International Students - How to Get Your VISA

International Student Travel Paperwork

PASSPORT:

If you don't already have one, apply for a passport in your home country; check to be sure that your first and last names exactly match the first and last names on the education documents you will submit to Clinton. Your passport must be valid for the whole time you will be at Clinton Community College.

Request I-20

Now that you’ve been admitted to Clinton Community College, it is time to work towards obtaining your student visa. This starts by obtaining a form I-20. The I-20 form is one of the many documents required to obtain an F-1 student visa. All international applicants who are requesting an I-20 form (Certificate of Eligibility for F-1 Status) are required to demonstrate evidence of financial ability to support their education and living expenses while at Clinton Community College. Once all the necessary documents have been gathered, an international student can request their I-20 by using the “Request I-20” function below.

NYS Financial Statement Form

Here are some important details to keep in mind for the financial affidavit of support:

An international applicant can only request an I-20 only after being admitted.
The amount shown on the financial affidavit of support must be equal to or greater than $25,000 US dollars
The names should match on both the affidavit and bank statements.
The estimate you need to show is in US currency.
The bank statement(s) provided must be from an account that can be withdrawn from (no life insurance policies, investment statements, retirement accounts, etc.).

International Transfer Students I-20

Students who are transferring from a US college must also send an official transcript from that college and copies of their 1-20, 1-94, visa, and passport, and have their advisor complete the FSA-5 International Transfer Report. See more information for transfer students below.

Once you have finalized the I-20 request, Clinton Community College will review the documents. Should the documents provided by the student prove sufficient, an I-20 will be created.

PAY YOUR SEVIS FEE:

Once you have been accepted, Clinton Community College will send you an I-20 and an acceptance letter. After receiving your I-20, you will need to pay a SEVIS fee.
Click here for instructions on Pay your SEVIS Fee.

COMPLETE your Non-Immigrant VISA APPLICATION:

Complete Form DS-160, and upload a photo. (You will be able to translate the form into your native language) Save your application ID number to access it later. Print the application confirmation page to bring to your interview.

VISA INTERVIEW:

After paying your fee and completing your VISA application online, call the closest American Embassy in your home country to schedule an interview to obtain an F-1 student visa. You can find location and contact information for your closest US Embassy here: Directory of United States Embassies and Consulates Overseas

PREPARE for your INTERVIEW:

To prepare for your visa interview, you must have the following documents:

Valid passport (for at least as long as you will study at Clinton)
Original letter of acceptance/admission issued by Clinton Community College
Original SEVIS I-20 form issued by Clinton Community College
SEVIS fee receipt (form I-797) (How to Pay the SEVIS Fee)
Copies of all of your high/secondary school or college transcripts
Copies of your English Proficiency Report
Proof of ties to your home country

If you are denied a VISA, the visa officer must verbally inform you of the reason for the visa delay. If your visa is delayed, please send an e-mail message to Admissions and provide the date and location of your visa interview, and details regarding the reason given by the visa officer for the delay. The U.S. State Department has prepared information on student visas on its web site which may be useful to you.