F-1
VISA APPLICATION PROCESS
Please
note: If you are currently residing in the United States
on a visa different from F-1, you may be eligible to study
full-time and keep your current visa type, or you may be required
to apply for a change of status before you can study full-time
at Oberlin College. If you are in a similar situation, please
contact our office immediately by email
or by phone (440-775-8540).
Basic
Terminology
Here
are some basic visa-related terms and documents you should
be familiar with:
• SEVIS Stands for Student and Exchange
Visitor Information System – the web-based data
exchange program for storing and tracking information on all
new and continuing F-1 international students and J-1 exchange
visitors in the United States.
• SEVIS
I-20 Form Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant
(F-1) Student Status – For Academic and
Language Students. This is the document that Oberlin College
issues via the SEVIS database to verify to the United States
Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the US Department
of State (DOS) that a student has been lawfully admitted and
is expected to enroll at the school. This form is the official
evidence of your F-1 status (see below) and is one of the
most important documents you'll need while you are studying
in the United States. You should have the original form with
you every time you travel in or outside the US. The I-20 Form
must be signed by you and the Designated School Official (see
below).
• F-1 Visa (also called F-1 Status ) The visa
type for which you will be applying as an international student
is a nonimmigrant visa called F-1 (for academic studies in
the US.) Once you have your I-20 Form from Oberlin
College, you'll need to apply for an F-1 entry visa stamp
in your passport (see below) at the US embassy or consulate
in your home country.
• Designated School Official (DSO )
The school representative on campus who advises you on immigration
matters, maintains your F-1 status record, and acts on behalf
of the USCIS in certain cases when you need permission to
travel, work, etc. Katerina Grim and Ellen Sayles are the
Oberlin College Designated School Officials.
• Entry Visa Stamp A special stamp
affixed to a page in your passport by a US consular officer
abroad. This visa stamp shows your F-1 status as an international
student and allows you to travel to the United States and
to apply to enter the country. You must have a valid
visa stamp in your passport every time you attempt to enter
the United States. The entry visa is a travel document,
while your I-20 Form is the document that proves your F-1
status while you are in the US.
• Port of Entry (POE ) The airport,
land border crossing, or port in the US where you first arrive
and apply to enter the country.
• I-94
Arrival-Departure Record A small
white card that you’ll be asked to fill in upon arrival
in the US. This card, together with a Customs Declaration
Form (CF-6059), is usually given to all
passengers on the airplane so they can fill them in while
they are still flying to the US. The I-94 card usually gets
stapled to your passport and proves when and where you last
entered the United States. The I-94 card is the official
record of your permitted length of stay in the US. It indicates
your name and birth date, visa type, the date of entry into
the US, as well as your admission number. It is
very important to keep this card in your passport at all
times.
• Admission Number (aka “A Number”)
The number the USCIS uses to identify you and your F-1 student
status while you are in the US. This number is printed on
your I-94 card and is also noted on your I-20 Form when the
immigration officer stamps it and endorses it at the port
of entry.
F-1
Visa Application Regulations and Procedures
This is an
outline of current procedures. For more information, go
to travel.state.gov/visa/temp/types/types_1268.html.
- If you are a United States citizen residing and/or studying
abroad, you do not need an entry
visa to enter the United States. If you are a dual citizen
of the US and another country, make sure you enter the
States with your U.S. passport.
- If you are a citizen of a foreign country, you will need
an F-1 visa to enter the United States. You must apply
for the visa at the U.S. embassy or consulate in your
home country. Read carefully all the visa instructions
below.
- If you are already in the US on an F-1 visa (i.e., if
you currently have an I-20 Form from another US school)
or another type of nonimmigrant visa, you may not need
to change your visa status if your visa type allows
you to study full-time in the United States. If you
do not know whether your current visa type allows you to
engage in full-time college-level study, please contact
the Office of International Students as soon as possible – we’ll
be happy to advise you. If you are in the
US on an F-1 visa from another U.S. school, you do not have
to apply for a new visa stamp unless it is about to
expire and you have plans to travel abroad before you
come to Oberlin. You can stay in the US with an expired
F-1 visa stamp in your passport as long as you have
a valid and unexpired I-20 Form from Oberlin College.
However, if your current F-1 visa stamp has expired,
the next time you travel overseas, you will have to
apply for a new visa at a U.S. embassy/consulate abroad
if you wish to re-enter the US. Please contact the
Office of International Students if you have specific
questions about your visa status that are not answered
in this booklet.
- If you are a citizen of Canada, you do not need
to apply for a visa stamp at a U.S. embassy/consulate. However,
you still have to have an I-20 Form from Oberlin and once
you have it, you must pay the SEVIS fee. You must have
proof that you have paid the SEVIS fee when you enter the
United States – please follow the instructions below.
To enter the US, you must have your Oberlin I-20 Form
and you must be able to establish both identity and
citizenship. Under
most recent regulations, all travelers to the US are required
to present a passport. Your Oberlin I-20 Form
and the I-94 Arrival-Departure Record card will be
processed at the port of entry to the US. Because the
immigration officer at the border is doing the job
of the consular officer, s/he may choose to interview
you. Be prepared
to show proof of financial support. Once the
F-1 status is granted, the immigration officer will
stamp your passport, your I-20 Form, and your I-94
card.
IMPORTANT:
US embassies and consulates can issue your F-1 visa
only within 120 days prior to the start date of your
academic program as indicated on your I-20 Form. If
you apply for a visa more than 120 days before the start
date indicated on your I-20 form, the US embassy or
consulate will hold your application until it is able
to issue the visa. Consular officials will use the extra
time to conduct any of the necessary special clearances
or other processes that may be required.
IMPORTANT:
According to Department of Homeland Security regulations,
new F-1 students may be allowed to enter the United States
only within 30 days prior to the start date indicated on
the I-20 Form. Please consider this date carefully when
making travel plans to the US. The start date
listed on the I-20 Forms for students enrolling for the
Fall 2009 semester will be August 22, 2009. This means
that the earliest you can come in the US with your Oberlin
I-20 Form is July 22, 2009. This rule does not apply to
students who are already in the US on an F-1 visa from
another U.S. school.
We advise you to apply
for the F-1 visa as soon as you receive the Oberlin I-20
Form and pay the SEVIS fee.
In most countries, first-time F-1 visa applicants are required
to appear for an in-person visa interview at a U.S. embassy/consulate.
However, each embassy or consulate sets its own interview
policies and procedures regarding student visas. You should
consult the U.S. embassy in your country for more specific
visa application instructions. Keep in mind that June, July,
and August are the busiest months in most consular sections,
and interview appointments are difficult to get during these
months. Although priority is given to students applying for
F-1 visas, you still need to plan ahead to avoid having to
make multiple visits to the embassy. To the extent possible,
you should provide the documents listed below, as well as
any other documents that help establish your ties to the
local community.
THE
SEVIS FEE REQUIREMENT
All individuals receiving an
initial SEVIS I-20 Form are required to pay a SEVIS fee before they
apply for the F-1 visa. The fee amount for F-1 students
is 200 U.S. dollars. The fee must be paid before the
date of the visa interview and the fee payment must be verified
before the F-1 visa can be issued. You are
advised to allow at least 3 business days between the fee
payment and your visa interview at a U.S. embassy/consulate.
If you are already in the US on an F-1 visa from another
U.S. school, you do not have to pay the SEVIS fee. If
you have questions about this regulation, please contact
the Office of International Students. No fee is to be paid
for F-2 dependents, i.e. spouses and dependent children of
F-1 students.
If you are a citizen
of a country exempt from the requirement to have a visa
to enter the United States (for example, Canada), you still
have to pay the SEVIS fee and you have to provide proof
of the payment at the port of entry to the US.
IMPORTANT: You
cannot pay the SEVIS fee at a U.S. embassy/consulate or
port of entry. The fee must be paid with Form I-901, which
must be completed in English with the exact personal information
as recorded on your Oberlin I-20 Form. We have
included a copy of Form I-901 in this mailing. It can also
be downloaded at www.ice.gov/sevis/i901/index.htm. Payments
can be made in one of the following ways:
1. By Regular Mail:
- Download and complete Form I-901.
- Write a check or money order drawn on a bank located
in the United States and payable in U.S. dollars. DO
NOT MAIL CASH!
- Make the check or money order payable to “I-901
Student/Exchange Visitor Processing Fee.”
- Write the name of the student and the SEVIS Identification
Number on the check. The SEVIS Identification Number
is the 10-digit number found above the bar code on
the first page of your Oberlin I-20 Form.
- Mail the completed Form I-901 with payment to:
Regular Mail Address:
I-901 Student/Exchange Visitor Processing Fee
PO Box 970020
St. Louis, MO 63197-0020
USA
OR
Courier/Express Delivery
Address:
I-901 Student/Exchange Visitor Processing Fee
1005 Convention Plaza
St. Louis, MO 63101
USA
Phone Number: 1-314-418-8833 (US Country Code is 011)
Once the information and payment
are processed, the student’s electronic SEVIS record
will be updated with the fee payment information.
2. Over the Internet
(WE RECOMMEND THIS OPTION):
- You must use a credit card to pay the SEVIS fee online.
Any Visa, MasterCard, or American Express credit
card issued in the US or abroad can be used.
- Go to www.fmjfee.com/i901fee/ and follow the instructions
to complete the Form I-901 online.
- This is the recommended payment option because as
soon as you submit the payment, you will be able
to print a receipt for immediate verification of the fee
payment. The verification will also be automatically
recorded in your electronic SEVIS record. You can
print your proof of payment to use for travel to the US
and/or to show at the U.S. embassy when you go for your
visa interview.
3. Western Union Quick Pay Option:
- This option allows you to pay the SEVIS fee in local
currency.
- This option is available in any country where Western
Union offers its Quick Pay service.
- The properly completed Western Union receipt serves
as immediate proof of payment for a visa interview
at a U.S. consulate and for admission at a U.S. port of
entry.
Follow these steps:
° Go online to www.ice.gov/sevis/i901/wu_instr.htm
and print out a copy of
the instructions along with a copy of the sample Blue Form.
° Bring your cash payment in local
currency—where applicable—to
a local participating Western Union Agent
location. Go to www.payment-solutions.com/agent.asp
to find the nearest Western Union Agent
location and select a country or call the
telephone number of the Western Union Commercial
Services Network Agent in your country
as listed in your phone book.
° Request and fill out the Blue
Form. This form may show words such as “Payment
Services” or “Quick Pay” printed
in the applicable local language. However,
please note that all Quick Pay forms will
be blue. You must fill out all appropriate
information.
REQUIRED
DOCUMENTATION FOR A FIRST-TIME F-1 VISA APPLICATION
Because
each student's personal and academic situation is different,
two students applying for the same visa may be asked different
questions and may be required to submit different documents.
For that reason, the guidelines that follow are general and
can be abridged or expanded by consular officers overseas,
depending on each student's situation.
All
F-1 Visa Applicants Must Provide:
- An I-20 Form issued by Oberlin College. Be sure
to sign the first page of your I-20 Form and provide
all pages of the form for the visa interview.
- An Application Form DS-156, together with a Form DS-158.
Some applicants may also be required to complete and sign
Form DS-157. Form DS-156 must be completed online, then
printed and submitted with the other required documents.
To access Form DS-156, go to evisaforms.state.gov.
- A passport valid for travel to the United States and
with an expiration date at least six months in the future
beyond the applicant's actual date of entry into the United
States.
- One (1) photograph measuring 2 inches by 2 inches. The
required photograph must be an unmounted, full-face front-view
color photograph taken within the last six months. Unless
worn daily for religious reasons, all hats or headgear
should be removed for the photo. In all cases, no item
or attire should cover or otherwise obscure any part of
the face. It must be submitted stapled or glued to the
Application Form DS-156. For detailed photo requirements,
see travel.state.gov/visa/temp/info/info_1287.html.
- A MRV fee receipt to show payment of the visa application
fee, a visa issuance fee if applicable, and a separate
SEVIS I-901 fee receipt. While all F-visa applicants must
pay the MRV fee, including dependents, only the F-1 principal
applicants must pay the SEVIS fee. For up-to-date information
on current fees, contact the US embassy/consulate in your
home country. IMPORTANT: The visa application
fee is different and separate from the SEVIS fee.
- During the visa interview, an ink-free, digital fingerprint
scan will be taken, as well as a digital photo. Some applicants
may need additional screening and will be notified during
the interview.
All F-1 Visa Applicants Should Be Prepared to Provide:
- Transcripts and diplomas from previous schools attended.
- Scores from standardized tests required by Oberlin College,
such as TOEFL and SAT.
- Financial evidence showing that you and/or the people
sponsoring you have sufficient funds to cover your tuition
and living expenses during the period of your intended
study in the US. For example, if you or your sponsor are
salaried employees, you can provide income tax documents
and original bank statements. If you or your sponsor own
a business, you can show business registration, licenses,
tax documents and original bank statements.
NOTE: No
assurances regarding the issuance of visas can be given in
advance by the U.S. embassy/consulate. Therefore, we advise
you not to make final travel plans or purchase non-refundable
tickets until an F-1 visa has been issued for you.
What do consular
officers look for?
• Evidence
of Residence Abroad – The consular
officer may not issue a student visa unless satisfied
that the applicant: (1) has a residence abroad, (2)
has no intention of abandoning that residence, and
(3) intends to depart from the United States upon completion
of the course of study.
•
Evidence of English Proficiency – If
your Form I-20 indicates that proficiency in English
is required for pursuing the selected course of study
and that no arrangements have been made to overcome
any English-language deficiency, the consular officer
must determine whether you have the necessary proficiency.
To this end, the officer must conduct the visa interview
in English.
•
Determining Financial Status of F-1 Students – the phrase "sufficient funds to cover expenses" means
that you must establish the unlikelihood of either becoming
a public charge or of resorting to unauthorized US employment
for financial support. You must provide documentary evidence
that sufficient funds are, or will be, available to defray
all expenses during the entire period of anticipated study.
This does not mean that you must have cash immediately
available to cover the entire period of intended study,
which may last several years. The consular officer must,
however, require credible documentary evidence that you
have enough readily available funds to meet all expenses
for the first year of study.
• Educational
Qualifications for F-1 Students – consular
officers are not expected to assume the role of admissions
counselors to determine whether you are qualified to
pursue the desired course of study, but are expected
to be alert to three specific factors: (1) that you
have successfully completed a course of study equivalent
to that normally required of an American student seeking
enrollment at the same level; (2) that you haven't
submitted forged or altered transcripts of previous
or related study or training which Oberlin College
has accepted as valid, and (3) that Oberlin College
hasn't accepted your alleged previous course of study
or training as the equivalent of its normal requirements
when, in fact, this is not the case.
What Happens When Your
F-1 Visa Application Is Granted?
The F-1 visa stamp will be placed
in your passport if your application is approved. This stamp
will indicate important information such as the visa issuance
and expiration dates, whether it is a single-entry or a multiple-entry
visa, and the name of Oberlin College as the U.S. school
you’ll be attending.
The period between the issuance
and the expiration dates is the time for which this particular
visa stamp can be used for entry and re-entry into the United
States. This period may be the same or different from the
expected amount of time you’ll need to complete your
Oberlin degree as marked on your I-20 Form. For instance,
if you obtain a visa that is valid for six months, it means
you have six months to use that visa to enter the United
States. When you get to an actual U.S. port of entry, the
admitting immigration officer will typically admit you for
the whole duration of your intended course of study (usually
the officer will write down "D/S F-1" meaning “Duration
of Status under the F-1 Visa”). If your visa stamp
expires before the end date of your I-20 Form, you can remain
in the US as long as you maintain legal F-1 status. If you
travel outside the United States with an expired visa stamp
in your passport, you will have to obtain a new visa overseas
before you can re-enter the US, even if you have been maintaining
your F-1 status and were granted admission for duration of
status at the time of initial entry.
The number of entries (single
or multiple) on the visa stamp refers to the number of times
this particular visa stamp can be used to enter the US before
the visa expires. A single-entry visa means that you can
use that visa only once. If you are a student with a single-entry
visa and you subsequently travel to another country (other
than a trip of 30 days or less to Canada or Mexico), you
will have to obtain a new visa to re-enter the United States,
even if you have been maintaining your F-1 status and were
granted admission for duration of status at the time of initial
entry. If you have a multiple-entry visa, you will be able
to use it to re-enter the United States as many times as
you like while the visa is valid, as long as you maintain
legal F-1 status and the third page of your I-20 Form is
properly signed by an Oberlin College Designated School Official.
A new signature is required on the I-20 Form every 12 months.
What Happens at the U.S. Port of Entry?
IMPORTANT: Remember
that you may be refused entry into the United States if
you attempt to arrive more than 30 days before the program
start date indicated on your SEVIS I-20 Form. An
entry visa allows a foreign citizen coming from another
country to travel to the United States and request permission
to enter the US at a port of entry. Be aware that an entry
visa does not guarantee entry into the US. When you get
to a U.S. port of entry, you must present your passport
(valid for at least six months in the future) with a valid
F-1 visa stamp in it, and your original Oberlin I-20 Form.
Always hand-carry your
documents. Do not check the following documents in your
luggage. If your luggage is lost or delayed, you
will be unable to present the documents at the port of
entry. As a result, you may not be able to enter the United
States.
1. Your passport, valid for at least
six months beyond the date of your entry into
the US;
2. SEVIS Form I-20.
In addition, it is strongly
recommended that you also hand-carry the following documentation:
1. Evidence of financial resources;
2. Evidence of student status,
such as recent tuition receipts and transcripts;
3. Paper receipt for SEVIS
fee payment (Form I-797), and
4. Name and contact information
for your Designated School Official, including a 24-hour
emergency contact number at the school.
Please have the following contact
information with you when you travel to the US: Katerina
Grim, Associate Dean of Studies/International Student Advisor/PDSO;
office phone: 440-775-8540; home phone: 440-385-6916; email:
katya.grim@oberlin.edu.
For more information on predeparture
preparation and arrival in the States, visit educationusa.state.gov/home/education-usa/global-left-nav/predeparture-information.
As you arrive at the port of
entry, proceed to the terminal area for arriving passengers.
Have your documents available for presentation: passport;
I-20 Form; Arrival-Departure Record Form (I-94 card); and
Customs Declaration Form (CF-6059). The I-94 Form should
reflect the address where you will reside, not the address
of the school or program – use the address of your
residence hall if you know it. If not, write “Oberlin
College, Oberlin, Ohio”.
All visitors entering the United
States must state their reason for wishing to enter the country.
You will also be asked to provide information about your
final destination. It is important that you tell
the immigration officer that you will be a student.
Be prepared to include the name and address of the school
program where you will enroll/participate. The immigration
officer will inspect your documents to determine your eligibility
for admission into the United States as a nonimmigrant foreign
student. The immigration officer will then photograph and
fingerprint you. The officer also has the right to question
you about your financial status, your intentions regarding
working in the United States, and your intent to attend the
school indicated on your visa and I-20. If the immigration
officer asks you whether you intend to work in the US, you
should respond that you would only work as directed by the
stipulations of your F-1 visa status. When you pass
the inspection, the officer will stamp your passport and
I-20 Form, and will write "D/S F-1" on
your I-94 card.
IMPORTANT: The
I-94 card is the official evidence of your authorized stay
in the US and it is very important to keep it in your passport.
If it’s not stapled to your passport, make sure you
keep it safe with your other documents.
IMPORTANT: Once
you have entered the United States, you are required to
report to Oberlin College (and more specifically, to our
office) within 30 days of the start date indicated on your
I-20 Form. We need to know that you are on campus and prepared
to enroll and register for classes. Failure to do so may
result in serious consequences.
Secondary Inspection
Requirement
If the immigration officer at
the port of entry cannot initially verify your information
or you do not have all of the required documentation, you
may be directed to an interview area known as Secondary
Inspection. Secondary inspection allows inspectors to
conduct additional research in order to verify information
without causing delays for other arriving passengers. The
inspector will first attempt to verify your status by using
the SEVIS system. In the event that the officer needs to
verify information with Oberlin College, you should have
the name and telephone number of the foreign student advisor
at Oberlin (see contact info listed above.)
Special Registration
Requirement (NSEERS)
F-1 students from certain countries
(such as Iran, Iraq, Libya, Pakistan, Sudan, and Syria) are
required to adhere to the National Security Entry-Exit Registration
System (NSEERS) also known as Special Registration.
These individuals are required to register with immigration
authorities at the port of entry every time they enter and
exit the United States. They are also required to notify
in writing the immigration authorities of changes of address,
employment, or school within 10 days of any change after
remaining in the United States for 30 days or more. F-1 visa
students may notify change of address through the SEVIS system – please
contact our office if you have questions about this requirement.
Non-immigrant visitors who do not comply with special registration
requirements or other terms of their admission to the United
States during their stay will be considered out of status.
Any future application for an immigration benefit may also
be impacted. F-1 students who must follow the special
registration procedure are required to use specially designated
ports when they enter or leave the United States and report
in person to an immigration officer at the designated port
on their departure date. The Cleveland Hopkins Airport is
one of these specially designated ports of entry where Oberlin
students can go through the special registration procedure
if they are required to. Visit www.ice.gov/pi/specialregistration/index.htm
for more information.
IMPORTANT: Failure
to appear in person on the date of departure before an
inspecting officer may result in denial of admission to
the United States at a later date.
It is possible to request a
waiver of all or part of the special registration requirements
for up to one year. A request must be made in writing in
the form of a letter sent to the Customs and Border Protection
(CBP). CBP will only give a ruling on requests that include
relief from arrival and/or departure registration. For details,
visit www.ice.gov/pi/specialregistration/index.htm.
How Long Can You Stay in the US on Your F-1 Visa?
As mentioned above, when you
enter the United States on an F-1 visa, you will usually
be admitted for the duration of your student status – in
other words, you may stay as long as you maintain your legal
F-1 status, even if the F-1 visa stamp in your passport expires
while you are in the States.
Here is an example regarding
duration of status: if you have an F-1 visa stamp with an
expiration date of May 31, 2010, and you are admitted into
the US for “duration of status”, you
may stay in the US as long as you maintain legal F-1 status,
even if May 31, 2010 passes and your visa stamp expires while
you are in the States. However, as mentioned above, if you
depart the US with an expired visa stamp, you will need to
obtain a new one before you can return to the US. You will
be advised about the regulations for maintaining legal F-1
status during the International Student Orientation in August.
IMPORTANT: Please
remember that an F-1 student visa cannot be renewed or
re-issued in the United States. You must apply at a U.S.
embassy/consulate abroad, preferably in your home country.
BASIC CUSTOMS INFORMATION
After passing through the immigration
area, you will collect your luggage and then, with your luggage,
pass through customs. A customs inspector will ask you to
declare what you have brought into the country, inspect your
bags, and review the customs form you filled out on the airplane
(CF-6059). All persons entering the US are liable to have
their luggage inspected by a customs officer at the port
of entry. Penalties for concealing declarable items can be
very severe, so be honest and make a full declaration. Items
for your personal use may be brought into the United States
without paying duty. As a nonresident, you are also allowed
to bring in gifts with a total value up to 100 U.S. dollars
duty free. If the total value of such items exceeds 100 U.S.
dollars, you will need to pay duty.
You must declare the amount
of money you have with you, but you do not have to pay duty
on it. Money in any amount may be brought into and taken
out of the United States, but anyone bringing more than 10,000
U.S. dollars into the country must file a report with the
customs official. Keep in mind that your home country
may have exchange control regulations setting the amount
of money you can take out – it is your responsibility
to know and abide by these regulations.
Certain articles are forbidden
or restricted. These include plants, fruits, meats, vegetables,
clothing made from the skins of endangered animals, ivory,
lottery tickets, obscene articles or publications, and switchblade
knives. Drugs without a doctor's prescription or narcotics,
such as barbiturates, amphetamines, and marijuana, are strictly
prohibited. The airline company on which you have
booked your flight should have the most up-to-date customs
information. The U.S. embassy/consulate in your home country
can also clarify various customs regulations for you.
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