Immigration

All international students planning to study at the University of Richmond must obtain the appropriate visas before traveling to the United States. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the U.S. Department of State (DOS) are responsible for implementing and overseeing immigration regulations for non-immigrant students.

Non-Immigrant Students

• An F-1 student is a non-U.S. citizen who is pursuing a full-time course of study to achieve a specific educational or professional objective at a U.S. academic institution that has been designated by the DHS to offer courses of study to such students.
• A J-1 student is a non-U.S. citizen who is enrolled full-time at an accredited educational institution in either a degree or non-degree prescribed course of study that is supported by a U.S. or foreign government, a U.S. or foreign academic institution, or an international organization.

The Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) helps the DHS and DOS monitor F and J category visitors. The Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) is an Internet database that houses information about all international students studying in the United States.