<p>Has anybody gone through the process? Are any of you international students who went to a U.S college for undergrad and then went on to a U.S grad school. Did you all have to go back home for your other F-1 visa and then return for grad school?</p>
<p>I haven't but I can let you in on the ins and outs of the visa process involved :)</p>
<p>What is commonly referred to as a visa actually consists of two parts: a permission to enter the country and a permission to remain in the country. This distinction is significant here. Your visa status as a student is valid D/S (for the duration of status), meaning that you may legally stay in the country as long as you remain a full-time student. If you go to graduate school right after college, you don't need to apply for a new F-1 visa as long as you remain in the US. (Of course the graduate school has to get your SEVIS record transferred from your college and issue you a new I-20, etc.) However, your permission to enter the country ends with the date printed on the visa foil in your passport. Therefore, once you leave the US you have to apply for a new F-1 visa. </p>
<p>You probably already know this, but you cannot apply for an F-1 visa from within the US. Therefore, the most common advice is to apply for a new visa once you leave the country for some reason, but not to go overseas just in order to get a new visa.</p>
<p>I partially understand what you mean Barium but wouldn't be weird if you apply for a new F-1 Visa before you even get into grad school?</p>
<p>I didn't explain that very well...</p>
<p>When I said, "apply for a visa whenever you first leave the country" I meant, "once you are enrolled in grad school, apply for a visa when you leave the country for the first time." You are free to go home and apply for a new visa in the summer between college and grad school, or you may choose to attend graduate school for two years and then apply for a new visa because you are going to an international conference at that point in time. Basically, you don't need to worry about getting a new visa at all until you are in graduate school and want to leave the country.</p>
<p>wow...are you serious? I never knew that...though</p>
<p>Yes, I am serious. </p>
<p>That information comes from a workshop on post-graduation visa issues led by an immigration lawyer. However, since I am not a lawyer, you should double-check any information I give you with a more competent resource.</p>
<p>yeah it makes sense in a way...I have heard something similar. I thought you had become a permanent resident barium? do you still attend those post graduation visa workshops? They are so depressing especially concerning work visas...I attended two and decided I was just going to go back home and look for a job</p>