Alright, so you wanna know about this “exchange visitor number” thingy for the F1 visa, huh? Lemme tell ya, it ain’t as complicated as them city folks make it sound. It’s just a bunch of numbers and letters they use to keep track of all them youngsters comin’ over here to study.
Now, they call it a fancy name, somethin’ like SEVIS ID. Sounds important, right? Well, it kinda is, I guess. It’s like a tag they put on ya, so they know who you are and what you’re doin’ here. This number is for the students who got that F1 visa to come learn stuff in America.
Where do you find this number, you ask? Well, it ain’t hidden under a rock, that’s for sure. If you got that F1 visa, you probably got a paper called Form I-20. It’s a fancy certificate, says you’re allowed to study here. Look in the top left corner, and there it is – that SEVIS number. Plain as day, just like a cow in a field.
But sometimes, things ain’t so simple. You might be fillin’ out some papers, and they ask for this “exchange visitor number” and you’re scratchin’ your head, thinkin’, “What in tarnation is that?” Especially if you’re doin’ it online, on that newfangled “portal” they got. Well, for you F1 students, most of the time, the answer is easy: NA. That’s it. Just write NA, means it don’t apply to you in that particular situation.
Don’t get it twisted, this SEVIS thing, it ain’t just for the F1 folks. There are other folks, like them J visa holders, they got exchange visitor numbers too. But their situation is a bit different. We ain’t talkin’ about them today, though. We’re focusin’ on you F1 students.
Now, some folks get confused. They see “F1 visa number” and think it’s the same as this “exchange visitor number.” But hold your horses, it ain’t the same thing. The F1 visa number, that’s somethin’ else entirely. It’s on your visa, that sticker they put in your passport. It’s called a visa foil number, too fancy for my taste. They both got numbers, but they’re different numbers for different things. Like apples and oranges, you see?
This SEVIS thing, it’s like a big ol’ computer system. Keeps track of all the students and exchange visitors. The government uses it to make sure everyone is where they’re supposed to be and doin’ what they’re supposed to do. They keep tabs on you, your school, all that stuff. It’s like a big net, catchin’ all the information.
- So, to recap:
- Exchange visitor number for F1 students is usually the SEVIS ID.
- Find it on your Form I-20, top left corner.
- If they ask for it on a form and you’re F1, it might just be NA.
- Don’t mix it up with the F1 visa number, that’s different.
- SEVIS is a system to keep track of students and exchange visitors.
Now, don’t you go frettin’ about all this. It ain’t rocket science. Just follow the instructions, and if you get stuck, ask somebody who knows. There are plenty of folks at the school, or wherever you’re goin’, who can help you out. They deal with this stuff all the time.
And remember, you ain’t the only one who’s confused. Lots of folks get mixed up by all these numbers and forms. Just take it one step at a time, and you’ll figure it out. It’s just like learnin’ to bake a pie, first time it seems hard, but after a while, it’s easy as pie. You’ll get the hang of it.
So that’s the long and short of it. This exchange visitor number, it ain’t so scary after all. Just another one of them things you gotta deal with when you’re comin’ to America to study. Now you go on and get that education, make somethin’ of yourself.
Tags: [F1 Visa, Exchange Visitor Number, SEVIS ID, Form I-20, Student Visa, Visa Application, International Students, Study in USA, Visa Information, Immigration]
