The United States does not issue a single “study permit” card like some countries. Academic and language students use F-1 status. Vocational and other nonacademic programs use M-1. Both start with an SEVP-certified school and a Form I-20 Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status created in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS).
What documents come before the visa?
Apply only to schools that appear in the SEVP School Search. After admission, the designated school official (DSO) issues a signed Form I-20 showing your program dates, funding, and SEVIS ID. Dependents who will live with you each need their own I-20. Pay the I-901 SEVIS fee using the SEVIS ID and school code from that form before the visa interview or before seeking admission if you are visa-exempt.
Most applicants then complete Form DS-160, pay the visa application fee, and interview at a US embassy or consulate with the original I-20, I-901 receipt, passport, photo, and financial evidence. F-1 and M-1 visas can be issued up to 365 days before the program start date on the I-20, but you may enter the United States no more than 30 days before that start date. Canadians and some other visa-exempt travellers still need a valid I-20 and SEVIS fee payment to seek admission as students.
Can you switch from tourist status inside the US?
B-1/B-2 visitors and Visa Waiver Program travellers generally may not enroll in a degree or certificate course of study. Short recreational, non-credit classes during a tourist visit are a narrow exception. If you are already in the United States in a status that forbids study, you must either leave and obtain an F-1 or M-1 visa abroad, or file Form I-539 for a change of status and wait for approval before classes begin. Enrolling while a change-of-status case is pending is a status violation and can make you ineligible for the change.
Confirm your current admission class on Check your I-94. Student employment such as on-campus work, Curricular Practical Training, or Optional Practical Training follows separate USCIS and DSO rules; many practical-training categories need work authorization rather than assuming the I-20 alone is a work card. Classroom English expectations vary by school; national context sits in English language requirements.
After arrival, report to your DSO so the SEVIS record is registered, then complete ordinary landing tasks in paperwork after moving.
Common misconceptions
A B-2 stamp plus a university acceptance letter does not authorize a full course of study.
Paying tuition or receiving an I-20 does not replace the visa interview or a USCIS change-of-status approval when one is required.
Summary
Secure an SEVP school’s Form I-20, pay the I-901 SEVIS fee, then either complete the F-1/M-1 visa interview abroad or wait for an approved change of status before you start classes.
Treat tourist entry as incompatible with degree study, and keep your DSO involved for every SEVIS update after you arrive.
Sources
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