Visa Requirements

Be Prepared

Be sure that your passport is valid. Be clear and definite about your studies. Be ready to say what you want to study and what kind of career it will prepare you for in your home country. Be prepared to explain why it is better for you to study in the US than at home.

Know and Understand the Rules

The rule is the number one reason for denials of student visa applications. This is the most important rule, which may seem unusual to you.

The consular officer who makes the decision on your visa application is required to think of you as someone who plans to come to the US permanently; it is up to you to prove that you intend to return to your county after completing your studies. US law clearly states that F visas may be given only to persons who intend to remain in the US temporarily.

The other important rules are:

You must have a definite academic objective.

You must know what you are going to study.

You must definite about your choice of school. If you do not seem certain that you want to Broward Community College, you will not get a visa.

You must be qualified for the program of study.

You must be adequately financed and have the documents to

US Government officials are much more easily convinced by documents than by spoken statements.

When possible, have papers to show your connections to your home country. In the US it is considered important to be impersonal when administering laws. Do not try to negotiate or discuss personal matters.

Show documents that prove ties to your home country. If your family owns a business, take letters from a bank, describing the business, to the visa interview with you. If your family owns property, take the deeds. If you have a brother or sister who studied in the US and then returned home, take a copy of their diploma and a statement from an employer showing that they have returned home. If you cannot get a promise, show that an individual or company in your home country will give you a job when you returned home. If possible, show that an individual or company in your home country will give you a job, or that the company needs people with the kind of education you are coming to the US to receive.

Do not emphasize any ties you may have to the US or to family members in the US. Your visa application is stronger if at least part of your financial support comes from your country, even if most or it comes from the US.

Do not speak of working in the US. Employment is not guaranteed and cannot be used as part of your financial support for visa purposes.

Please read your I-20. Especially note your start and end dates and the rules and regulations on page 2. Once you obtain your student visa, you cannot enter the country any earlier that 30 days before the start date on your I-20.

Good luck! We look forward to meeting you at BCC.