Non-Immigrant Visas
Visa Guide for Students Planning to Enter American Schools or Institutions
The staff of the American Embassy, Phnom Penh, wishes you success in your plans for study in the United States. Study in a foreign country is a big undertaking and deserves careful planning. Please read this visa guide carefully. If you or your family then have any questions about your visa application, do not hesitate to visit or call the Embassy for advice.
Any non-U.S. resident who plans to pursue a "full course of study" required by the Immigration and Naturalization Act at an American school or institution must first obtain a student visa. This visa is also called an "F-1 Visa" (for academic study) ro an "M-1 Visa" (for vocational study). To obtain a student visa, you must present evidence to show that you have made arrangements to study at an American school and that you will not experience any financial difficulties. The documents required are explained on the following pages. As with any non-immigrant visa you must overcome Immigration Law 214(b) which means you must convince the officer you will return to Cambodia after your studies are completed.
Checklist of Required Documents
- Passport (must be valid for at least six months after you enter the United States). Bring all previous passports to the interview as well.
- For I-20 A-B or Form I-20 M-N ("Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status")
- Visa Application Form (Form DS-156), Form DS-157 (for applicant aged 16 to 46 years old), and Form DS-158
- Financial Evidence
- Photo (50mmx50mm)
- School Records (for high school, junior high, and elementary school applicants)
- Any evidence you think will help you overcome 214(b)
Form I-20 (Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status)
After you have been accepted for admission by a school or an institution in the United States, the school or institution will mail you Form I-20 A-B (for academic studies) or Form I-20 M-N (for vacational studies). This form serves as evidence of you admission to your American school. If an American school has notified you that you have been admitted for a course of study, but you have not received the Form I-20 A-B or the Form I-20 M-N, it is important that you write to the school authority who signed your letter of notification. In your letter, state clearly the date you plan to leave Cambodia and request that the school send the Form I-20 to you as soon as possible. Also make sure the school enters you in the SEVIS system (Student Exchange Visa System). The consular officer cannot issue a student visa before the student is verified by this system.
Visa Application (Form DS-156)
It is very important that the information you give on the application be accurate and complete. In signing the application, you are attesting that it is accurate to the best of your knowledge and belief. You may be disqualified from receiving an American visa if all questions are not completed truthfully and accurately. The visa application for (DS-156) can be obtained free of charge from the American Embassy.
Financial Evidence
Study in the United States can be expensive. You must show that you have the financial resources to provide for transportation costs as well as all expenses incurred in connection with your studies in the United States. If you will rely on personal savings, you should provide evidence of those savings. If you supply a bankbook, please also bring a bankletter from the bank. If your expenses will be paid by your company, you should attach a letter from the company. If you will be supported by a friend or relative in the United States, you should attach an affidavit of support from that person and evidence of that person's finances. If you are the recipient of a scholarship, you should attach a letter of explanation from the school, institution, or foundation. You may not include as financial evidence any money you hope to earn by working in the United States during summer vacation.
English Language Fluency
You should be prepared to show a consular officer that you understand the English language well enough to pursue your planned course of study or that arrangements have been made by your U.S. school to improve your English to the necessary level.
Overcoming 214(b)
Since student visas fall under the general category of temporary (nonimmigrant) visas, student visa applicants must also satisfy the consular officer that they do not intend to work illegally in the United States and that they are not likely to remain in the United States permanently. In making this determination, the consular officer will be considering, among other things, whether or not the applicant appears scholastically capable of pursuing his or her chosen course of study in the United States, the relationship between the applicant's intended studies in the United States and his future plans in his country, and what the student has been doing prior to applying for a student visa.
High School, Junior High School, and Elementary School Applicants
Students who have not graduated from a Cambodian high school must bring:
- a copy of their Cambodian school records;
- I-20 from the U.S. elementary, junior high, or high school which the student plans to enter. This I-20 is required even when the student has an I-20 for study at an English Language Program preparatory to entering a regular U.S. school.
Visas for Public Schools in the United States
New rules and procedures went into effect on December 1, 1996, governing applicants submitted after that date for F-1 student visas to attend U.S. public elementary and high schools and publicly-funded adult education programs, such as foreign languge classes.
Under these provisions, embassies will no longer be able to issue visas for public elementary schools or publicly-funded adult education programs.
Students who apply for a F-1 visa to attend public secondary school (grades 7-12) must now be able to pay the full, unsubsidized cost of their education. Before the F-1 visa can be issued for attendacne at a public high school, studetns must show proof of tuition payment. Students are limited to no more than 12 months of public high school in F-1 status.
These provisions do not apply to students who wish to attend private schools or to any student participating in an exchange program using a J-1 Exchange Visitor's Visa. In addition, these provisions do not affect the dependents of other categories of visa holders visiting the United States, such as H, L or J visa holders.
Dependents
Your dependents, if they travel with you or will join you later in the United States, may be issued an F-2 or M-2 visa as a spouse or child of someone classified F-1 or M-1. Individuals holding F-2 or M-2 visas may not work at a paying job in the United States. Therefore, if you are married, and if your spouse hopes to work in the United States, he or she must qualify for another type of visa.
Validity Period of Visa - Lenght of Time Permitted to Stay in the United States
An F-1 student visa issued to a Cambodian citizen is usually valid for a period of three months. If it is necessary to leave the United States and then return to continue studying after the visa expires, then the student must apply for a new visa before he or she may return to the United States. (See the next two sections.)
However, the period of time permitted for the student to study in the United States does not depend on the visa. The purpose of the visa is to allow travel to the United States. The U.S. Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (BCIS) will determine how long a student may remain in the United States. Usually, BCIS will permit a student to remain in the United States until he or she completes his or her program of study. BCIS requires that students study full-time and make satisfactory progress towards completing their study. Students who do this may remain until their study is complete, even though their visa may have expired already.
(Note: A student who transfers to another school or university must obtain an I-20 form from the new insitution and then report the transfer to the BCIS. The best way to do this is in person at the BCIS office, but it can also be done by mail. This is very important; failure to report the transfer to BCIS can result in deportation. It is not necessary to return to Cambodia or obtain a new visa in order to transfer to a new institution.)
Returning Students Who Does Not Have a Valid Visa
When you make a short trip outside the United States during an authorized period of study and apply for a student visa abroad during the temporary absence, you need submit with the visa application only page 4 of Form I-20 A-B or Form I-20 M-N, properly executed and endorsed, if there has been no substantive change in your status since the initial issuance of the certificate of eligibility. If there has been a substantive change in your status subsequent to the initial issuance of the Form I-20, such as a change of school, you must present to the consular officer a new Form I-20, properly executed and endorsed from the new institution.
Returning Student Who Has a Valid Visa
If you leave the United States temporarily but intend to return to study, you do not have to reapply for a new visa as long as your old visa is valid. At the port of entry you must be in possession of a valid student visa, a valid passport and current Form I-20 A-B or Form I-20 M-N. (Only a properly endorsed page 4 of Form I-20 A-B or Form I-20 M-N is required unless there has been a change in your status since the initial issuance of the form.) If you have transferred schools, your new school name does not need to be specified in your visa as long as you have a current Form I-20 from that school.
Apply Early For Your Visa
The Embassy urges you to apply early for your visa. You may apply at any time within 90 days of your American school's registration date as long as you have received your Form I-20. If you are a long-time resident of Cambodia and you present all the required evidence, and the officer determines you overcome 214(b), you can probably expect to receive your visathe day after the interview. However, to avoid delays in your travel plans, you should apply at least two weeks before you plan to leave Cambodia. To make an appointment for an interview, we suggest you call about 2 months before your desired appointment date. The appointment line is 023-728-000.
Advice on Schools and Courses of Study
The Embassy does not advise prospective students concerning schools and courses of study in the United States. However, Public Affairs Section in the Embassy does maintain a number of guides and catalogs of U.S. schools and institutions of higher learning.