Visa Information
The visa is the stamp placed in the passport at a US Consulate. It is the permit necessary to enter the US for the terms and conditions of that visa classification. The visa indicates the specific classification, the expiration date, name of the bearer, the number of valid entries, and the location and date it was issued.
You must always have a valid visa in your passport when you enter the US. It is not required that the visa be valid while you are in the US. It is only when traveling outside the US that you must have a valid visa for re-entry.
Obtaining a New Visa
An F or J visa can only be obtained at a US Embassy or Consulate outside the US. There are no offices within the US to apply for these visa classifications. It is always easier to apply for a new visa in your home country. The Consular Officers there can more easily determine eligibility to obtain the new visa.
The visa renewal process will be the same procedure that you followed the first time you applied for the visa. Each time you apply for a visa you must prove to the consular officer you have enough funds to continue studying, you have been a full time student, and that you plan to return to your home country after completion of your degree.
Check your Consulate's website for updated application procedures before your appointment. Consular and Embassy websites are found at http://usembassy.state.gov .
Applying for a Visa in Mexico or Canada
Students who are not citizens of Mexico or Canada are not recommended to apply for a visa at a US Embassy or Consulate in Mexico or Canada. Although students may visit Mexico or Canada without needing a valid US visa to return, the law states that visa applicants denied the visa, must have a valid visa to re-enter the US.
The automatic visa revalidation rule does not apply when an application is denied, the passport will be annotated to show there has been a visa denial, and re-entry to the US will be barred.
If visa renewal in Mexico or Canada is unavoidable, appointments can be made on line at: www.nvars.com.
Students going to Mexico to apply for a visa are required to have a business visa to enter Mexico. For more information, contact the Mexican Consulate in downtown San Diego.