Getting a visa
New Students
- Pre-Arrival Booklet
- SEVIS
-
International Students Handbook
- Adjusting to American culture
- Advisors
- English as a Second Language (ESL)
- Good housekeeping
- Health care
- Housing, utilities, and furnishings
- Immigration information
- International student clubs and organizations
- Issues related to children
- Legal issues
- Mail and the U.S. Postal Service
- Money and banking
- Opportunities for spouses in the Troy area
- Security / public safety
- Services in the Troy area
- Shopping tips
- Social services
- Transportation
- U.S. telephone system
- Working on- and off-campus
- Visa application information
- Office of Graduate Education (OGE)
- Office of the First-Year Experience (FYE)
All foreign students, except Canadians, must obtain a passport and visa stamp to enter the United States. Student visas are obtained in one of two categories: F-1 or J-1.
Applying for a visa stamp
Visa stamp application is made at a U.S. Consulate or Embassy in your home country. To determine how much time this procedure will take, please visit the website of your nearest U.S. Consulate or Embassy.
If you have been accepted by several institutions, do not apply for a visa stamp until you decide which school you will attend.
F-1 Students
You have received a Certificate of Eligibility (I-20) to apply for a F-1 visa. This document was created in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS). Please review your documents and make sure all the information is correct. If there is an error, please contact Jane Havis havisj@rpi.edu immediately so your document can be corrected and re-issued if needed. The name on the form I-20 must match your name as it appears in your passport.
To obtain a visa, you must present the following documents to the U.S. Consulate or Embassy:
- Your Form I-20
- Your acceptance letter from Rensselaer
- A valid passport
- Proof of sufficient financial support for the entire course of study
- Proof of payment for the SEVIS fee (Please refer to "Sevis I-901 Fee" below.)
F-1 visa requires full-time study. Spouses and dependents of F-1 students need an F-2 visa to enter the country. Each dependent must have their own Form I-20 to obtain a visa stamp. Spouses and dependents on F visas are not eligible for employment.
J-1 students
You have received a Certificate of Eligibility for Exchange Visitors (DS-2019) to apply for a J-1 visa. This document was created in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS). Please review your documents and make sure all the information is correct. If there is an error, please contact Jane Havis havisj@rpi.edu immediately so your document can be corrected and re-issued if needed. The name on the Form DS-2019 must match your name as it appears in your passport.
To enter the United States on a J-1 visa, you must be sponsored by an authorized Exchange Visitor program. J-1 holders from certain countries, or those receiving government funds from the United States or their home country, may be required to return home for two years at the end of their stay before being eligible to change their status to temporary worker status or permanent residence in the United States.
To obtain a J-1 visa you must present the following documents to a U.S. Consulate or Embassy:
- Form DS-2019, issued by Rensselaer or your program sponsor
- Your acceptance letter from Rensselaer
- A valid passport
- Proof of sufficient financial support
- Proof of payment for the SEVIS I-901 fee (Please refer to "Sevis I-901 fee" below.)
J-1 visa requires full-time study. Spouses and dependents of J-1 students need an J-2 visa to enter the country. Each dependent must have their own Form DS-2019 to obtain a visa stamp. Under this visa, J-2’s may apply to work after arrival in the U.S. Please contact the ISSS staff for more information on this.
Important note for F-1 and J-1 students: F-1 and J-1 students may enter the U.S. up to -- but no more than -- 30 days prior to the start date as noted on their form I-20 or DS-2019.
Transfer students
If you are a foreign student transferring directly to Rensselaer from another educational institution in U.S., consult your foreign student advisor at your current school for instructions on the transfer process. Transferring applies even if you are graduating from one school and continuing to another school.
SEVIS I-901 fee
You must pay your SEVIS fee at least three business days before your appointment with the U.S. Consulate or Embassy to apply for the visa stamp. (Canadians must pay this fee before they enter the U.S.). You must bring proof of the SEVIS fee payment with you to your appointment.
Please refer to the SEVIS section of our New Students website for more information about new SEVIS fee requirements for F-1 and J-1 students and scholars.
If you wish, you may also pay your SEVIS fee on-line.
Visa denials
If you or your spouse’s visa stamp application is denied, you should request a written reason for the denial. Denials are usually given because you the student cannot convince the visa officer you are going to return to your home country after finishing your studies.
You can re-apply if denied, but you should have new or updated evidence that convinces the officer that the first application should not have been denied.
Special notes
- You must attend the school whose form I-20 or DS-2019 you used to enter the U.S.
- If your I-20 or DS-2019 fails to arrive in time to secure an F-1 or J-1 visa stamp, you should obtain a B-2 "Prospective Student" visa stamp -- not a B-2 visitor! -- from the U.S. Consul in your country. Be sure that the Consul writes "prospective student to attend Rensselaer" in your passport. You will have to apply for a change when you arrive. If you have an assistantship, you will not be able to begin it until you obtain a change to an F-1 or J-1 visa.
- Applicants need to be aware that certain disciplines are considered "sensitive" by the State Department. The Technology Alert List (TAL) describes critical fields which are considered sensitive, and outlines procedures Consuls must follow when they issue visas to perspective scholars whose areas of study or research coincide with fields on the list.
Canadian citizens
Although a passport is required, visa stamps are unnecessary for all Canadian citizens coming directly from Canada to study in the U.S. Upon entry, Canadians need only present to the immigration inspector their form I-20 or DS-2019, along with evidence of financial support and proof of payment for the SEVIS I-901 fee.