U.S. Student Visa Guide 2026: F-1 Requirements, Fees, I-20, SEVIS, CPT and OPT

1. What Is an F-1 Student Visa?

An F-1 visa is the main nonimmigrant visa category for international students coming to the United States to study at an academic institution or an approved language program: universities, colleges, academic high schools, conservatories, seminaries and language schools all fall under it.

An admission letter alone is not enough. The school has to be certified through the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP). Once an SEVP-certified school accepts you and clears its own checks, it registers you in SEVIS and issues Form I-20. It's that I-20, not the admission letter, that you actually need to apply for the visa.

From there, the process runs through several different bodies, not one: your school handles admission and issues the I-20, SEVP certifies the school, the State Department processes the visa, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) decides on entry, and USCIS handles work authorization like OPT later on.

2. Form I-20 and Your SEVIS Record

Form I-20 (the Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status) is issued by your school's designated school official (DSO) once you're admitted. It carries your SEVIS ID, program details, start and end dates, and the estimated costs and funding the school has on file for you.

There's no fixed federal turnaround time for an I-20; it depends on how fast your school clears its own admission, deposit and financial-document review. Before you pay anything or start the DS-160, check the I-20 line by line: name, date of birth, program, dates, funding. Go back to your DSO if anything looks off.

SEVIS and the I-901 fee

SEVIS (the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System) is the government database that tracks international students. Once your school creates your record, your SEVIS ID appears on the I-20, and you use it to pay the I-901 SEVIS fee: currently $350 for F and M applicants. Keep the payment confirmation; you'll want it at the interview.

3. The DS-160 Application

The DS-160 is the online nonimmigrant visa application you fill out before your interview. Everything on it needs to match your other documents: passport, I-20, SEVIS record, education and travel history, contact details, school name and program dates. Once you submit it, print the confirmation page with its barcode; you'll need it at the interview.

Don't guess at dates or fill gaps to move faster. If something doesn't match your documents yet, fix the documents first.

4. Visa and SEVIS Fees in 2026

Two government fees make up the core cost: the F-1 visa application fee and the I-901 SEVIS fee.

• F-1 visa application fee: $185
• I-901 SEVIS fee: $350
• Combined: $535

That $535 doesn't cover school application fees, tuition deposits, passport costs, certified translations, travel to the embassy, or an additional visa-issuance fee some nationalities pay after approval (check the reciprocity schedule for your country). Both fees can change, and they're set by separate agencies: confirm the visa fee on the official State Department page and the SEVIS fee on the SEVP/ICE page before you pay; don't rely on a screenshot or an old guide.

5. Interview Documents and Preparation

What's asked for varies by embassy, but the core set is consistent: a passport valid for travel to the U.S., your DS-160 confirmation page, a signed I-20, and proof of I-901 payment.

Beyond that, an officer may want to see your academic side (admission letter, transcripts, diplomas, test scores) and your financial side: bank statements, scholarship letters, sponsor documents, or loan approvals that add up to a realistic way of paying for the program.

Being ready for the interview isn't about a script. Know your program and why you chose it, know your school, and know exactly how the numbers on your I-20 get covered. If you don't remember a minor detail, don't invent an answer; just say so.

6. Visa Timing and Entry Rules

A new F-1 visa can be issued up to 365 days before your program start date, but that's not the same as being allowed into the country early. As a new student, you can't enter the U.S. on an F-1 visa more than 30 days before the start date on your I-20. If your program starts September 1, an early visa issuance doesn't mean you can move in over the summer.

A visa also isn't a promise of entry. It lets you travel to a U.S. port of entry and ask to be admitted; CBP makes that call at the border, not the consulate that issued the visa. The expiration date on the visa itself isn't the same as how long you can stay, either; that depends on your admission, your enrollment, and staying in status, which your DSO can speak to more precisely than the visa sticker can.

7. Working on F-1: CPT, OPT and STEM OPT

F-1 status isn't a general work permit. On-campus work is generally capped at 20 hours a week while school is in session, and any off-campus work needs to fall into one of a few specific, authorized categories: Curricular Practical Training (CPT), Optional Practical Training (OPT), or the STEM OPT extension.

CPT

CPT is training that's an integral, curriculum-based part of your program: an internship, co-op, or practicum tied to a specific employer, authorized by your DSO before you start. One detail matters a lot here. A year or more of full-time CPT removes your eligibility for OPT at that same education level, so a long full-time placement is worth a conversation with your DSO first.

OPT

OPT is temporary employment directly related to your major, available before and/or after you finish your program, up to 12 months total at a given level (pre-completion time is subtracted from what's left after graduation). You can file for post-completion OPT from 90 days before your program end date up to 60 days after it. But a DSO recommendation isn't work authorization by itself; you need the actual EAD approved by USCIS, and its stated start date, before you can begin working.

STEM OPT

Graduates of a qualifying STEM degree can apply for a 24-month STEM OPT extension on top of standard OPT. It depends on the degree's official classification, not just a job title that sounds technical, and the employer has to be enrolled in E-Verify and complete Form I-983, the training plan that documents supervision and goals.

Unemployment limits

Standard post-completion OPT allows up to 90 cumulative days of unemployment. If you continue into STEM OPT, that combined limit rises to 150 days across both periods; it doesn't reset when you change employers, either.

8. Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Applying to a school that isn't SEVP-certified and can't issue a valid I-20.
• Mixing up the visa fee ($185) and the SEVIS fee ($350): they're separate payments to separate agencies.
• Letting names, dates or program details drift out of sync across the I-20, DS-160 and passport.
• Showing up with only an account balance and no explanation of where the money is actually coming from.
• Memorizing interview answers instead of just knowing your own plan.
• Assuming the visa guarantees entry: CBP still makes that call.
• Entering more than 30 days before the program start date as a new student.
• Starting OPT work before the EAD is approved and its start date has arrived.

This guide is general information, not legal or immigration advice. For your own situation, talk to your school's DSO or a licensed immigration attorney.