I am very pleased to announce a big step forward in the Obama Administration’s support of the Iranian people. Under our old visa policy, Iranian students and exchange visitors were eligible for visas that lasted for only three months and could be used to enter the country just one time. As of today, that has changed. They are now eligible for two-year, multiple entry visas. This gives young Iranians the opportunity to return home for family events, to participate in internships, to travel outside the United States—and they won’t need to get a new visa every time. I’ve heard from many Iranian students and Iranian Americans that you wanted this change. So I want you to know that we are listening to your concerns. We want more dialogue and more exchange with those of you who are shaping Iran’s future. We want to be able to share with you what we think is great about America…

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The US Student Visa, also referred to by the categorical title of F-1 visa, is a very popular travel document among foreign nationals who wish to travel from their home country to the United States in order to undertake a course of study. This visa category is akin to the US tourist visa (B-2 visa) insofar as both visas require the adjudication of a visa application at a US Embassy or US Consulate abroad. The US student visa is also a non-immigrant visa. It is important to note this fact because it implies that any application for such a visa must survive scrutiny pursuant to section 214(b) of the United States Immigration and Nationality Act. Not all non-immigrant visa applications are scrutinized pursuant to 214(b), most notably the L-1 visa, but many popular categories require such scrutiny.

Section 214(b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act creates the rebuttable presumption that a non-immigrant visa applicant is actually an undisclosed intending immigrant to the United States. This presumption can only be overcome by the applicant providing affirmative proof that they have a strong incentive to leave the United States rather than remain. For many, overcoming such a presumption can be difficult, but it should not be viewed as impossible as many US non-immigrant visas are issued each year.

For related information please see: J-1 visa.

Citizens of the Kingdom of Thailand are unable to travel to the United states visa-free. As a result, any Thai national who wishes to travel to the United States to study must obtain a United States Student Visa, known in immigration circles by its categorical name: the F1 visa. The F1 visa is a non-immigrant visa, meaning that those traveling to the United States on an F-1 do so with the express intention to leave at the end of the visa’s validity.  Those who wish to apply for a US student visa must prove that they have the financial resources to pay for their entire stay in America without needing to resort to government assistance. Further, the applicant must prove that they are traveling to America to take up a bona fide course of study.

Many American’s who have a Thai loved one seek to obtain an F-1 student visa for the purpose of sidestepping the necessity of waiting for a US Family based visa petition to process. In comparison to even a K-1 visa (the US fiance visa that currently is the most expeditious family based visa that has inherent immigrant intent), the F-1 visa has a much shorter processing time. That being said, those who enter the United States of America on a non-immigrant visa, but in fact have immigrant intentions could be subject to criminal penalties as this course of action could be perceived as an attempt to provide false information to United States Immigration officials. Knowingly providing false information to American Immigration authorities could be construed as fraud and, at the least, would very likely result in a finding of legal inadmissibility against the immigrant. As a rule, it is always better for those wishing to travel to the United States to do so on the visa that most properly conveys the immigrants intentions.

For more information please see: US Visa Lawyer Thailand

(Nothing herein should be considered legal advice. For advice about the law, contact an attorney. No attorney/client relationship is made by reading this article.)