Immigration Concerns

Immigration Issues:

Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services

The International Student Advisor (ISA) is the person at CWU who will help you with all issues related to your F-1 immigration student status. A student file will be maintained in the International Student Services office and will have copies of all your immigration documents.

Shortly after you arrive on campus, but no later than 15 days after classes begin, it is very important that you visit the ISA and bring with you the following immigration documents:

• Passport or travel document
• I-94 (a white card in your passport)
• I-20 Certificate of Eligibility issued by CWU
• I-20s issued from any previous school

Note:

All transfer students must bring their new CWU I-20 to the ISA within the first 15 days of classes in order to comply with the immigration transfer procedure. Please see Transferring between levels or between U.S. schools for more information.

Student Status:

In order to enter the United States as an international student to study at Central Washington University (CWU), you will need:

• To have been accepted to study at this university.
• To have received the form I-20, Certificate of Eligibility. Apply to the U.S. Consulate or Embassy in your home country for permission to enter the U.S. in student status. The I-20 allows you to request from the U.S. Consulate or Embassy a visa stamp in your passport which indicates you wish permission to enter the U.S. in the F-1 student immigration status.

Obtaining a Visa:

Once you receive the letter of acceptance from CWU and the I-20 Certificate of Eligibility form, you will need to go to the U.S. Consulate or Embassy in your home country. You will be interviewed about your intentions to come to the U.S. to study and must convince the Consular officer that you have no intent to immigrate to the U.S. and have strong connections (family or work or property) in your home country. If your family remains at home, you will need to be prepared to tell the Consular officer how they financially support themselves, and make it very clear that you do not intend to work in the U.S. in order to send money home to family. You will need to prove that your intent is to study, not to work in the U.S. and that after you finish your studies, you intend to return home. You will be required to complete and pay for the visa form (Form 156). You will need to take with you to the U.S. Consulate or Embassy when you apply for your student visa:

• Acceptance letter from CWU
• Valid passport
• Passport-sized photos
• I-20
• Financial documents showing you can support the cost of studying which is indicated on the I- 20

For more information on U.S. Consulates, please visit the: Bureau of Consular Affairs

Entering the United States:

The visa stamp in your passport allows you to enter the United States in a specific immigration category (status). Your F-1 visa stamp notifies the Department of Homeland Security, Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services that you wish to enter in the INS category of F-1 student. If granted permission to come into the U.S. for the purpose of being a student, your I-20 will be stamped by INS and the first page (1-2), known as the School Copy of the I-20, will be kept by INS. INS will return to you the Student Copy of the I-20 (page 3-4).

In addition, you will have filled out a small white form known as the Arrival-Departure Document, Form I-94. On the I-94, is an 11-digit number. This is your INS number and will remain with you as long as you remain in F-1 student immigration status. It will be stamped indicating the date you enter the U.S., the port of entry, the INS category, and indicate how long you may remain in the U.S. in the INS category. When you leave the country and return home, INS will take the I-94. When you re-enter the U.S., you will receive a new I-94. However, the 11-digit number will always remain the same. The I-94 should be stapled in your passport, opposite your visa stamp page.

Duration of Status:

On the I-94, you will notice the red stamp shows date and place you entered the U.S., and a notation which reads "D/S". This stands for Duration of Status. This means that as long as you follow the rules INS has established for the F-1 student, you may remain in the U.S. legally.

Have a question about applying to CWU as an international student?

Email your admission questions to: cwuadmis@cwu.edu

Any questions? Please go here.