Studying in the United States is a dream of many would-be academics the world over. The United States of America is home to many notable institutions of higher learning such as: Harvard University, Yale University, Brown University, and Stanford University. In order for a foreign national to come to the United States of America to study at one of these world renown schools they must obtain a United States Student Visa.

The US Student Visa, or F1 Visa, is utilized by those aliens wishing to study in the USA. For some foreign nationals, obtainment of the student visa can at first appear to be an overwhelming impediment. Many foreign nationals are under the mistaken impression that they cannot obtain an American student visa because they are not intelligent enough, or believe that approval of the visa is based solely upon a visa applicant's financial resources. In reality, both of these concerns are only partially correct. The US Student visa does require that the applicant show that they can pay for their course of study for its entire duration. Further, an American Student visa is more likely to be granted where the applicant is seeking to take courses in high level areas of academia or in a specialty that is considered to be of high value. However, as it is and education visa, there are those who obtain the visa simply because they wish to study subjects not taught abroad and as a result have no upper level formal education to speak of in that field of study.

A common question amongst those seeking to lodge an F-1 visa application involves working in the United States. Many F1 applicants wish to work while in the USA. As a rule, F-1 visa holders will be generally barred from working in the United States of America. That being said, there are certain instances where this is not the case. An F-1 visa may allow a foreigner to be employed in the United States provided that the employed falls under that permitted under US Immigration and Labor regulations.

In general, a foreign student will be permitted to work only at the institution at which he or she is studying. Further, the foreign student will likely be restricted in the number of hours he or she may legally work. As a general rule under the law, a foreign student may only work for a maximum of 20 hrs per week. Those who engage in unlawful employment or work more hours than allowed by law may be subject to penalties.

Benjamin W. Hart is licensed to practice law in Federal District Court in the USA. He is currently working for Integrity Legal, a firm with offices in the United States and Thailand. To contact Integrity Legal please email info@integrity-legal.com or call Toll Free 1-877-231-7533, +66 (0)2-266-3698. For related information please see: K1 visa or thailand visa.