Form I-20 For F1 Students and M1 Visa Holders

Form I-20 is a highly important document used for studying in the United States. It essentially guides your educational journey. But the majority of students don’t have proper knowledge of what it actually is and how they can get one for themselves. In this article, we will address all these points and more.

What Is Form I-20?

Form I-20, also known as the Certificate of Eligibility of Nonimmigrant Student Status, is a document issued by SEVP-approved American educational institutions to foreign students with an F1 or M1 visa status. Form I-20 is required for these students to get their visa status from the USCIS. This essentially informs the U.S. government that you have been accepted by an American institution (university, college, or vocational school) and are eligible for a student status visa. So, you could say that Form I-20 is the first step towards American education for foreign students.

J-visa students will not receive Form I-20. They will be issued its equivalent document: DS-2019. Your DSO or Designated School Official will sign it before handing it over to you.

Form I-20 includes important details like name, SEVIS ID Number, the program of study, financials, school and student attestations, and school code. From airport check-ins to school admission, this form will be asked for at various stages; you should keep it secure.

The document also has a separate section for Employment Authorization. F and J visa students should fill this out if their field of study requires them to work or they intend to work in the United States. This is not applicable for M visa holders.

Who Needs Form I-20?

As mentioned earlier, Form I-20 is meant exclusively for foreign students looking to study in the United States. More specifically, it is for M1 and F1 visa students. For F1-visa students, the Form I-20 that will be issued is known as the Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status – For Academic and Language Learning, while for M1-visa students, it will be For Vocational Students. So, the Form I-20 also dictates the type of visa you will be receiving from USCIS.

To be eligible for Form I-20, here are the criteria:

• You should meet the educational requirements of the program you are applying for.
• You have been admitted to a SEVP-approved educational institution in the U.S.
• You can demonstrate the required level of English proficiency, both written and verbal.

Besides that, the USCIS will check for other requirements, like sufficient funds in your bank account and properties owned in your home country, before issuing you your student visa.

Form I-20 Uses

This document will be used throughout your student life cycle in the U.S. and beyond. With Form I-20, you can process the following activities:

Pay the I-901 SEVIS Fee

The USCIS utilizes a portal called Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) for handling student data and retrieving it when necessary. Every foreign student must be registered with the SEVIS portal before requesting for a student visa. For this, they will incur a fee of $200. But to pay the SEVIS fee, they must have Form I-20 issued from their DSO and submit the following details:

• Name, native country address, date of birth, email address
• Country of birth and current citizenship
• School code as mentioned on Form I-20
• SEVIS ID number as listed on Form I-20

After you have paid the amount, you’ll receive a receipt that will be asked for on different applications.

Apply for a Nonimmigrant Visa

After you have been issued Form I-20 and your SEVIS fee receipt, you need to apply for a student visa to come into the United States to attend classes. For this, you should have a nonimmigrant student visa. You are allowed to enter into the United States 30 days before your program’s start date, mentioned on Form I-20.

To start the nonimmigrant visa process, you are required to fill out and submit Form DS-160, Online Nonimmigrant Visa Application. You must apply for the student visa which matches your Form I-20 type, i.e. F1 student visa for F Form I-20. Then, you’ll be asked to attend interviews at the embassy, after which a final decision will be taken. The F1 and M1 student visas are issued up to 120 days in advance of your program’s start date. So, you can apply for the nonimmigrant visa as soon as your Form I-20 is issued.

Enter the United States

When entering the United States either through the land, water, or air, you need to show your Form I-20, among other documents at the check-ins. You shouldn’t, therefore, keep it in your briefcase or somewhere you cannot access at the border entry points. You will be instructed by a U.S. Customs officer to show it to them. Along with all the information, it should also be signed with ink.

Apply for Benefits

Many educational programs have student benefits associated with them. To claim these, Form I-20 is required. Since Form I-20 legally proves that you are enrolled in an American university or college, you can apply for almost all of them. Certain student visas allow students to get a state-issued driver’s license and open a U.S. bank account. Form I-20 will also be asked for at those times.

Changing the Status

Changing the status from a certain type to another type like F1 to M1 is permitted. You need to contact your DSO and the USCIS with your Form I-20 to change your status.

Bring Your Dependents Into the U.S.

One of the benefits of an F1 or M1 student visa is that you can bring your dependents along with you into the U.S. Form I-20 is also needed for each of your dependents you are planning on bringing into the United States to stay with you throughout the validity of your visa.

When You Need a New Form I-20

In certain cases, your DSO will issue a new Form I-20 to you, which will replace the old I-20 document. This will be the case if:

• The previous I-20 document got destroyed or misplaced.
• You’re applying for travel endorsement.
• There’s a change in your SEVIS status, like from initial to active.
• There was a substantive change like change in name, address, the program of study, and training during the course of study.

Revised Form I-20

After the 1^st of July, the USCIS started issuing a new type of Form I-20 document for all F1 visa and M1 visa students. The old format, which came along with a barcode, will not be accepted for entry into the United States. This is the responsibility of your DSO, and you should demand the revised hardcopy of Form I-20 with original signatures.

Conclusion

When going through the application process, you should pay close attention to detail; otherwise, there’s a high chance of rejection. Moreover, the fees are non-refundable. So you cannot request a refund if your application is rejected. If you have any questions, you should get in touch with your DSO or your education consultant.

Frank Gogol

I’m a firm believer that information is the key to financial freedom. On the Stilt Blog, I write about the complex topics — like finance, immigration, and technology — to help immigrants make the most of their lives in the U.S. Our content and brand have been featured in Forbes, TechCrunch, VentureBeat, and more.

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