When you have secured your admission to a university in the United States, you will be given an I-20 form. Before you get this, you will have to submit proof of your financial stability to stay in the US. The I-20 is also called as the “Certificate of Eligibility”, as you need this document to be eligible for an F-1 visa.

SEVIS (Student and Exchange Visitor Information System) is a US government database that includes the biographic data of all the students that have completed their admission process from a particular university. With access to this information, this database then sends an I-20 file in the form of a PDF to the university. Upon receiving this file, the DSO (Designated School Official) then has to put their signature on the form and hand it over to the student.

In case the student needs to make any changes in their I-20 form, they need to contact the DSO, who will then initiate a request to the database for the form to be reproduced.

Information on your I-20 form

Your I-20 form will include details like your field of study, term period of the course you are pursuing, and even the dates of when you start and finish the course. It will even have information on your financial situation which will be proof that you can afford your stay in the US. It is always ideal to have a guarantor that will back you up to take care of all the expenses. You can even take a study loan for financial support. The second page of the form would show your identification details, which is why it is very important to keep this form with you during your stay in the US.

Having a valid passport

It is also necessary that you have a passport before you can apply for your I-20 form, which should be valid for the entirety of your stay in the US. If it is set to expire during your stay, you should apply for an extension as soon as you can. An I-20 form and a valid passport will allow you to apply for an F-1 visa.

Getting an I-94 card

You will have to show your student visa to the immigration officer once you land in the US. After showing this visa you will receive an I-94 card that will be attached to your passport. This card will mention details of your arrival as well as the duration of your planned stay in the US. As long as you are there on a student visa status, you will need to be a full-time student. This means that you will have to enroll for a minimum of 12 hours each semester if you are an undergraduate, and nine hours per semester if you are a graduate.

Now that you have all the information on the I-20 process for an F-1 visa, you know the importance of finances. An effective way to arrange for the funds is to take an education loan for abroad studies that will support all your academic expenses. We at Avanse can help you with that, so please get in touch with us and we will see to it that you get the assistance you need.