Applying New U.S. Student Entry Visa in Third Country with Current Expired U.S. Student Entry Visa

Unfortunately, it is not possible to apply for a new F-1 entry visa inside the U.S.; you can only obtain a new F-1 entry visa applying at a U.S. Embassy/Consulate abroad.

The best place to apply is your home country or country of permanent residence, though it is possible to apply in a third country (see this ISO Knowledge Base article).  In certain cases, if you are traveling to another country (for example for research, a conference, or potentially job interviews), it MAY be possible to apply for a new entry visa at the U.S. Embassy/Consulate while in that country (though you would need to wait in that country for the visa to be processed and if the visa application is denied you would have to travel from that country back to your home country and apply with the U.S. Embassy/Consulate there). 

Processing times for visas can vary, as well as securing visa interview appointments.  You will want to plan as much in advance as possible.

One other important note….

In recent years, we have seen situations that a student with an expired F-1 visa traveling to a country other than their home country may have difficulty securing a visa to enter that other country to enter for their interview/travel since you do not have a valid U.S. F-1 entry visa in your passport to return directly to the U.S.  Some countries feel it is a high risk you could get stuck in their country if you cannot get your U.S. visa renewed, so they have at times not granted permission to travel to their country.  I had seen a number of these cases in countries in Europe.  Not sure if this is still the case, but just wanted to alert you to this.

In these cases, you and your employer may want to do as much interviewing as possible remotely in case there are visa issues to travel in-person.  The employer may also be able to assist in obtaining any required visa to enter their country. 

If you get an interview offer outside the U.S., you may want to contact that country’s Embassy/Consulate located in the U.S. to see if you will have any issues traveling to that country with an expired U.S. F-1 visa.  

For information on applying for the new F-1 entry visa, you can check the guidance on the U.S. Embassy/Consulate office where you would be applying (https://usembassy.gov). 

Please note we also recommend that if you will be traveling and applying for a new F-1 entry visa that you obtain an updated Form I-20 with new travel signature in advance of any travel.  Instructions on requesting a new Form I-20 is available on the ISO Visas and Travel webpage:  https://iso.mit.edu/visas-and-travel/

We hope this information is helpful.  Please contact your ISO Advisor if any questions arise.