Guide to Become an F-1 Nonimmigrant Student From Outside of the US:

1) Apply to and be accepted by one of the SEVP-certified Uceda Institute schools. See the “Our Locations”
page for more details on contacting and applying to these schools.
a. Mail your preferred Uceda location any transcripts/scores from standardized tests. Please note
that we only accept students over the age of 18, or those who have completed the equivalent of
a high school education (GED).
b. Show that you are able to pay for the cost of schooling and living expenses while in the United
States:
i. If you are sponsoring yourself, you must possess a notarized financial statement
showing that you have…
1. 1 year: $10,480 USD + ($3000 USD / dependent)
2. 6 months: $5,240 USD + ($1500 USD / dependent)
ii. If another individual is sponsoring your study in the US, they must…
1. …submit a Form I-134 to the SEVP-certified school.
2. Form: http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/i-134.pdf
3. Form Instructions: http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/i-134instr.pdf.
a. When submitting documents in any language other than English,
please include …
i. …a full English language translation which the translator has
certified as complete and accurate
ii. …the translator’s certification that he or she is competent to
translate from the foreign language into English.
c. Enroll in a full-time program. Inquire at our locations for program information. Again, please see
the “Our Locations” page for location-specific program information.
2) Pay the SEVP-certified Uceda Institute school campus a non-refundable $300 USD registration fee.
3) After we accept your application and approve it, we will issue you…
a. …A Form I-20.
b. …An acceptance letter.
c. …Other documents as necessary per your home country.
4) Make sure that the information on your Form I-20 form is correct! If it is not, please contact the SEVP-
certified Uceda School to receive a corrected form. Do not pay the I-901 form fee with a Form I-20 that
has incorrect information!
5) After receiving the Form I-20, the nonimmigrant student applicant must pay the $200 USD Form I-901 fee.
a. You must have your Form I-20 to pay this fee.
b. You must use a debit or credit card to pay the fee.
c. You may pay this fee by either…
i. …following the instructions on this webpage:
https://www.fmjfee.com/i901fee/students/formSelection.htm.
ii. …by mail, using this form: http://www.ice.gov/doclib/sevis/pdf/I-901.pdf.
iii. …or at the SEVP-certified Uceda Institute school campus.
d. This fee must be paid before you go to the interview at your local embassy.
6) After paying the I-901 fee, you will receive…
a. A receipt from the school and a Form I-797 (the receipt of your I-901 payment) mailed to you
from SEVIS, if you pay at the school. Keep all of your receipts! …or…
b. A Form I-797 (the receipt of your I-901 payment) mailed to you from SEVIS if you pay the Form I-
901 fee by another manner. Keep all of your receipts!

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7) You may now schedule an interview at your local United States embassy for an Interview. You may use
this link to locate the nearest United States embassy: http://www.usembassy.gov/.
a. You may find information on typical interview and processing wait times from this
website: http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/wait/tempvisitors_wait.php
8) Prior to your interview, you will need to pay a non-refundable, non-transferable Machine Readable Visa
(MRV fee), commonly known as an application fee of US$140. Additional information about this fee may
be found here: http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/types/types_1263.html
a. This fee must be paid for every dependent as well as the applicant.
9) You will need to bring the following items to your interview:
a. Your Form I-20.
b. A valid passport that expires no less than 6 months after your proposed date of entry to the
United States.
c. A 2” x 2” photograph. Please follow the instructions for this photograph, as explained here:
http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/info/info_1287.html.
d. The confirmation page of your completed visa application, as required by your embassy. Further
instructions may be found at: http://travel.state.gov/visa/forms/forms_4230.html.
i. Application forms may be found at this link: http://evisaforms.state.gov/.
ii. Information about average wait times may be found at this link:
http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/wait/tempvisitors_wait.php.
iii. Make sure you apply at least two weeks before your intended arrival date!
e. A receipt showing payment of the MRV fee.
f. Your receipt of payment of the Form I-901 fee, Form I-797.
g. In some cases, you will also need to pay a visa issuance fee. Your consular officer will explain this
fee at the embassy.
10) If you have dependents, such as a spouse or children, you will also need to provide marriage and birth
certificates for each individual.
a. It is preferred that families apply for F-1 and F-2 visas at the same time.
b. If applying at the same time is impossible, have all F-2 applicants bring a copy of the F-1 visa
holder’s passport and visa, along with all documents necessary for the F-2 visa.
11) During your interview, you can expect to be asked about your intent to study in the USA.
a. Remember, the F-1 visa is a temporary visa!
b. Your interview will ask…
i. Whether you have a residence abroad, and whether or not you have no immediate
intention of abandoning that residence.
ii. Whether you intend to depart the United States upon the completion of your course of
study.
iii. Whether you possess sufficient funds to pursue your course of study.
12) During the visa application process, usually at the interview, an ink-free, digital fingerprint scan will be
taken.
13) After obtaining an F-1 visa, the prospective student may apply for entry into the US through a Port of
Entry (POE) no more than 30 days prior to the program start date on the student’s Form I-20.
a. Wait until after you receive your visa to make your travel plans.
b. Your visa is valid until its expiration date—if your visa is valid but your passport is not, hold on to
your old passport and use it in conjunction with your new, valid passport.
c. A list of Ports of Entry may be found at this link:
http://www.dhs.gov/files/programs/editorial_0685.shtm.
14) Student visitors to the United States should familiarize themselves with United States admissions/entry
requirements: http://cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/id_visa/study_exchange/, along with restrictions related to
bringing food (http://cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/id_visa/), agricultural products
(http://cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/clearing/agri_prod_inus.xml) and restricted goods
(http://cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/clearing/).
15) Begin classes no later than the program start date listed on the Form I-20!