Everything you need to know
If you want to study in the United States, you will need this document FIRST!
The I-20 Form is an important document that you should keep safe at all times, as you will need it throughout the international student life cycle. This document is provide by (SEVP)-Certified schools only. An I-20 form is required for every dependent (Spouse & Children) that comes with the student.
What is an I-20 Form?
This document will be the student`s ID in the country, and is required for every student that wants and plan to study in the United States. An official school will generate this Form once a student register and applied to the I-20 Form, if the student is accepted by the school is going to receive his/her I-20 Form via email. This is the first step on the process of obtaining a student visa.
Note: Hemingway Agency already works with more than 30 institutes in the country, and get I-20 Forms in less than a week. We help student find the right school in the student`s favorite city.
Benefits of the I-20 Form
The I-20 Form have many benefits as you will see below but always have to remain VALID:
- You can renew quite easy the I-20 form periodically (Ex: Every 6 months).
- You can travel inside and outside the country without problems on vacation.
- You can get a driver license and even buy your own car.
- You can apply for a social security number and work part-time (20 hours/week).
- You can work the first year in your school (on-campus) if approved by the USCIS.
- You can work after the first year in any other company (off-campus) like Google, Apple, Uber or Amazon.
- You can bring your spouse and children with F-2 Status as dependents, but they can not work.
- Study a career or degree in a World-Class College or University like Harvard or Stamford.
Make the most of your international student experience, by making new friends and connections that will help you find great career opportunities!
Requirements of the I-20 Form
You will receive the I-20 Form in less than a week.
- A valid passport;
- A proof of financial support (Ex: Bank`s letter or statement);
- Pay for the registration and course.
- Provide personal information.
- Provide the reason why the student needs to study in the United States.
Note: At Hemingway, we help the student on every step of this process. We do this for students in the same situation every day.
How to apply to an I-20 Form
Step 1
Find the best school in the city
Where do you want to live and study for months and years to come? Now, you should look for the schools with the best teachers and classrooms you can find.
Step 2
Register and Pay the course
Now that you find the right school, you actually need to talk to them and pay for the course, registration and I-20 form. You will also need to provide all of your personal information and documentation (Ex: Passport and Bank`s statement).
Step 3
I-20 Form
Every school works with a Designated School Official (DSO), this is the person that works with international students, make sure they receive and renew their I-20 Forms on time, also track the student academic progress, keeps the government informed of the status of the student by using the SEVIS system.
We, at Hemingway work with students on this process every day. We work with great language schools across the country that allow us to get I-20 forms in less than a week for our students, we then pay the SEVIS fee, and apply to the student visa using the DS-160 form, once the interview is set up we prepare the students, so they can perform a great interview and increase their chances to get their visas approved.
Now that you know how US non-immigrant visas works for international students. You can start working on what needs (Financial Support) to be done to start your journey right away. We recommend starting this process 6 months before the prefer date to travel to the United States just to do everything on time and with plenty of time left. Having said that, we usually complete this process in less than a month for must students, but depending on their respected embassy’s waiting time.
If you want to work with us or someone you know needs help on this process feel free to share our contact information, and we will be happy to assist them. Our goal is to make First-World Education available for everyone, especially if you are between 18 and 29 years old and wants to study and live in the United States for up to 5 years.
