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F-1 Visa Thailand

What is an F-1 Visa?

The F-1 is a United States Visa designed for those seeking a temporary stay in the United States for the purpose of study. Next to the Tourist visa and the Business Visa, the student visa may be the most popular US visa category among applicants in Thailand. During the summer months in Bangkok the US Embassy Thailand seems to be particularly busy processing US Student Visas for Thai nationals. It is rather refreshing to see the fresh faced youths lining up inside the Embassy for their Visa interview during the F1 visa "high season."

There are certain misconceptions about this type of visa and for this reason we will provide a brief overview of the F-1 student visa from the perspective of a prospective visa applicant from Thailand.

Who is eligible for the American F-1 Student visa?

Prospective students from the Kingdom of Thailand who wish to partake of academic study in the United States of America can gain entry upon an F-1 Student visa if:

• The Thai student is enrolled in an "academic" study program, or a language course
• The American educational institution needs approval from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS);
• The Thai student needs to maintain enrollment as a full-time student at the school;
• The student from Thailand needs to have English proficiency or else they must be taking courses which will eventually lead to a proficiency in the English language;
• The Thai student needs to have enough funding available in order to support them until the end of the prospective course of study; and
• The Thai student needs to keep up a residence in Thailand which they do not intend to abandon.

US Student Visas are a widely sought Travel Document by Thai Citizens who wish to broaden their horizons through study in the United States of America. There is also an F-2 derivative visa available for the family of those present in the United States or preparing to travel to the United States upon a tourist visa.