Can I just go to a country like Canada to apply for a new US Visa?

Upvote:11

Unfortunately, the F1 expires after a year for Russian nationals, so it seems that I must fly back to Russia annually to apply for a visa every year. I was wondering if I could somehow avoid the flight back to Russia.

A U.S. visa is only for entering the United States. You would only need to get a new visa if you need to leave and enter the United States again. Do you? If you do, then you can apply for a U.S. visa at whatever place you need to go.

A U.S. visa has nothing to do with staying inside the U.S., which is governed by your status (the I-94, and for F1 students, the I-20). You do not need a valid visa to stay in the U.S. (as long as you have valid status), and conversely, having a valid visa does not mean you can stay in the U.S. (if your status has expired).

Going to Canada to get a U.S. visa would only make sense if you need to leave the U.S. to go to a third country (not Russia) for which you need a visa, and they want to see a valid U.S. visa as a prerequisite for getting that country's visa.

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