I-20 (form)

J-1 and J-2 status holders have an equivalent Form DS-2019 which is issued by a United States Department of State-designated J exchange visitor program.

An institution can acquire SEVP certification by filing Form I-17 with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (this is a one-time process).

[2] Conversely, an institution may hold national or regional accreditation but may have chosen not to obtain SEVP certification if it does not intend to admit international students in the F, J, or M status.

The international office manages updates to the SEVIS record and issuing of new paper Form I-20s.

[7] The Form I-20 can be thought of as a paper representation of the most up-to-date SEVIS information on record for the student's current enrollment.

Each international office may follow its own rules or guidelines regarding the type of documentation it requests from the student or from other departments in order to be able to issue the I-20.

[7] The international office may refuse to issue a Form I-20 if the student is unable to demonstrate how he or she plans to cover expenses for the first year.

The Form I-20 serves as evidence of the legality of the student's current presence in the United States.

The purpose of this requirement is to avoid cases where people who are no longer enrolled as students at an institution keep using an outdated Form I-20 to get in.

[20] If the Form I-20 is being extended, then, in addition to any evidence from the student about changed academic plans, the international office also needs an updated statement of financial resources for the new I-20 to cover up to one year of the I-20 extension.

It is not possible to extend the program end date simply in order to be able to stay around till the graduation ceremony.

[20] The following are some other types of major updates to the student's SEVIS record that require changes to the Form I-20.