Immigration Information and Visa Application Process

1. Student will apply for a visa.
   a. Student must visit the consulate or embassy with the following documents:
   I-20A-b
   Valid passport
   Financial information
   Letter of admission from school
   b. Student must complete visa application.
   c. Every American embassy/consulate works from the same set of regulations and laws but will have different procedures for their location. Some will require a person-to-person interview; some will collect the documents and give the student an appointment for sometime in the near future; some will give an appointment and ask the student to come back with all the documentation. If the visa is approved, the student will be given the visa stamp and passport.
2. On the flight to the United States, the student will be given document I-94 (which includes three sections – the instructions, the arrival record card and the departure record card).
3. At the port-of-entry, the student will present to the immigration officer the following:
   a. Valid passport and visa
   b. Sealed envelope with I-20
   c. Completed I-94 (all three sections)
   d. Any other requested information such as financial information or admission letter
4. The information officer will:
   a. Return the valid passport with valid visa with an INS entry stamp
   b. Return the departure record card to the student (usually stapled in the passport)
   c. Separate the I-20, keeping the first page for immigration records and returning the I-20ID to the student with INS entry stamp in the right-hand corner
   d. Return any other requested information

Special Note Regarding Canadians: Canadians do not need passports or visas to enter the U.S. A student should take the I-20 A-B, passport and financial documentation to the Canadian/U.S. border. U.S. immigration officers will separate the I-20, keeping the first page for immigration records and returning the I-20ID Student Copy to the student with INS entry stamp in the right-hand corner, and will have the student complete the I-94 and return the departure record card to the student as evidence of legal entry to the U.S. as an F-1 student. If the Canadian has a passport, he/she can present the passport also.