U.S. Visa Overview

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.