F-1学生签证申请全流程：从录取、I-20到面谈，两笔费用与30天入境规则
每年都有大量中国学生赴美留学，F-1是学术类学生最常用的签证。按美国国务院的规定，申请流程的起点不是签证，而是录取：学生必须先被一所经学生和交流访问者项目（SEVP）认证的学校录取，学校随后签发I-20表格，这是申请F-1签证的核心文件。
拿到I-20后有三步要花钱和填表。第一笔是I-901 SEVIS费，350美元，在fmjfee.com缴纳，用于维持学生和交流访问者信息系统（SEVIS）的运行，缴费时需要I-20上的SEVIS号码。第二步是在线填写DS-160非移民签证申请表。第三笔是签证申请费185美元，不予退还，缴清后预约到美国使领馆面谈。面谈时要带齐I-20、护照、DS-160确认页和财力证明等材料，签证官通常会问就读学校、专业和资金来源。
时间上有两个关键数字：学生签证最早可在开学前一年内签发，但持F-1签证首次入境美国不得早于I-20上开学日期的30天。另外要分清三类学生签证：F-1发给学术项目学生，M-1发给职业和非学术项目学生，J-1是交流访问者签证，规则各不相同，不要混用。国务院提醒申请人，费用和规则可能调整，缴费前应到其官网的学生签证页面再核对一次。（来源：美国国务院）
The F-1 Student Visa Process Explained: From Admission and the I-20 to the Interview, Fees and the 30-Day Entry Rule
Large numbers of Chinese students come to study in the United States each year, and the F-1 is the most common visa for academic students. Under U.S. Department of State rules, the process starts not with the visa but with admission: the student must first be accepted by a school certified by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), which then issues Form I-20, the core document for the F-1 application.
After receiving the I-20, applicants face two fees and one form. The first is the I-901 SEVIS fee of $350, paid at fmjfee.com to support the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System; the SEVIS number from the I-20 is needed to pay it. Next comes the online DS-160 nonimmigrant visa application form. The third item is the $185 visa application fee, which is nonrefundable; once paid, the applicant books an interview at a U.S. embassy or consulate, bringing the I-20, passport, DS-160 confirmation page and proof of funds, and should expect questions about the school, the program and the source of funding.
Two timing numbers matter: a student visa can be issued up to a year before the program start date, but a first entry to the United States on an F-1 visa cannot be earlier than 30 days before the start date on the I-20. The three student categories should not be confused: the F-1 is for academic programs, the M-1 for vocational and nonacademic programs, and the J-1 for exchange visitors, each with different rules. The State Department advises applicants to re-check its student visa pages before paying, as fees and rules can change. (Source: U.S. Department of State)
来源：美国国务院
发布：GSM·美国（发布链接）
图片来源：图片来源：大学生在校园里（Tom Hilton 摄，Wikimedia Commons，CC BY 2.0） / Image: Students on a university campus, by Tom Hilton, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
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