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Obtaining a Visa

For Internationals Outside the USA

Getting an I-20 or DS-2019

Once you have been accepted or appointed, there are still many things you will need to do before you can leave home. Your first months in the USA will be much more satisfying, and your educational experience at the New School more fulfilling, if you plan ahead.

You will receive a URL to a website with your letter of acceptance to The New School. Please complete the forms online and submit to International Student Services. Once you receive your I-20 or DS-2019, you may apply for an F–1 Student or J–1 Exchange Visitor visa.

Visa Application Process

You will need to visit the nearest US Consulate or Embassy in your home country to apply for an F–1 Student or J–1 Exchange Visitor visa to enter the USA. The visa application process varies from country to country and can take from one day to many weeks for processing, so please plan ahead.

You should take the following documents with you to the US Consulate or Embassy:
Signed and dated original Form International Student or International Scholar

  • Signed and dated original Form I-20 or DS-2019
  • Original letter of acceptance from The New School
  • Valid passport
  • Original or certified copies of financial documents (with translations if needed)
  • Recent passport-size photograph
  • Proof of ties to your home country (This is critical to a successful visa application).
  • Proof of SEVIS Fee Payment if necessary (visit SEVIS fee section below for more information)

You must keep both originals of your International Student or International Professor/Scholar documents with you to present to the US government official upon arrival in the USA. Do not place this and other travel documents in bags that will be checked

Citizens of Canada or the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda.

Citizens of Canada or the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda do not need visas to enter the USA, but they do need an I-20 or DS-2019. They must also pay the SEVIS fee prior to arrival in the US www.fmjfee.com. At the US port of entry, they must present proof of both their identity and citizenship. Effective January 1st, 2008, Canadian citizens will be required to have a valid passport for entry to the US. They will be issued an I-94 card and corresponding status. Refer to the same checklist as above for visa interviews to present at the port of entry. See more detailed information online.

Citizens of Canada traveling to the U.S. do not require a nonimmigrant visa, except for the purposes as described below.

Foreign government officials (A), officials and employees of international organizations (G) and NATO officials, representatives and employees assigned to the U.S. as needed to facilitate their travel

  • Treaty traders (E-1)
  • Treaty investors (E-2)
  • Fiancé/es (K-1)
  • Children of fiancées (K-2)
    U.S. citizen's foreign citizen spouse, who is traveling to the U.S. to complete the process of immigration (K-3).
  • Children of a foreign citizen spouse (K-4) described above
  • Spouses of lawful permanent residents (V-1) traveling to the U.S. to reside here while they wait for the final completion of their immigration process
  • Children of spouses of lawful permanent residents (V-2) described above

Permanent residents (aka landed immigrants) of Canada must have a nonimmigrant visa unless the permanent resident is a national of a country that participates in the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), meets the VWP requirements, and is seeking to enter the U.S. for 90 days or less under that program.

Check to see if you must pay a SEVIS fee.

The US government is charging a SEVIS fee before you may apply for an F–1, F–2, J–1, or J-2 visa. Citizens of all countries will be required to pay the SEVIS fee. (Before attempting to enter the USA, citizens of Canada and the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda also need to pay the SEVIS fee.) As of the date of this publication, the SEVIS fee is $100 per applicant payable to banks specified by the US Consul in your home country.

Be sure to pay the SEVIS fee before entering the USA or visiting the US Embassy/Consulate. To find out if you need to pay the SEVIS fee and to print out a receipt of payment, (if you are paying on-line), visit www.fmjfee.com

Proving ties to your home country.

Be prepared to show strong ties to your home country with official documents. Ties to your home country are ties that will compel you to leave the USA after you finish your studies.

  • If your family owns a business, take letters from the bank describing the business or documents showing that the business is registered and truly owned by your family.
  • If your family owns property, take the deeds or papers showing ownership.
  • If you have a sister or brother who already studied in the USA and returned home, take a copy of her/his diploma and a statement from her/his employer.
  • If you and your family have had numerous past visits to the USA, take along passports—even old ones—to show that you have many visas and many visits, but after every visit to the USA you still returned to your home country.
  • If you have membership in a professional organization in your home country, bring proof of this membership.
  • If you have the prospect of a job offer, get a letter from the company saying that you will be considered for a job upon your return, or that people with the kind of education you are seeking are needed.The goal is to show intent to return home after studying in the USA.

Basic Concepts: Primary Purpose

When internationals wish to visit the USA, they are asked to declare their primary purpose for the visit. That declaration is made twice: once at the time of applying for a visa, and again at the port of entry when applying for status. There is a unique visa and corresponding status for each primary purpose identified by the US government.

So if your primary purpose for visiting the USA is not to study, then you should NOT apply for a student visa or student status. Always apply for the visa and corresponding status that best support your primary purpose for visiting the USA.

Visa & Status: Know The Difference

Visa: A US visa is official authorization affixed to a valid passport, allowing entry into the USA.

  • You should think of your visa in the same way as you think of a key. Once in the USA, you will no longer need your visa until the next time you wish to enter the USA. Like a key, you only use your visa to "open the door" and enter a secure space. Once in, you do not use your key until you leave and need to reenter.
  • You can only apply for a visa if you are outside of the USA.
  • Once you obtain a visa, at a US port of entry (such as an airport) you must show it to an officer from the Department of Homeland Security. By presenting your visa, you are applying for a related nonimmigrant status.

Status: All internationals are issued an I–94 status upon entry to the USA.

  • So when you enter the USA, expect a Department of Homeland Security Officer to staple a small white card into your passport. This is called an I–94 Arrival Departure Record. The I–94 card is documentary evidence of the nonimmigrant status that you were granted upon entering the USA.
  • Remember that both visas and I–94 statuses are specific to the primary purpose of your visit to the USA. The type of visa you hold determines the type of status you will receive. Your I–94 status will then determine which rules you will need to follow once you are actually in the USA.