Question about Visa

Student Lounge International Students
1

<p>Hello all,</p>

<p>I'm an international student from Brazil.</p>

<p>I was recently accepted to one of my favorites universities and I'm planning to enroll in the next few days. I received from this college a package through mail that mentions the F-1 [student] Visa expedition. There is a special section in a paper from this package, however, that mentions that B-2 Visa holders [i.e. me] should carry a Visa Status Change prior to enrolling at the school. Without much information on how to do that, here I am to clear some doubts with you:</p>

<p>In case I am living outside the US with a B-2 Visa, what's the process to get an F-1 Visa? Should I carry a Status Change by mailing the USCIS? Or should I open a completely new application for the F-1?</p>

<p>Thank you so far.</p>

2

<p>If you are not currently living in the US, you should apply for an F-1 visa at an embassy abroad. (This is always an option, even if you were residing in the US.) A status change requires a valid I-94, which you probably don’t have.</p>

3

<p>So, basically, I should apply to a new Visa. Is that correct?</p>

<p>In this case, will it replace my current (B-2) visa?</p>

4

<p>Usually an old visa gets canceled when a new one is issued. If you need to travel to the US before your F-1 visa is valid, I would call the visa hotline of your embassy and inquire about the possibility of carrying two valid US visas at the same time. (It is possible, I just don’t know if there’s extra paperwork involved.)</p>