Applying for an F-1 Visa

Obtain I-20 (F-1 visa) from ISO. Contact U.S. embassy for J-1 visa application interview. Submit SEVIS Fee online at least three (3) business days before application interview date. If SEVIS fee is paid by mail, allow additional time. If SEVIS fee is paid online, print fee payment receipt from the Web. If SEVIS Fee is paid by mail, wait for form I-797 receipt from DHS via mail. Submit SEVIS fee receipt with F-1 visa application.

Canadian citizens do not require F-1 visas in order to enter the U.S. with F-1 status. However, they are subject to the SEVIS fee.

You must show your SEVIS fee receipt, along with your I-20 and passport, in order to be granted admission to the U.S. with F-1 status. The SEVIS fee cannot be paid at the land border crossing or at the Canadian airport before you leave for the U.S.

After you receive your I-20 from Concordia University, St. Paul, contact the U.S. embassy (travel.state.gov) where you plan to apply for your F-1 visa to find out exactly how to do this; to learn if other items are required, and how to obtain them; etc.

Precise application procedures, including turn-around times, vary by location. In addition, they are subject to change without notice.

Please find out what the procedure is at a given US embassy or consulate at the time you wish to apply for your F-1 visa. Review your I-20 carefully and let ISO know immediately if there is an error in any of the information about you, or if you have questions about the form and how to use it.

Sign your I-20 where indicated on the bottom of the front.

You will be asked to show both the F-1 visa in your passport and your I-20 upon arrival in the U.S.