U.S. Visa
Generally, any citizen of a foreign country seeking to enter the United States for any period must first obtain a U.S. visa, which is placed in the traveler’s passport to authorize them entry into the country. Our international students at BYU–Hawaii can enter the United States for the purpose of student if they apply for either a student visa or an exchange visitor visa.
Certain international travelers may be eligible to travel to the U.S. without a visa. For example, our international students from Canada do not need to apply for a visa; However, they must obtain a certificate of eligibility, I-20 or DS-2019 prior to entering the states on student or exchange visitor status.
To get a visa, you must receive a certificate of eligibility (DS-2019 or I-20) from the school.
You also need to schedule an appointment at the US embassy in your home country.
To renew your Visa, make sure that you visit the ISS office and that you DS-2019 is updated. You will need to go through the same process to renew your visa.
What if my visa expires, do I need to renew it?
If you have an expired visa, you can stay in the country as long as you have an current updated DS-2019 or I-20. However, if you decide to exit the country on an expired visa, you will need to reapply for a new visa to come back in the country.
What if my visa gets denied?
If your visa request gets denied, you need to identify the reason of the denial. Usually, the embassy will issue you a ticket at the end of your interview which specify the reason of the visa denial. You can contact the ISS office to get more advice on your situation.