Okay, so, I was looking into this whole “Can I work in the military with an F1 visa in the USA?” thing. It’s a bit of a head-scratcher, right? I mean, you’d think if you’re legally in the country, studying and all, you might be able to serve, but boy, was I in for a ride.
First, I started digging around online. Forums, official websites, you name it. I found some people talking about border crossing cards and different visa types like student or work visas, but nothing concrete about F1 students and the military.
Then, I stumbled upon something about the UK changing their visa rules from January 2025, but that’s a whole different country. I did learn, though, that British Army recruits under 18 have to serve longer, like up to 6 years. Interesting, but not really what I was looking for.
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I also read a bunch about these tax return forms, GSTR-2A and GSTR-2B, which had nothing to do with my question, but hey, I learned something new about the GST portal.
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There was another thing about H2B visas, and something called ‘peak-load need’, and ‘intermittent need’. A ton of confusing stuff I never thought would be part of this whole mess.
Anyway, after all that, I still couldn’t find a clear answer. It seems like joining the military on an F1 visa is a big gray area. And I also found that the F visa has some relations with the O visa, I don’t know if it’s helpful.
I ended up pretty much where I started, but with a whole lot more random information in my head. I even started thinking about what it would be like to leave the military if I ever got in. It’s all just so complicated.
To sum it up
It’s a mess. If you’re an F1 student thinking about the US military, I think you’ve got a long, confusing road ahead. But hey, if I ever figure it out, I’ll be sure to share what I find. It feels like one of those things you have to actually experience to truly understand, you know?
