Visa Renewal

F-1 students (except citizens of Canada and Bermuda) are required to have valid, unexpired F-1 entry visas in order to enter the United States as F-1 students.

You are required to have a valid F-1 entry visafor the purpose of entering the U.S. in F-1 status. However, once you are in the U.S., the expiration of your F-1 visa has no bearing on your eligibility to stay. You may remain in the U.S. as long as you have a valid and unexpired Form I-20, an I-94 card marked ‘F-1 D/S’, and are making full-time progress toward the degree objective indicated on your Form I-20.

Before Leaving the U.S.

Before leaving on a trip outside the U.S., check the expiration date of your visa and the number of entries you are allowed. If your visa is expired or will expire while you are abroad, you may need to renew it while you are abroad.

You cannot obtain a new visa while in the U.S. Visas are issued only at U.S. consulates outside of the United States. In order to obtain a new F-1 visa, you must carry with you:

1. a valid Form I-20 from ORU with a recent travel signature on page 3
2. any previously-issued Form I-20s from ORU or other schools
3. an unexpired passport
4. recent financial documents showing evidence of continued financial ability
5. receipt of your I-901 SEVIS fee payment
6. transcripts or other evidence of attendance at ORU and previous schools
7. visa application form, fees, and photographs (consult the instructions of your local consulate)

To confirm the requirements and procedure for applying for renewal of an F-1 visa, consult the embassy/consulate where you will be applying. Most consulates post current information on their web site. Go to http://usembassy.state.gov for a list of consular web sites worldwide. Additional information about visa application procedure can be found on http://www.unitedstatesvisas.gov.

Please be sure to plan carefully. Visa appointments and application procedures vary from consulate to consulate, and waiting times vary depending on the time of year.

Applying for a Visa in a Third Country

It is not always possible to renew your U.S. visa outside in a third country (i.e., a country that is not your country of citizenship or legal permanent residence). Some U.S. consulates do not accept visa applications from “third country nationals” at certain busy times of the year. (For example, the U.S. Embassy in Paris may not accept applications from non-French citizens during the summer.) Since 1996, many consulates around the world will not accept visa applications from third country nationals at all.