Santa Clara University

 

OUTLINE OF THE I-20 PREPARATION PROCESS

I-20 Process

Santa Clara University’s International Student Services (ISS) department is responsible for processing the Forms I-20 and/or DS-2019 that international students need in order to apply for the appropriate student visa required to study in the United States.  Students applying for the F1 student visa need the Form I-20.  Students applying for the J1 student visa need the Form DS-2019.  ISS will process an I-20 or DS-2019 only for students who have been officially admitted by the university.  ISS will begin the I-20 or DS-2019 process ONLY after the student has been granted admission.  Students with pending applications will be referred to the academic department or the office of admissions.

 

Once you have been officially admitted, In order to be issued an I-20, ISS will need the following documents:

-    I-20 Request

-      Affidavit of support form (if necessary)

-      Transfer clearance form (for transfer students only)

-      Financial documents showing funding for tuition and living and other costs for one academic year. Please see estimated expenses for the list of these fees for each department.

-   Copy of the biographical page of your passport

 

Graduate Students: Once you have read the instructions and completed the I-20 request forms, please send completed material to your academic department (the admissions department who sent your admit letter).

Undergraduate Students: Please submit these documents directly to International Student Services (ISS).

 

The student will receive an email when the I-20 has been generated.  Please allow for 2-3 weeks to process during peak season (May-July).  Email and phone inquiries asking about the status of your I-20 after you have submitted your documents and within this processing time window will NOT be answered.  As stated above, because of the vast number of requests we receive, we simply cannot respond to these requests.  It significantly delays the processing times for I-20s. 

 

Mailing of the I-20: 

For all students, once the I-20 is ready for shipping and a shipment label has been created, the student will receive an email giving the express mail tracking number.  You can generally expect to receive the I-20 within 7 to 10 business days from the receipt of the tracking number.  Upon receipt of the I-20, please review it for accuracy and contact ISS with any corrections that need to be made. 

 

VISA Process at the US Embassy/Consulate:

Once the student has the admission letter and I-20, he/she may proceed with scheduling the visa appointment.  Do not schedule your visa appointment until after you receive the I-20.  If you do so, you will need to cancel or reschedule your appointment if you do not receive the I-20 on time.  Setting a visa appointment ahead of time will NOT be considered an urgent reason to speed up your I-20.  That would be preferential treatment which is unfair to the students who follow the instructions carefully.  We will treat all students equally throughout the I-20 process.  Be sure to have all required documents in order before attending the visa appointment.  For any questions directly related to the student visa application, contact the US Embassy or Consulate near you.

 

Good luck with the visa interview process and we look forward to meeting each of our new students at the International Student Orientation!