Understanding the Visa

Many students are confused about the visa document and how it relates to their immigration status. Here is a bit more information that will help you make sense of it all.

What Is a Visa?

The visa is the entry stamp in an individual’s passport that allows them to enter the United States. You must apply for it at an American consulate or embassy outside of the United States. The visa certifies that you are eligible to apply for admission at a U.S. “port of entry” in a particular immigration classification, such as F-1, J-1 or H-1B.

Note: A port of entry is a place where you can legally enter the United States. Usually, it has CBP (Customs and Border Protection) staff there who can review the immigration paperwork of entering individuals. Typically, students coming to DePauw enter through a port of entry that is an airport. 

What Is a Visa Status?

When you’re admitted into the United States at a port of entry, you are required to present your passport (with the entry visa in it) and other supporting documents to a Customs and Border Protection officer. The officer then decides whether you are eligible to enter the United States and how long you can stay. 

Ideally, they then officially admit you to the United States in a nonimmigrant status that matches the visa in your passport. This is your visa status, also called an immigration status.

The most common visa statuses at DePauw are F-1 and J-1 for students.  Your visa status should be stamped in your passport and generates an I-94 arrival/departure record.