getting started - visa & immigration

VISA &

IMMIGRATION

GETTING STARTED

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABOUT THE PROCESS

F-1 VISA

3 I-20 FORM

REQUESTING I-20

ACTIVATE NETID

4 CHECK USC EMAIL

5 TROJAN INTERNATIONAL

VISAS

7 AFTER RECEVING I-20

8 OTHER IMMIGRATION STATUSES

UPON ARRIVAL

ENTERING THE U.S.

9 I-94 FORM

9 ORIENTATION

USC Summer Programs • 649 West 34th Street, PSD 115 • (213) 740-6858

precollege.usc.edu Los Angeles, CA 90089-1627 [email protected]

WHAT IS THE F-1 VISA?

e F-1 visa allows a student to temporarily live in the United States for a dened period of time while studying at a school, college, seminary,

or conservatory.

e requirements for an F-1 visa are:

» Apply and be accepted into a course of study at a SEVP-approved school in the United States. USC Summer Programs is a SEVP-approved

school.

» You must be enrolled as a full-time student at the SEVP-approved school in the United States.

» You must be procient in English or be enrolled in courses leading to English prociency.

» Have proof of sucient nancial funds to support study in the United States.

» Have ties to your home country that show an intent to return aer you nish studying in the United States, since the F-1 visa program is a

temporary visa.

» Live outside the United States when you apply.

WHAT IS AN I-20 FORM?

e I-20 form conrms your acceptance at a U.S. school and, therefore, conrms your eligibility for the F-1 visa. Once your I-20 form has

been issued, you will use it to apply for an F-1 visa.

For USC to issue you an I-20 form, you must submit a request through USC’s Trojan International portal. Because the visa process can be

lengthy, we strongly suggest submitting your I-20 request as soon as possible and no later than April 26, 2024. Students who do not complete

the request process by the April 26th deadline will be dropped from the program.

I-20 processing generally takes 10 business days. Once you receive your I-20 form, you may make an appointment with your nearest U.S.

Embassy.

If you are a CANADIAN CITIZEN, you will not need a visa, however, you will still need an I-20 to enter the United States and will,

therefore, still need to undergo the I-20 request process.

ABOUT THE PROCESS

REQUESTING I-20 (NETID & USC EMAIL)

STEP 1: ACTIVATE USC NETID ACCOUNT & PASSWORD

In order to log into most USC systems, including Trojan International,

you need to activate your USC NetID account. You may do this on or after

January 1, 2024.

Follow all the directions below to activate your USC NetID (USC email

username).

» Activate USC NetID HERE

» Fill in your 10-digit USC ID number and your date of birth. You can

nd your USC ID in “My Account” on the Application Portal

» Click on the “Find USC NetID” button

» Save the USC NetID

» Enter a secondary email address

» Click on “Conrm email address” button

» Create a password (make sure to save your USC NetID and password)

» Wait 45 to 60 minutes for account to be updated

STEP 2: LOG IN TO USC EMAIL

Log into your USC email account HERE.

Be sure you can access this account and check it often.When your I-20 is

ready, you will be notied only through your USC email account.

REQUESTING I-20 (TROJAN INTERNATIONAL)

REGARDING THE FINANCIAL BANK STATEMENT

e U.S. government requires international students on a student visa to provide proof of the ability to pay for the tuition and fees. Documen-

tation must show that the student has the funds to cover the cost of the program, estimated at $11,034 Example documentation includes a

recent savings or checking account bank statement, or a signed bank letter verifying the ability to pay $11,034 for educational expenses.

If you are submitting a BANK STATEMENT, please refer to the following requirements:

» If the bank statement is not in English, provide a translation.

» Funding should be in U.S. dollars. If not, use a website like www.xe.com to convert currency amount, take a screenshot of the page, and

include it with your bank statement.

» Funds must be readily available, verifying the ability to pay the educational expenses to cover the cost of the program, estimated at $11,034.

Bank statement must show total balance of checking or savings account. (No investments, stocks, mutual funds, non-USC income letters)

» Statement must be no older than 3 months from date submitted.

» Online bank statements must indicate the account holder and identify the type of account.

» Please have all documents (the statement, the translation if applicable, the currency conversation if applicable) all in one PDF document.

If you are submitting a LETTER FROM YOUR BANK, please refer to the following requirements:

» e letter of nancial support from your bank must be printed on bank letterhead stationary and signed.

» Please see the following page for a sample nancial letter which your bank may use as a guide.

SUBMISSION ACCURACY

Please follow these instructions exactly as outlined. Any deviation, such as your name or birthdate not matching your passport, or not attach-

ing a currency conversion to your non-USD bank statement, will lead to processing delays.

STEP 3: REQUEST I-20 VIA TROJAN INTERNATIONAL

» Log into Trojan International HERE.

» Click “Submit I-20 Request.”

» Follow this SAMPLE GUIDE to ensure the correct completion of your I-20 Request form.

» You will need a PDF of your Passport and a PDF of a nancial bank statement.

» Once submitted, please wait at least 10 business days for USC’s Oce of International Services to process your I-20. You will be notied

when it is ready via your USC email.

» e deadline to submit your I-20 Request is April 26, 2024 (but please do this as soon as possible).

SAMPLE BANK LETTER

BANK LETTERHEAD

[Date]

To whom it may concern:

We hereby declare that our client [FULL NAME] who is the [RELA-

TIONSHIP] to [STUDENT NAME] has enough funds with us, free

of any restrictions as of today, to cover the cost of [STUDENT’S

NAME]’s educational expenses of at least $11,034.

This letter aims to provide information and is not intended to be

legally binding. It cannot be construed as an engagement, under-

taking, commitment, guarantee, liability or responsibility of any

kind whatsoever on our part.

SIGNED

[BANK INFORMATION]

AFTER RECEIVING YOUR I-20 FORM

Pay Mandatory SEVIS I-901 Fee

» Every international student who wishes to begin an “initial”

program of study is required to pay the SEVIS I-901 fee to the

U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

» You will need information from your USC I-20 when paying the

fee.

» Print the fee payment receipt to present at the visa interview and

at the U.S. Port of Entry.

Schedule and complete a visa intervew at U.S. Embassy/

Consulate

» To obtain the most current and accurate information on the visa

application and interview process, international students should

Complete the DS-160 visa application

» Use only the “BACK” and “NEXT” buttons that are part of the

application and not the web browser’s back and next arrows.

» Be as accurate as possible with any questions asked and DO NOT

submit the application until it is complete.

» At the end of the online application, print the conrmation page

with barcode that is required for all phases of the interview.

» e U.S. Department of State provides additional guidance on

completing the DS-160.

Once your visa is received, email the following documents to

[email protected].

» A PDF of your visa

» Your SEVIS payment receipt

For more information about the visa process, please visit https://ois.usc.edu/new-students/prearrival/visaprocess/

Verify that the information in your I-20 form is correct

» Name

» Birth date

» Country of birth

» Country of citizenship

» If the information is correct, print the entire document, read the

information on page 1 and 3 of the I-20, and then sign and date in

the spaces that are provided on page 1.

» If you nd a mistake, mark it and notify USC Summer Programs

immediately. We will correct the mistake and send the corrected

I-20 to you as soon as possible.

review the website for the U.S. consulate/embassy where they will

schedule the visa interview.

» Appointment wait times can be lengthy. You can check the

estimated wait time for a visa interview at any U.S. Embassy or

Consulate by visiting the U.S. Department of State website.

» Bring the following documents to your appointment:

» All three pages of your signed USC I-20

» Conrmation receipt showing completed non-immigrant visa

application form DS-160 with the assigned ID number

» Passport valid for at least six months after the proposed date

of entry into the U.S.. Also regarding your passport:

» Make sure the name in passport accurately reects formal

name

» Name must be broken out into separate lines for given

(rst) name and family name (last/surname) unless there

is only one name and no family name

» If the passport page does not accurately reect the formal

name, it is critical for students to get this corrected

BEFORE the visa interview

» Visa processing fee payment receipt

» is fee is paid and receipt is issued when students go to

the U.S. embassy/consulate to apply for the student visa

» SEVIS I-901 Fee Payment receipt

» Proof of funding for the amount listed on I-20

» Use these Interview Tips during your visa interview.

» When you successfully receive your student visa, the consular

ocer may seal your immigration documents in an envelope and

attach it to your passport. Do not open this envelope! e ocer at

the U.S. port of entry will open it.

OTHER ACCEPTABLE IMMIGRATION STATUSES

OTHER VISA STATUSES

ough most students will need to enter the U.S. on an

F-1 visa, there are other acceptable immigration statuses

in which you can study at USC Summer Programs. If you

believe to have a valid immigration status, please email proof

of your immigration status (any document issued by U.S.

Citizenship and Immigration Services) to [email protected]

to conrm whether or not it is acceptable for studying at

USC Summer Programs.

Please note:

» “B” visa is a tourist visa and is not acceptable for study

at USC Summer Programs.

» “F-2” visa is only eligble for part-time study and is not

acceptable for USC Summer Programs.

STUDENTS WHO ARE ALREADY STUDYING IN

THE U.S. UNDER ANOTHER INSTITUTION’S

I-20.

Students who are already in the U.S. with an F-1 visa that

was obtained with another school’s I-20 need not request a

new I-20 from USC. In this case, please email a permission

letter signed by a school ocial (generally a counselor) on

school letterhead to [email protected]. Please see the example

letter on this page.

SCHOOL LETTERHEAD

[DATE]:

To USC Summer Programs,

This letter conrms that [STUDENT NAME], who has been accepted

for the University of Southern California Summer Programs from

[START DATE] to [END DATE], is able to attend the program based on

their current SEVIS I-20 issued by [NAME OF CURRENT SCHOOL].

The current high school year will end on [ENDING DATE] and the

next school year will begin on [BEGINNING DATE]. This student is in

good standing and has met all the academic, nancial, and personal

responsibilities to the school. The student will graduate with their

class in [GRADUATING YEAR].

The student’s immigration data is listed below:

FULL NAME:

PREFERRED NAME:

DATE OF BIRTH (mm/dd/year):

PASSPORT COUNTRY:

PASSPORT #:

SEVIS #:

Sincerely,

[SIGNATURE OF HIGH SCHOOL OFFICIAL]

[NAME OF HIGH SCHOOL OFFICIAL]

[TITLE OF HIGH SCHOOL OFFICIAL]

[PHONE AND EMAIL of HIGH SCHOOL OFFICIAL]

ARRIVING IN LOS ANGELES

ENTERING THE UNITED STATES

You can enter the United States up to 30 days before the program

start date listed on your USC I-20. Be sure to have the following

documents in your carry-on luggage and ready to present to the

immigration ocer at the airport:

» Form I-20

» CANADIAN CITIZENS - Be sure to show your I-20 at the

Port of Entry to avoid being stamped in as a tourist.

» Passport

» F-1 visa

» SEVIS I-901 fee payment receipt

» Please check https://travel.state.gov/content/travel.html for the

latest information on U.S. entry restrictions and requirements

FORM I-94

Most students will not receive a paper I-94 card upon entering

the U.S.; this process is mostly electronic. As soon as

you enter the U.S., go to the DHS website and download your

I-94. Immigration ocials will/may stamp your passport with your

admission category, date of entry, and duration of status. However,

if you do receive a paper I-94 when you enter the U.S., do not lose

this form! We will make copies of the paper I-94 and/or the stamp

in your passport during Orientation and you may need it to leave

the country. To access the I-94, please click HERE.

ENTERING THE UNITED STATES ORIENTATION

All international USC Summer Programs students MUST attend

the International Student Orientation. More information about

Orientation will be emailed to you before the program start date.

WHAT TO BRING TO ORIENTATION

AT ORIENTATION, YOU WILL:

» Check-in to the Program

» Submit your immigration documents into the Trojan International

portal

» Fill out important health forms for your immunization schedule

Passport

Signed I-20 (if under an F-1 visa)

Visa (or proof of valid immigration status, in-

cluding current institution permission letter)

I-94

Laptop

NetID and password