a) WHO IS THE VISA FOR?
This visa is for aliens who wish to come to the U.S. to enroll in a vocational/business school or a community/junior college.
b) WHO MAKES THE APPLICATION/PETITION?
The person applies for the visa at a U.S. consulate once it has received a certificate of eligibility from the school that has accepted her/him.
c) WHERE/HOW DO THEY APPLY?
The person applies for the visa at a U.S. consulate once it has received a certificate of eligibility from the school that has accepted her/him.
d) HOW LONG DOES PROCESSING TAKE?
Consulates process in 24 to 48 hours.
e) HOW LONG IS VALIDITY?
Validity is for time required to complete the course + 30 days or for one year, whichever is less.

The M visa is available to international students who are coming to the U.S. to pursue a full-time course of study at an established vocational school or other nonacademic school that has been approved by the INS. Typical institutions that accept M students include community and junior colleges that provide vocational and technical training, vocational high schools, and other schools that provide nonacademic training, other than English language instruction. The school must demonstrate that its international student program will fulfill educational objectives and will not be used as a means of making the students work. Students are designated M-1 and their spouses and children are M-2.

The most basic requirement for a course of study to qualify for an M-1 visa is that it must lead to a specific educational or vocational objective. The student must engage in a full course of study, the definition of which depends on the type of institution.