214.2(m)

How long can a student or exchange visitor stay?

Under the regulations current on the eCFR to 16 October 2026:

• F-1: admitted for a fixed period, the time needed to finish the course on the I-20, up to 4 years, with possible extensions. English language training is limited to 24 months, and study at a public high school to 12 months in total. Older guidance may describe F-1 admission for "duration of status"; check the date of anything you read.
• M-1: the course on the I-20 plus any practical training plus 30 days to depart, up to one year in total. Extensions are capped at 3 years from the original start date.
• J-1: the program end date on the DS-2019, up to 4 years. Extensions are requested from USCIS on an application; a new program end date on the DS-2019 alone does not extend the stay.
• All three may be admitted up to 30 days before the program start date. F-1 and J-1 have 30 days after the program ends to leave or otherwise maintain lawful status.

Sources: 8 CFR 214.2(f)(1)–(5); 8 CFR 214.2(m); 8 CFR 214.2(j)(1)

Work limits in summary

None of these is general work permission:

• F-1 on campus: up to 20 hours a week while school is in session.
• F-1 off campus: only with USCIS authorization for severe economic hardship (or an internship with a recognized international organization), after one full academic year in F-1 status and in good academic standing; up to 20 hours a week in session, full-time in vacations.
• F-1 practical training: curricular practical training (CPT) is authorized by the designated school official as part of the curriculum. Optional practical training (OPT) needs USCIS authorization, and work cannot begin before the date on the employment authorization document. Up to 12 months per educational level, plus a possible 24-month STEM extension for qualifying degrees; students in English language programs are not eligible.
• M-1: no employment except practical training after finishing the course, with a USCIS employment authorization document: one month for each four months of full-time study, up to six months in total.
• J-1: the FAM says an exchange visitor may be paid for employment that is part of the program. Category rules are in 22 CFR part 62, which was not among the sources checked.

Sources: 8 CFR 214.2(f)(9), (10) and (15); 8 CFR 214.2(m); 9 FAM 402.5-6(B)–(H)

The J-1 two-year home residence rule

Some J-1 exchange visitors are subject to section 212(e). Until they have spent a total of two years in their country of nationality or last permanent residence after leaving the United States, they cannot get an immigrant visa or adjust to permanent residence, or change to or get an H, K or L visa. It applies if the program was funded by a US government agency or the home government, if the person's skill is on the Exchange Visitor Skills List for their country, or if they came for graduate medical education or training. Au pair and summer work travel participants are not subject to it. A waiver process exists, but its rules were not reviewed for this guide.

Sources: 9 FAM 402.5-6(K)–(L)

Family members: F-2, M-2 and J-2

A spouse and minor children can accompany or follow to join the student. Each F-2 or M-2 dependant needs their own I-20 and SEVIS ID. Accompanying dependants are eligible for admission if the student is admitted in F-1 or M-1 status, and an F-2's stay cannot exceed the F-1's. The consular officer must also be satisfied that dependants will leave when the student's program ends.

• F-2: may not work. An F-2 spouse or child may take less than a full course of study at an SEVP-certified school, or recreational study; full-time study needs a change to F-1, M-1 or J-1 status first. F-2 children may attend kindergarten through twelfth grade full time.
• M-2: may not work.
• J-2: a spouse and unmarried children under 21 may be admitted with a DS-2019 in their own name. A J-2 may work only with USCIS authorization, which is not granted if the income is needed to support the J-1, and J-2 stay cannot exceed the J-1's.

Sources: 9 FAM 402.5-5(M); 8 CFR 214.2(f)(9), (10) and (15); 8 CFR 214.2(m); 8 CFR 214.2(j)(1)

Common problems

• Arriving too early: a student who wants to arrive more than 30 days before the program start needs a different visa, such as B-2, and must get a change of status from USCIS before the program starts.
• Entering with the wrong I-20: the officer at the port of entry can refuse admission to a student entering with an I-20 from a school other than the one named on the visa.
• Changing course: below graduate level, an F-1 student may not transfer or change major or level in the first academic year, and a graduate student may not change educational objective, subject to limited SEVP exceptions. After completing a program after 15 September 2026, a student cannot get F-1 status for another program at the same or a lower level. Until 14 September 2028, DHS may delay or suspend these rules by public notice.

Sources: 9 FAM 402.5-5(B)–(G) and (R); 8 CFR 214.2(f)(1)–(5); 8 CFR 214.2(f)(9), (10) and (15)

How Visa Trouble can help

We can point you to official information, but we don’t assess or prepare student visa applications. Free route discovery at Visa Trouble can show routes worth comparing if your plans go beyond this one. Visa Trouble is not a law firm and does not give legal advice.