Information for New Students

Office of International
Students & Scholars
International Center
421 Temple Street
New Haven, CT 06511
USA

Phone: 203.432.2305
Fax: 203.432.7166
email: oiss@yale.edu

Preparing for Travel

Passport

Your passport, issued by your country of citizenship, should be kept valid at least six months into the future. To obtain or renew your passport, contact your home government authorities.

Certificate of Eligibility (I-20 or DS-2019)

This immigration document corresponds to the F-1 or J-1 student visa to which you will be applying. If you have dependents (spouse or children) traveling with you, they should also have an I-20 or DS-2019 to apply for the F-2 visa or J-2 visa application and entry to the U.S. You must present the document at the time of your appointment, and again to the immigration officer at your port of entry.

SEVIS Fee

Before submitting your U.S. visa application, you must show proof that the SEVIS Fee of $200 (or $180 for J-1) has been paid. Yale has paid the SEVIS Fee for all students in degree programs. Special students in nondegree programs in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Division of Special Registration (DSR) and Visiting Assistants in Research (VAR) will need to pay this fee. To pay the fee once you have received your immigration document from OISS, you can go on line and pay the SEVIS fee Web site and print out a receipt to bring to your visa appointment.

U.S. Visa

To enter the U.S. you must obtain the correct visa from a U.S. Embassy or Consulate. The visa is stamped or affixed to a page in your passport and will indicates your visa classification (F-1 or J-1), the date the visa expires and the number of entries permitted, usually one, two, or M (for multiple). If you use up your entries and/or the visa expires and you wish to enter the U.S. again during the same valid I-20 or DS-2019 time period, you must obtain a new visa. Your visa permits you to travel to the U.S. and requests permission to enter the U.S. It does not indicate how long you may stay in the U.S. (see Form I-94).

Canadian Students

Students who are citizens of Canada do not need to obtain U.S. student visas. You must, however, make certain to present your I-20 or DS-2019 form, the SEVIS Fee receipt and proof of financial support, along with your passport, at the U.S. port of entry to be admitted as an F-1 or J-1 student. You should not enter the U.S. in other status, as it will be impossible to begin your studies if you are not in student status. Make certain you leave the port of entry with an I-94 card marked F-1 or J-1.

Visa Application Process

In addition to the I-20 or DS- 2019 and the SEVIS fee receipt, the application for a U.S. visa requires you to present a valid passport, passport-size photographs, completed visa application form(s) and the required visa application fee. You may also be asked to present your admission letter from Yale. Check the Web site of the U.S. consulate nearest to you to verify what is required for a visa stamp. Make your visa appointment as soon as you receive your immigration document, as it can take several weeks to obtain your visa stamp.

Form I-94

i94 You will obtain an I-94 card at the time of your entry into the U.S. You should keep this card securely in your passport during your stay. This very important document is your proof of legal entry into the U.S. It will indicate the visa classification you are given upon entry into the U.S. and the length of time you are allowed to stay. The expiration date for persons in F or J status will be noted as “D/S” meaning duration of status. Before you leave the U.S. immigration area, check to make sure your I-94 notes your correct status: F-1 or J-1 (or F-2 or J-2 for dependents) and D/S. F-1 and J-1 students may remain in the U.S. with an expired visa stamp as long as they are full-time students, their I-20 or DS-2019 is valid, and the proper immigration status is indicated on the I-94 card.