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
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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.
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