Q: Can I enter US on ESTA 30 days before my student visa? And if so would there be any complications leaving and re-enterin
Hi, I start University in Chicago In January. I'm currently a Sweden resident and have a ESTA visa waiver. I want to travel to the US 30 days before my student visa date. AND I want to visit the US for about 3 months before my student visa. So if I were to do this I've heard I would have to leave the country and re-enter the US using my student F-1 visa. But could I be able to leave the US and re-enter right away like within the very next day? Or would I not be allowed back in so quickly? Do I have to stay in Sweden for about a week or two before re-entering the US on my student visa? Because my plan was this: Go to US in October to visit and just before the 90 days on my ESTA expire. I go back to Sweden and re-enter the US the same day on my student F-1 visa. I just don't want them to not let me back into the US because I'm going in and out of Sweden and I would HAVE to be there for my studies before January or on the very first week of January.
A: One can enter the US on an F1 visa no earlier than 30 days prior to the program start date
A: You can enter the US on the ESTA Visa Waiver Program before the start date of your F-1 student visa. However, if you plan to exit and re-enter the US on your F-1 visa, border officers will assess your intent upon re-entry; rapidly re-entering could raise suspicions about your intentions. While there's no set period you must remain outside the US before re-entering, it's advisable to allow sufficient time between exits and re-entries to avoid potential complications at the border.
Justia Ask a Lawyer is a forum for consumers to get answers to basic legal questions. Any information sent through Justia Ask a Lawyer is not secure and is done so on a non-confidential basis only.
The use of this website to ask questions or receive answers does not create an attorney–client relationship between you and Justia, or between you and any attorney who receives your information or responds to your questions, nor is it intended to create such a relationship. Additionally, no responses on this forum constitute legal advice, which must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each case. You should not act upon information provided in Justia Ask a Lawyer without seeking professional counsel from an attorney admitted or authorized to practice in your jurisdiction. Justia assumes no responsibility to any person who relies on information contained on or received through this site and disclaims all liability in respect to such information.
Justia cannot guarantee that the information on this website (including any legal information provided by an attorney through this service) is accurate, complete, or up-to-date. While we intend to make every attempt to keep the information on this site current, the owners of and contributors to this site make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information contained in or linked to from this site.
