|
The international student adviser will not issue an I-20
for a prospective student until the student has been officially
accepted by International Admissions to a VCU program, including
the English Language Program. The prospective student also
must demonstrate eligibility for a change of status to F-1.
If the prospective student has allowed his current status
to expire, he is not eligible for a change of status.
Required information:
- VCU International Admissions acceptance letter.
- Proof of financial support in the form of bank statements
and sponsorship letters.
- Form I-20 (issued by OIE-Immigration Services).
- Form 1-797 receipt from Sevis fee payment ($100).
- Copies of relevant passport pages (bio page with birthday,
expiration date and visa stamp).
- Copy of I-94 front and back (the entry stamp must be
legible).
- If student is in dependent status, we will need
copies of corresponding documents of primary status holder.
- Form
I-539.
- Letter from student explaining request for change
of status and nonimmigrant intent.
- Additional documentation of nonimmigrant intent (legal
proof of property ownership in home country, household
registers,
letters of employment etc.).
- Filing fee of $300 in check made out to USCIS (United
States Citizenship and Immigration Services).
· Please complete Form I-539 front
and back, also adding dependents* on the supplemental page
if applicable.
· Student must include proof of
financial support for the academic year. This should correspond
with the number of months on the I-20 or to the number of
English Language Program sessions that the student wishes
to attend.
· Include copy of I-94 card. A
new I-94, reflecting the new status, will be generated.
The process takes approximately six months.
*Note: If the student has dependents and wants to change
them to F-2, we must see appropriate financial support for
them ($5000 per academic year for each additional dependent).
We will also need copies of the passport biographical page
and front and back of I-94 card for each dependent.
The international student adviser will contact you when
the new I-20 has been issued. You will need to come to the
OIE-IS to sign and date the I-20. After we have obtained your
signature, the application will be mailed to USCIS. You will
be contacted as soon as OIE-IS receives the Change of Status
Approval Notice.
|
