M1 visa symbol meaning.

What M1 means in 22 CFR 41.12

Section 41.12 of Title 22 of the Code of Federal Regulations is titled “Classification symbols”. It opens: “A nonimmigrant visa issued to an applicant within one of the classes described in this section shall bear an appropriate visa symbol to show its classification. The symbol shall be inserted in the space provided on the visa.” Table 1 to that section then lists each symbol with its class and the section of law. The row for M1 is:

The statute behind the symbol

The “section of law” column points to the Immigration and Nationality Act. Most rows cite INA 101(a)(15), codified at 8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(15), the definition of “immigrant”, which lists the classes of nonimmigrant aliens by letter and begins: “The term “immigrant” means every alien except an alien who is within one of the following classes of nonimmigrant aliens”.

The M1 row cites INA 101(a)(15)(M)(i). Subparagraph (M) has three clauses; clause (i) reads:

“an alien having a residence in a foreign country which he has no intention of abandoning who seeks to enter the United States temporarily and solely for the purpose of pursuing a full course of study at an established vocational or other recognized nonacademic institution (other than in a language training program) in the United States particularly designated by him and approved by the Attorney General, after consultation with the Secretary of Education, which institution shall have agreed to report to the Attorney General the termination of attendance of each nonimmigrant nonacademic student and if any such institution fails to make reports promptly the approval shall be withdrawn”

Source: INA 101(a)(15)(M)(i)

Reading the M1 row against its neighbours

The three M rows in Table 1 line up with the three clauses. M1 cites clause (i), M2 (Spouse or Child of M1) cites clause (ii), and M3 (Canadian or Mexican National Commuter Student, Vocational Student or Other Nonacademic Student) cites clause (iii). Clause (iii) describes a national of Canada or Mexico “who maintains actual residence and place of abode in the country of nationality” and “who commutes to the United States institution or place of study from Canada or Mexico”.

The text of clause (i) has two phrases worth reading closely: the course of study is at a “vocational or other recognized nonacademic institution”, and it is “other than in a language training program”. Clause (iii) adds that the commuter’s “course of study may be full or part-time”.

The M1 row does not say which schools are approved. The statute describes an institution “approved by the Attorney General, after consultation with the Secretary of Education”. A list of approved schools is outside Table 1, and this page does not provide one.

What this page does not tell you

A visa symbol is a label. Table 1 says what each class is called and where the classification comes from in law. It says nothing about who qualifies, what evidence is needed, how long anyone may stay, whether work is allowed or what an application costs. Those answers sit in other regulations and in agency guidance and they change, so use the lookup above to read the label and then take the question to the State Department’s visa pages (travel.state.gov, which blocked automated reading on November 2, 2026, so we have not cited its contents) or a licensed immigration attorney.

For other codes seen on immigration paperwork, see the EAD category code lookup, which covers a different code set, and the I-94 number format checker.

• Q1 visa symbol meaning: Q1, the exchange-program symbol.

Sources

Sources opened and read November 2, 2026.

• eCFR: 22 CFR 41.12 Classification symbols, Table 1 (current text; last amended 2023-09-12 per the eCFR version history) (read November 2, 2026)
• eCFR renderer API, the same section as machine-readable text (read November 2, 2026)
• Cornell Legal Information Institute: 8 U.S.C. 1101, definitions, subsection (a)(15) (read November 2, 2026)