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Immigration Requirements for Entry to the U. S. (F-1 Students)The International Students and Scholars Office (ISSO) at Boston University has prepared this handout for students who have a Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant (F-1) Student Status (SEVIS Form I-20) for a program of study at Boston University. It describes the steps you need to take in order to pay the SEVIS fee, apply for an F-1 student visa, if necessary, and to enter the U.S. as a student in F-1 immigration status. Step 1: Read your
enclosed SEVIS Form I-20 Note: The spelling of your name and your date of birth must be exactly the same as reflected in your passport. The same is true for dependents. If your name and/or date of birth on SEVIS Form I-20 are not exactly the same as the information that appears in your passport, please request that we issue you a corrected Form I-20. Please send a photocopy of the passport so that we can make sure that all information is consistent. Step 2: Make Sure
Your Passport is Valid Step 3: Pay the SEVIS Fee The U.S. Department of State (DOS) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) require proof of payment of the SEVIS fee before issuing a visa. While immigration regulations indicate that the fee should be paid a minimum of three business days prior to a visa application at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate, we suggest that students pay the fee as soon as they receive the Form I-20 to allow sufficient time for DHS to update the fee payment in the student's electronic SEVIS record. Please refer to the Student and Exchange Visitor website for more information: http://www.ice.gov/sevis/i901/index.htm
F-2 dependents are not required to pay the SEVIS fee. The SEVIS fee is NOT required from students currently in the U.S. in valid F-1 immigration status. Similarly, the fee is not required from students transferring to a new school or changing to another degree program or level within five months from the completion of the previous F-1 program. However, students who have studied in the U.S. in F-1 status in the past, but have departed the U.S. for longer than a five month period or changed to another immigration status must pay a new SEVIS fee before commencing the new program regardless of whether the student will need a new F-1 visa. Citizens of Canada and Bermuda are exempt from the requirement to possess a visa to enter the U.S. However, they are still required to pay the SEVIS fee. Proof of SEVIS fee payment for these individuals will be verified at the U.S. port of entry before they are admitted to the United States in F-1 status.
The fee can be paid to DHS either
The fee can be paid by the
student or by a third party inside or outside the U.S. However,
the student must have proof of payment when applying for the visa
and entering the U.S. We strongly
recommend that students pay the fee online with a credit card, if
possible, to secure an immediate receipt which can be printed from
the web.
All students who pay the SEVIS fee will receive a formal receipt that should be used as proof of fee payment. The receipt (Form I-797) will be sent to the mailing address provided by the student on Form I-901. This receipt notice will take time to process and to arrive in the mail. The Form I-901 instructions state that receipts will be sent via airmail at no additional cost. The payee can request expedited courier delivery by indicating this request on the Form I-901 and by paying an extra fee at the time of initial payment. If the courier delivery option is selected, the student must include a contact telephone number and actual street address since the courier will not deliver to a P.O. Box. Although fee payments usually appear in the immigration (SEVIS) record, it is strongly recommended that students retain the fee receipt with other important immigration documents to use as needed.
If you have been accepted to more than one school in the U.S., it is strongly recommended that the you decide which school you will attend before paying the fee as the student must include the unique SEVIS ID number and school code found on the SEVIS Form I-20 issued by the appropriate institution. Although DHS has confirmed that a fee payment made on one SEVIS ID number can be applied to another SEVIS ID number issued to the same individual, it could complicate a visa application and should be avoided whenever possible.
To
Pay the SEVIS Fee Online
To
Pay the SEVIS Fee By Mail
To
Pay the SEVIS Fee at a participating Western Union Agent
If you do not have access to the internet, please contact the ISSO immediately and we will forward a paper I-901 to you. Please note that the SEVIS fee is non-refundable. However, if your F-1 visa application is denied by the U.S. Embassy or Consulate, you will not be required to pay a new SEVIS fee if you reapply for a new F-1 visa within 12 months of the denial. Please contact the staff of the ISSO at issogac@bu.edu if you have any questions regarding the payment of the SEVIS fee.
Step 4: Contact the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate to obtain a valid F-1 visa Citizens
of all countries, except citizens of Canada, are required to be
in possession of F-1 visas to enter the U.S. to study. You must
initiate the visa application process with the nearest U.S. Embassy
or Consulate. It is strongly recommended that you review the web
site (http://www.usembassy.gov) of that consular post to learn about
their specific visa application procedures, documentary requirements
and deadlines. Most consular posts will process an application 120
days prior to the start date of the academic program listed on your
SEVIS Form I-20. Please refer to the following U.S. Department of
State (DOS) website for more information: http://contact-us.state.gov/cgi-bin/state.cfg/php/enduser/std_alp.php. To apply
for a visa, you will need to submit the following documents to the
U.S. Embassy or Consulate:
All visa applicants are now required to schedule an appointment for an interview. Please keep in mind that it may take a few weeks to schedule an appointment, so you should initiate your visa application as early as possible. Before your interview, practice answering questions in English about your visa application, your plans in the U.S., and your plans after you return home. If your spouse and children will remain in your country, be prepared to explain how they will support themselves without you sending them money from the U.S. Be positive and respond to questions with clear, concise answers during your interview.
You may not need to do anything special to prove that you intend to return home. It may be sufficient for you to explain, if asked, that you plan to return to your country to work, to continue your studies, or to do whatever you plan to do when you return home. However, you may be required to prove that you have such strong ties to your country that you will return there. If you believe it is likely that you will need to prove this, or would like more information, please read the handout entitled Proving "Nonimmigrant Intent" for U.S. Visa Application Purposes and refer to the Visa Process Guide on the following USDOS website: http://www.travel.state.gov/visa/tempvisitors.html
There are special procedures for citizens of Cuba, Syria, Sudan, Iran to apply for a U.S. visa. Please refer to the following USDOS website for more information: http://travel.state.gov/visa/tempvisitors_info_additional4.html.
The consular official may decide to process your application through a special “security clearance” before granting the visa. Security clearances may take as long as a few months, so it is very important that you apply for your F-1 visa as early as possible. Most consular officials request a security clearance for a visa application based on the national origin of the applicant or on a determined level of sensitivity in a prospective field of study. Once the application has been sent for security clearance, the applicant must simply wait until the consular post approves the visa.
If a visa application is denied, it is difficult to get the consulate to change its decision. For this reason, it is important that you arrive at your appointment with the best and most complete supporting information. If your visa is denied, we suggest that you ask for the reason for the denial and request the reason in writing if possible. Please visit the following USDOS website at: http://travel.state.gov/visa/frvi_denials.html and contact us and we will try to provide you with suggestions that may strengthen your next application.
Step 5: Travel to the U.S. Once you have obtained your F-1 visa, you are ready to travel to the U.S. Immigration regulations allow you to enter the U.S. no earlier than 30 days prior to the start of your program as indicated in section 5 of your SEVIS Form I-20. You must carry with you items 6-11 listed in Step 4. Place these documents in a folder or envelope that you will have with you at all times during your travel. During your trip to, or upon your arrival in, the U.S., you will be given a form called Arrival Record/Departure Record (Form I-94). Using a pen, print the information requested on this form, making certain to spell your name exactly as it is spelled in your passport.
Step 6: Apply for “admission” to the U.S. When you arrive in the U.S., you will apply for “admission” and an Immigration officer will examine your documents. You will need to present the following documents:
You will need to have the following documents ready to present, should the officer ask for them:
The Immigration officer may ask you one or more questions. If you are asked about the funds that will pay for your studies, answer the question and offer to show the officer your financial documents. If you are asked about your “intentions,” answer the question and offer to show the officer the documents that demonstrate your intent to return home.
Please be advised that citizens of certain countries may be subject to Special Registration procedures when entering the U.S. This process requires fingerprinting and photographing and could take extra time, so please plan connecting flights accordingly. You should calmly provide all information requested by the immigration officer.
If you have the required documents and there are no more questions, the officer will “admit” you to the U.S. by processing your passport, your Form I-94, and your SEVIS Form I-20. When you leave the inspection area, make certain you have the following documents in your possession: (1) passport, (2) Departure Record (part of Form I-94), (3) the SEVIS Form I-20 and (4) all financial documents. Caution Additional
Information
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