I will be visiting friends in the USA next summer on a tourist visa. While in the US I plan to apply at schools so I can study in America. If I am accepted at a school, do I need to return to Poland to apply for the student visa, or is it possible to do that in the US?

Looking at potential schools in the United States is a legitimate activity while visiting on a B1/B2 visa. To participate in a full-time course of study in the United States, you must first obtain a completed I-20 form from the institution where you intend to enroll. You must then pay the $100 SEVIS registration fee, which is a one-time fee required by law.

Once you have received an I-20 and paid the SEVIS fee, if you intend to begin your course of study without returning to Poland, you must change your status from B1/B2 to F or J by completing and submitting DHS form I-539 and paying the associated $200 application fee (see www.uscis.com and click on Immigration Forms). You may not begin your course of study without first changing status.

If you leave the U.S. at any time after you have received student status, you will need to obtain a student visa so that you will be permitted to re-enter the U.S. and continue your studies. In order to obtain a student visa, you will need to make application at a U.S. embassy or consulate and present your I-120 and proof that you have paid the SEVIS fee. For information on making application for a visa in Warsaw, please visit the Embassy's website.