<p>Hi, I am a chinese international student, I just got my F-1 Visa but I have noticed that the validity of the visa is only 1 year. Which implies that I have to ask new visa every year. Is this normal? </p>
<p>For other F-1 visa holder: how long is your visa's validity??</p>
<p>This is kind of complicated to explain but I will give it a try: There is a technical distinction between the permission to enter the country and the permission to stay in the country. You are only allowed to enter the country until your visa expires, but your permission to stay is valid D/S (for the duration of status), i.e. as long as you remain a full-time student. If you just want to stay in the US, you don’t have to do anything. If you leave the US after your visa expired, you will have to apply for a new visa while you are abroad in order to return. It is an inconvenience but nothing to be worried about.</p>
<p>A friend of mine got an F-1 visa that expired 30 days after the first day of classes. It was the embassy’s way of forcing her to show up to school on time. However, she was still a legal F-1 student after her visa expired.</p>
<p>mmm… I think I got it…Thanks 
So your friend will be staying on campus until she ends the study, even in vacations?
Or are there a easier way to get new visa once inside of US border?</p>
<p>Usually, its valid for 60 months.</p>
<p>For most international students, it’s valid for the 4 years of an undergrad degree.</p>
<p>Due to the large numbers of chinese students overstaying, the visa is valid only 1 year. Because of this, if you go back to China for the summer, you are required to renew your visa, ie go for another interview, where the immigration officer will re-evaluate your likeliness to overstay. </p>
<p>That said, the visa is your permission to enter the country, if you don’t leave and continue to be enrolled, you can stay for 4 years without being kicked out.</p>
<p>The only exception to the visas are Canadians, who do not require a visa to enter the US to study.</p>
<p>qihqi,</p>
<p>You can <em>not</em> renew visa inside the US border. It makes no logical sense to do so since you are already inside the country. </p>
<p>You may <em>not</em> want to go to, say, Canada for a <em>short</em> trip and renew there. You never know if it takes just an afternoon or a lot longer. It’s safer to probably go back to China for the summer and do it there. I also heard of a rumor that it’s best to do it in your home country. Anyway, 1-yr visa sucks as it gives you one more thing to worry about.</p>
<p>Hi, </p>
<p>I got accepted to a Ph.D. program. In my I-20, the normal length to finish the degree is “72 months” but when I got my visa, it only has a 4 year validity. :(</p>