Applying for your F-1 Student Visa Scroll down this page to read more about getting your visa. For a printable brochure click here. Getting Your Student Visa

• Submit your CESL application and financial documents. We will send you an I-20. Apply several months before you want to study.
• Pay the SEVIS $100.00 fee and get your receipt. http://fmjfee.com CESL can do this for you if you authorize it on your application.
• Get information and forms from the US Embassy or Consulate nearest your home.
• Print a visa application form. http://evisaforms.state.gov
• Make an appointment for your visa interview. Allow time to pay the SEVIS fee and get your receipt. http://www.travel.state.gov/visa/tempvisitors_wait.php
• Prepare for your interview. Read the advice below carefully.
• Please tell us what happens. cesl@email.arizona.edu
• Arrival in the US - see the information below

ABOUT YOUR I-20

When you apply to CESL, we will send you a Form I-20. You must use the I-20 to secure your F-1 Student Visa at the US Embassy near you. Before your interview you must fill out Form I-901 and pay the $100.00 SEVIS fee.

If you decide to go to another school, you must return our I-20 to CESL.

In order to get your visa you must convince the official that you need to improve your English skills for a specific financial reason, such as a better job or higher education. You should show how you have begun to prepare for this goal by already studying English, but that you can learn more quickly and efficiently by first-hand knowledge of the US culture and interaction with many native speakers in an intensive environment. The most advanced teaching methods and technical help in language learning can be found in the US, and CESL at the University of Arizona is a leader in intensive English language teaching. Review the advice below and prepare for your interview carefully.

Learn where Tucson is and why CESL is the best place for you to study English.

When you enter the USA, you must show your passport and the I-20 which is in a sealed envelope.

• You must enter the USA by or before the report date on the I-20.
• You may not enter the United States more than 30 days before the beginning of your study program.
• You must leave the United States within 60 days of the end of your program of study.
• If you attend less than a full 2-month session, your program will be completed on your last day of study and you must leave the USA immediately.
• If you transfer to another program or school before you begin at least one session at CESL, there is a $500.00 transfer fee and limited refunds. To initiate the transfer we must receive the fee as well as the admission letter and transfer form from the new school.

When you travel, carry the sealed I-20 with your passport. It will be stamped at your port-of-entry to the US, and you will be given a Form I-94. The I-94 should be stapled in your passport. Always carry your I-20 and I-94 with your passport.

Upon Arrival New Homeland Security procedures for visitors traveling to the US with visas include fingerprints scanned by an inkless device and a digital photograph.

If you do not use CESL's I-20 to get a visa, or if you are denied the visa, you must return the I-20 to us. We will refund your pre-paid tuition when we received the I-20 and the visa denial form faxed by the Embassy or Consulate.

If your plans change and you do not come to CESL, you MUST not use our I-20 to get a visa or to enter the USA.

STEP 1 - MAKE AN APPOINTMENT

If you are applying for a student visa for the first time, an in-person interview is usually required. June, July, and August are often the busiest months, so it might be difficult to get an appointment during this time. Don't wait until the last minute! You are encouraged to apply for your visa as soon as you know when you plan to study. Allow several weeks for planning and getting an appointment for the visa. You can call the embassy or go to the embassy web site for information and instructions. Be sure to allow time to pay the SEVIS fee and get your receipt.http://www.travel.state.gov/visa/tempvisitors_wait.php

You may request an intrepreter or translator for your interview.

STEP 2 - PAY THE SEVIS FEE

When you go to the Embassy for your interview, you must take a receipt for the payment of the SEVIS Fee. For students applying for the F-1 visa, this is $100.00. There is no fee for your dependents. For complete information and instruction about how to pay see the USICE website http://fmjfee.com

There are 3 ways to pay the $100.00 SEVIS fee, and it is not difficult to complete Form I-901 on-line and pay with a credit or debit card.

1. The easiest and fastest way is to file your Form I-901 on-line and pay the fee with a credit or debit card. You can print a receipt immediately. See below for the information you will need.*
2. You may pay the SEVIS fee by Western Union in any country where Western Union offers Quick Pay service. The Western Union office then issues a receipt that serves as immediate proof of payment for a visa interview.
3. You can also mail the Form I-901 and your payment, but you must allow at least 4 weeks for the mail to return to you. For more information about mailing the form see the website at http://fmjfee.com

*When you fill out the Form I-901 you will need two numbers.

• Your SEVIS ID number is in the upper right hand corner of your I-20.
• CESL's school ID number is PHO 214F 00092000

if you plan to pay the SEVIS fee with a credit card, CESL can complete Form I-901 for you when we process your application and prepare your I-20. In that case, we will express mail the SEVIS fee receipt to you with your I-20. You may authorize CESL to pay this fee on your CESL application. We will charge you a $25.00 service fee.

STEP 3- BEFORE THE INTERVIEW

Get form DS-158 and DS-156 from the US Embassy near your home, and make an appointment for your visa interview. Then get your documents ready.

You will need to take the following documents with you when you go to your interview.

• Form I-20 from CESL and your CESL admission letter
• A complete DS-158 and DS-156 non-immigrant visa application with a photo of each person applying. These forms are available from the embassy.
• A passport valid for at least 6 months beyond your expected stay in the US.
• A receipt for the visa processing fee for each applicant.
• Financial documents that show you have sufficient money to pay tuition and living expenses during your time in the US. For example: Bank books, account statements, tax documents, and proof that transfer of funds is possible. You must show where the money comes from.
• Proof of your relationships to your spouse and children if you are married and/or have children.
• The CESL Fact Sheet
• Evidence of previous English study.

Be prepared to show evidence that you have strong economic, social, family, or career ties to your home country. You must convince the official that:

• you have a residence in your home country
• you intend to return to that residence
• you will leave the US when your course of study is completed
• you hope to find a job where English is required

STEP 4- AT THE INTERVIEW

In addition to the documents you present, you need to listen carefully to the questions the official might ask you. Even if the official asks you a question that you think is strange, you must answer it. The official is usually trying to decide if you intend to stay in the US after you have completed your program. If the official thinks you plan to stay in the US, he or she must deny your visa. Remember, the F-1 visa is for people who intend to return to their home country. Tell the official when and why you will return to your home and family.

In addition, prepare reasons why you want to study English in the US.

• Professional development - How will you use English when you get back to your country? Why is it important for you to know English?
• Do you intend to study another subject once you have finished our English program? What subject? Why do you need English?
• Talk about learning English more quickly and efficiently by studying in the US with interaction with many native speakers.
• Talk about your choice of English program. Show that you know about the school you have applied to and be able to explain your choice if you can.
• We have enclosed a Fact Sheet entitled Why CESL is the BEST CHOICE for you. We have listed the things about CESL that we think are our advantages. Take the Fact Sheet to the interview with you in case the officer asks about our program.

DO NOT say you want to go to the US because your friends are there, you like movies or TV from the US, or you have family in the US.

STEP 5- TRY AGAIN

The most frequent reason for a visa refusal is that the official thinks you may not return to your home country. It is not possible to say exactly what evidence you should take to convince the official that you will go home because applicants' circumstances vary a great deal.

Think carefully about your ties to your home country: family, job, home and other commitments.

Consular officers have the responsibility for issuance or denial of visas. If your visa is denied, you may re-apply. Ask the officer how to reapply.

Depending on how long you need to wait before reapplying for your visa, you may need to reapply to CESL.

If you decide to re-apply, you should be prepared to show additional evidence or explain in a different way how your situation has changed since the first application.

You should try at least twice. If you are refused a second time, the probability that a third try would succeed is not very high.

Please let us know how your visa visit goes. cesl@email.arizona.edu

The Center for English as a Second Language
at The University of Arizona
P.O. Box 210024
1100 E. James E. Rogers Way
Tucson, Arizona 85721-0024
Tele: 1-520-621-3637  Fax: 1-520-621-9180
cesl@email.arizona.edu
www.skype.com "azcesl1"
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