Students outside of the U.S. wishing to study at Lone Star College can apply for an F-1 visa. The terms of this visa require you to be full-time students (minimum of 12 credit hours each semester) and be in good standing with United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) while studying in the United States.

Once you have been accepted for admission by one of the Lone Star colleges, your advisor will send you a welcome packet containing a SEVIS I-20 form, which you will use to obtain your F-1 student visa at a local U.S. embassy or consulate.

Prior to interviewing for the student visa, you will be required to pay the SEVIS fee via mail using the I-901 form, Western Union, or by logging on to www.fmjfee.com. You must present your receipt to the U.S. embassy or consulate before being permitted to interview.

This process may vary for different embassies, and can cost several hundred dollars and take weeks or months to process, so plan early.

The student is solely responsible for applying for an F-1 visa or change of status with the U.S. Government or transferring their SEVIS record if already an F-1 student at another U.S. institution.

For guidance on visas and change of status, please refer to https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/students for each applicant type.