F-1 Visa (Academic Students) - U.S. Embassy Bogotá, Colombia

Nonimmigrant Visa Unit

F-1 and F-2 Visas (Academic Students)

What is an F-1 visa?

An F-1 visa is for applicants whose primary purpose of travel to the United States is to study in an academic program. If you are planning to travel to the United States primarily for tourism but would also like to study, you may be able to do so using a B-1/B-2 visa. However, if your primary purpose of travel is to study, you generally will need a student visa.

For a more complete explanation of the F visa, please see 9 FAM 41.61.

Spouse and Children of an F Principal Alien

Spouses and children under the age of 21, regardless of nationality, can apply for and receive F-2 visas to accompany or follow-to-join the principal alien in the United States. Derivatives receive the same visa classification as the principal alien.

How do I apply for an F-1 visa?

Follow the below steps in order to apply for an F-1 visa at the Embassy:

Purchase a personal identification number. If you are in the United States, skip this step and go to step 2.
Contact our Visa Information Center to schedule an appointment with the consular officer.
Pay the nonrefundable visa application fee.
New students must pay the nonrefundable Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) fee.
Appear at the Nonimmigrant Visa Unit on the date/time of your visa interview appointment.

What documents are required in order to apply for an F-1 visa?

Every F-1 visa applicant must provide the following documents:

A valid passport with at least six months’ validity remaining. Note that we are unable to process visas for applicants whose passports contain any type of powder. Also, we cannot accept damaged passports.
A completed and signed Form DS-156 (Nonimmigrant Visa Application). You may obtain Form DS-156 at any authorized Banco de Crédito office, or you may download the form from our website. If you download it from our website, make sure to print both pages of the form on one letter-size (8.5 inches by 11 inches) sheet of paper, front and back. You must take the completed form to Banco de Crédito when you pay the nonrefundable visa application fee.
For applicants who are at least 14 years of age but under 80, a completed and signed form DS-157 (Supplemental Nonimmigrant Visa Application). You may obtain form DS-157 at any authorized Banco de Crédito offices, or you may download the form from our website.
A completed and signed Form DS-158.
A photograph. Glue the photograph to the front of the Form DS-156 in the photograph space.
Form I-20A-B [Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant (F-1) Student Status - For Academic and Language Students]. You will need to submit a SEVIS-generated Form, I-20A-B, which was provided to you by your school. You and your school official must sign the Form I-20A-B. All students, as well as their spouses and dependents must be registered in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), an Internet-based system that maintains accurate and current information on non-immigrant students and exchange visitors and their dependents. Your school is responsible for entering your information from the Form I-20A-B into SEVIS.
A Colombian national identity card (cédula de identidad personal) for citizens of Colombia 18 years of age and older, a Colombia residency card for residents of Colombia 18 years of age and older, or an identification card for citizens and residents of Colombia under 18). If you just turned 18 and have not yet received your cedula or residency card, you must present the receipt issued by the Registraduría as well as the corresponding annotation on the passport.

What other documents may be required for F-1 visa applicants?

Applicants for an F-1 visa should be prepared to provide the following additional documents at the visa interview:

Transcripts and diplomas from any previous institutions attendend.
Scores from standardized tests required by the educational institution such as the TOEFL, SAT, GRE, GMAT, MCAT, etc.
Financial evidence that shows you and/or your sponsors have sufficient funds to cover your tuition and living expenses during the period of your intended study. For example, if you or your sponsor is a salaried employee, please bring income tax documents and original bank books and/or statements. If you and/or your sponsor own a business, please bring business registrations, licenses, tax documents, as well as original bank books and/or statements.

Important Note: As a result of strict security procedures, some applications may require longer processing times. The application process cannot be accelerated, so you should not make final travel plans or purchase nonrefundable tickets until/unless you receive your visa. Visa applicants should never assume that their application will be approved.

Embassy of the United States

Nonimmigrant Visa Unit