|
New
Students
Social
Security
Number
J-1
F-1
Other Visa
Types
Expand Your
UNC Experience
Taxes
|
ISSS
> For International Students > New
Students > FAQs
NEW STUDENTS
frequently asked questions
- When do classes begin?
- What documents are required
by the Office of International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS)
in order to issue an I-20 or DS-2019 document?
- How are the financial documents processed by UNC-Chapel Hill?
- What types of documents are appropriate for verifying sufficient
funds on the financial certificate?
- What if I don’t have funds
and am expecting a graduate assistantship from UNC-Chapel Hill? Do I still
need to fill out the financial certificate?
- When will I receive my immigration documents?
- Why are international students required to fill out a financial
certificate?
- How can I speed up the processing of my immigration document?
- How can I have my visa document express mailed to my home?
- I do not have a U.S. contact for express mailing. May I use
a credit card or federal express account number to have my documents
sent to my home?
- I am in the U.S. in visa category other than F or J, and
I am NOT interested in obtaining a visa document from UNC-Chapel
Hill. Do I still need to complete financial certificate?
- I am already in the U.S. studying as an F-1 or J-1 student.
What are the procedures for changing from my current institution
to UNC-Chapel Hill?
- I am currently in the U.S. in a visa category other than
F-1 or J-1. I am interested in changing my status to F-1 or J-1.
What are the options and procedures for changing my status?
- What is check-in? What do I need to bring to check-in?
- How do I find out information regarding housing at UNC-Chapel
Hill?
The university’s registrar calendar can be found at the following
website: http://regweb.oit.unc.edu/calendars/index.php.
-
- Admission
letter: In order to issue an immigration document,
ISSS must receive a copy of the official letter of
admission from
the appropriate admissions office (Graduate School, Law School,
Medical School, Dental School, Summer School, Kenan Flaglar Business
School, Study Abroad Office, or Undergraduate Admissions).
- Complete financial certificate:
ISSS must also receive your completed and signed financial
certificate with
original accompanying financial documentation. Students should
submit the financial certificate to the appropriate school or academic
department. Please do not send the financial certificate
directly to ISSS unless requested to do so by ISSS. Graduate
students that are not in
the Dental School, Law School, Business School, or Medical School
should submit the financial certificate to the academic
department to which they are applying. Undergraduate applicants
should submit the financial certificate to Undergraduate Admissions.
The financial certificates are sent to ISSS by Undergraduate Admissions
after processing the admission application, or the professional
school or academic department to which you are applying after the
department/school funding decisions have been included in PART
B of page three of the financial certificate by the student services
manager.
Financial Certificates should be submitted to your academic department
or if you are an undergraduate student to Undergraduate Admissions.
Financial certificates for graduate students are sent
to ISSS by your academic department or professional school after departmental
funding decisions have been included in the financial certificate.
For undergraduate
students, your financial certificate will be sent to ISSS
from undergraduate admissions.
The financial documents must be
evaluated and approved by ISSS prior to
creating the immigration document. If ISSS has questions regarding
your financial certificate, you will be contacted via email. Please
do not contact
ISSS regarding the verification of your documents, as answering numerous
inquiries takes away from immigration document processing and delays
in receiving student visas.
Immigration documents are processed in
the order in which complete files
are received. You can help the processing of your immigration document
by carefully following the instructions on the financial certificate.
ISSS will accept original bank
statements or original, official
bank letters meeting the following criteria:
- the document is in English,
- the date on the document is not older than 6 months,
- the currency type is clearly indicated by the
banking institution,
- the bank account holder’s name matches the student’s
name or the financial sponsor’s name, and
- the document is
printed on official bank letterhead or has an official banking
institution stamp or banking institution representative’s
signature.
ISSS will NOT
accept electronic print outs of bank statements from on-line accounts,
copies, scans, faxes of original banking documents, or bank statements
from financial sponsor’s without a corresponding
letter of financial support.
Personal funds
Students
that plan to fund their academic program personally should submit
their personal bank statement or letter (as described above) demonstrating
funding to cover the first year’s
expenses of the program. In addition, the student should submit
a letter stating how they expect to fund the remainder of their
program. If a student plans, to have a sponsor for subsequent years
of study, the sponsor should also include a letter of support (see
the next paragraph for details on the letter of financial support
from sponsor).
Letter of financial
support from sponsor
Financial sponsors should submit a letter
pledging financial support for an estimated amount of money. The
letter should contain the following:
- name of the sponsor(s)
and student,
- relationship between the student and sponsor,
- pledge of financial support,
- amount of financial
support,
- duration of financial support,
- signature of sponsor(s),
and
- date.
Yes. All international students must fill in the financial certificate.
If you do not have funds available, you may place zeros in the boxes
under “Sources
of Financial Support” on page two of the financial certificate. Some departments
may require prospective students to demonstrate the ability to fund their program
of study. Please check with your department regarding the departmental policies.
Immigration documents will only be issued to admitted students
that have adequately demonstrated the ability to cover the cost of attendance.
Most immigration documents are mailed during May
and early June. Prior to May, we are working on immigration documents
for summer admissions. It is our goal to expedite your immigration
documents as quickly as possible. Please keep in mind that U.S. embassies
do not accept visa appointments more than four months prior to the
start date of the academic program.
Unlike domestic students, international students are required to fill
out a financial certificate. As indicated in the U.S. Code of Federal
Regulations regarding “Aliens and Nationality”, the school
must obtain reliable documentation of the student’s ability to
cover the estimated cost of attendance._P_In order to comply with this
federal regulation, UNC-Chapel Hill has developed policy resulting in
the creation of a financial certificate which all international
students must complete. International students that are not requesting
a visa document from UNC-Chapel Hill are not required t submit proof of funding
but are required to fill out page
one of the financial certificate and submit a copy of
their current visa document. When the financial certificate
is received and verified by ISSS, our office will create the visa document
as soon as possible. If ISSS contacts you with a request for additional
information regarding your finances, please follow the directions carefully
to help ensure timely processing of your visa document.
Many students express concerns over the time-consuming process of obtaining
a student visa, especially due to the advent of security clearances
at the U.S. embassies. Please understand that ISSS processes hundreds
of immigration documents. Inquiries to ISSS regarding the status
of your immigration document take away from time spent processing documents.
Please limit your email inquiries to ISSS. However, if you have a
special concern, please contact Noah Kriger at kriger@email.unc.edu (or Amanda King at aaking@email.unc.edu if you are a MBA or MAC student) with
your admission questions.
If you are concerned about the visa process,
please schedule an appointment with the consulate. If your visa document
has NOT arrived by the time of your appointment, you may reschedule
the appointment. Please be advised that making a visa appointment with
the U.S. embassy does not guarantee
that you will receive the visa document from ISSS by that date as
student files are processed in the order in which complete files are
received in our office.
If the embassy requires that you have an
I-20 or DS-2019 in order to make an appointment, please allow our office
adequate time for its preparation. It is our goal to assist students
as quickly as possible, but also to prepare visa documents in the order
which complete files have been received in our office.
Mailing
Normal
mailing times can take several weeks. Therefore, you may want to consider
having a U.S. contact express mail your document on your behalf. To
do so, please see the Express Mail instructions in the next FAQ.
ISSS does not send visa documents via express from
our office. However, if you have a contact in the U.S. that is willing
to send the document via express mail on your behalf, you may submit
in writing "Permission to Release Visa Document". Please see
below.
Permission to Release Visa Document
You may download and print the Permission
to Release Visa Document and
submit it to Noah Kriger at kriger@email.unc.edu (or Amanda King at aaking@email.unc.edu if you are a MBA or MAC student)
It is ISSS policy not to accept credit cards or personal
federal express account numbers for express mailing. This policy was
created due to misuse of the previous policy. ISSS accrued several international
express mail charges when mail recipients refused to accept charges that
were assigned to their credit cards for the express mailing.
If the credit
card or federal express account number is not accepted at that time of
payment or the mail recipient refuses to accept the charges, the shipping
bill defaults to ISSS; therefore, ISSS will not accept
credit cards or personal federal express accounts for payment of express
mailing.
Yes, all international students are required to fill
out a financial certificate even if they are not requesting a visa
document from UNC-Chapel Hill; however, students that are NOT requesting an
F-1 or J-1 visa from UNC-Chapel Hill are responsible for filling out PAGE
ONE ONLY of
the financial certificate. Students in visa categories other than F-1
or J-1 should attach a copy of their current visa documents to the
financial certificate. This includes students that are pending permanent
residency in the U.S. The information that the student provides on
page one of the financial certificate assists ISSS in keeping accurate
records on our student population, as well as, assist us in advising
students about their visa status.
Students that are not on a UNC-Chapel Hill immigration document are required to check in with ISSS.
After you have been admitted to UNC-Chapel Hill , your immigration document should
be transferred in SEVIS to UNC-Chapel Hill. Transferring
the immigration document helps to preserve eligibility for practical
training, maintain the SEVIS number, reduce duplicate records in SEVIS,
minimize confusion at the port of entry, and possibly prevent the need
to apply for a new visa (if the visa is still valid).
There are several
different scenarios in which students would need to transfer their immigration
document. Please refer to the appropriate scenario following the “General
SEVIS Transfer Procedures” for
additional information.
General SEVIS Transfer Procedures
All
students that intend to transfer their immigration file in SEVIS to UNC-Chapel Hill
should:
- receive an admission letter from
UNC-Chapel Hill , and
- complete the financial certificate.
On
the financial certificate the student should indicate that they are
currently studying in the U.S. and their current visa category. Students
in F-1 or J-1 status may be eligible to transfer their SEVIS document
to UNC-Chapel Hill .
ISSS will send a transfer clearance form via email to
the student after the financial certificate has been verified by
ISSS and an admission letter from the appropriate school has been
received. The student should complete the student section and then
submit the form to their current foreign student advisor to complete.
The foreign student advisor should submit this form either by mail
or fax to ISSS. The transfer clearance form will assist in coordinating
the transfer
release date of
the SEVIS file, at which point UNC-Chapel Hill will be able to access the SEVIS
record and print a new UNC-Chapel Hill “transfer pending” I-20 document.
Once
the document has been transferred, the student should use the UNC-Chapel Hill document
for travel purposes. Students are required to check
in with ISSS within 15 days of the start date on the I-20.
The transfer will be complete once the student has checked in and been
registered in SEVIS. The student will receive a new “continued
attendance” I-20 document after registration in SEVIS.
Note: Students currently residing in the U.S. in
J-1 status should read the note regarding J-1 Student Transfers below.
F-1 Student
Transfers
Please refer to one of the following scenarios for students
currently residing in the U.S. in F-1 status that best describes your
situation
- Transferring institutions during an academic program;
- Students that have completed a degree at another
institution and plan to attend UNC-Chapel Hill for a new program; or
- F-1
students on Optional Practical Training that plan to begin a new
academic program at UNC-Chapel Hill .
Transferring institutions DURING an
academic program
Students
that are transferring to UNC-Chapel Hill during their current academic program
must be released in SEVIS to UNC-Chapel Hill . Since their current I-20 should
be valid for the duration of status, the student may transfer
prior to the start of classes at UNC-Chapel Hill .
Students that have
completed a degree at another institution and plan to attend UNC-Chapel Hill
for a new program
F-1
student information: If
the new UNC-Chapel Hill program begins within 5 months of
the end date of the previous academic program, the student may
transfer the SEVIS document to UNC-Chapel Hill. In this case, after following
the “General
Transfer Procedures” noted above, the student will receive
a visa document that states “transfer pending”. If
the student transfers the SEVIS file to UNC-Chapel Hill and plans to travel
outside of the U.S., it will not be necessary to apply for a new
visa unless the visa is no longer valid. The SEVIS file should
be transferred no
later than 60 days after the completion date on the
current I-20 from the previous institution.
If the new UNC-Chapel Hill program begins
more than 5 months after
the start of the new program at UNC-Chapel Hill , the student will not be
eligible to transfer the SEVIS document and instead will need to
travel outside of the U.S. and reenter on a new “initial
entry” I-20.
ISSS advises students to apply for a new visa since
the school name on the current visa does not match
the name on the new “initial entry” I-20 document.
F-1 students on Optional Practical Training
(OPT) that plan to begin a new academic program at UNC-Chapel Hill
Students on OPT
will not have
legal authorization to work after their SEVIS
file has been transferred to UNC-Chapel Hill . Students should consider carefully
the dates in which they plan to discontinue work and initiate the
transfer.
If the new UNC-Chapel Hill program begins within 5 months of
the end date of the OPT, the student may transfer the SEVIS document
to UNC-Chapel Hill. In this case, after following the “General Transfer
Procedures” noted
above, the student will receive a visa document that states “transfer
pending”. If the student transfers the SEVIS file to UNC-Chapel Hill
and plans to travel outside of the U.S., it will not be necessary
to apply for a new visa unless the visa is no longer valid. The
student has a 60 day grace period in which to transfer the SEVIS
file post OPT; however, if the student has previously used this
grace period prior to the start of the OPT, ISSS advises that
the SEVIS file be transferred on the last day of OPT to ensure
the ability to transfer the document in SEVIS._P_If the new UNC
program begins more
than 5 months after
the start of the new program at UNC-Chapel Hill , the student will not be
eligible to transfer the SEVIS document and instead will need to
travel outside of the U.S. and reenter on a new “initial
entry” visa
document. ISSS advises that students apply for a new visa since
the school name on the current visa does not match the name on
the new “initial
entry” I-20 document.
J-1 Student Transfers
An exchange
visitor may transfer from one program sponsor to UNC-Chapel Hill
if the purpose of the transfer is to
complete the original program objective and if the exchange
visitor is currently residing in the U.S. in the J-1 student
category. J-1 students that are currently enrolled in
a non-degree program are not eligible for transfer to UNC-Chapel Hill
unless they have applied for a change in category with the
Department of State. All students should first discuss
the possibility of transfer with their sponsoring organization
prior to requesting a transfer. If
you fit the criteria for transfer in J-1 student status, please
contact Noah Kriger at kriger@email.unc.edu (or Amanda King at aaking@email.unc.edu if you are a MBA or MAC student) for
more information.
There
are two manners for changing status:
- changing status by traveling
outside of the U.S. and reentering in F-1 or J-1 status and
- changing
status within the U.S.
Change status by traveling
You
will need to depart the U.S. and re-enter the country in F-1
status. This will require you to receive an initial I-20 document
from UNC-Chapel Hill , which you will take to apply for an F-1 or J-1 visa
at a US embassy. ISSS recommends that you apply in your home
country or country of permanent residency.
Change of
status within the U.S.
You
will apply for a change of status with the appropriate Immigration
Service Center within the U.S. With this option you do NOT need
to depart the country. Instead you will pay a fee to immigration
services and complete an application including the I-539 form.
We recommend that you check the current processing times https://egov.immigration.gov/cris/jsps/index.jsp at
the appropriate Immigration Service Center in order to time appropriately
the submission of your change of status application. The I-539
form is available on line at http://uscis.gov/graphics/formsfee/forms/files/i-539.pdf .
ISSS should be entered under Part 1 under the “in care
of” section
unless you plan to submit the application yourself. We recommend
that you use the ISSS address instead of your personal address
to help ensure proper receipt of your receipt and approval notices
from the Immigration Service Center. Immigration documents will
NOT be forwarded by mail services in the case that you have moved
addresses. Please contact Noah Kriger at kriger@email.unc.edu (or Amanda King at aaking@email.unc.edu if you are a MBA or MAC student) if
you plan to apply for a change of status within the U.S. You
will be provided an information sheet, check list, and I-539
form. -
Check-in is the process of appearing in person at
ISSS. Check-in is required for all international
students, even students that are not receiving visa documents from
UNC-Chapel Hill . Failing to check-in at ISSS may result in the termination of
your SEVIS document and/or holds on your university account resulting
in the inability to drop, add, or register for classes.
To complete
the check-in requirements students should bring the following documents
with them:
- passport for student and any dependents,
- visa for
student and any dependents,
- I-94 card(s) for student and any dependents
or approval notices for students that have changed status within
the U.S., and
- I-20 or DS-2019 documents for student and any dependents.
The
student is required to fill out a PR-100 form.
Students in J-1 status will be required to sign
an insurance pledge which
verifies the J-1 student’s knowledge that purchasing medical
insurance is a requirement of the J program.
The check-in procedures
take approximately 30 minutes. Students will receive information
regarding important dates, deadlines, and programs. For students
on our visa documents, once you have checked in with ISSS, we
will be able to register you into the SEVIS system which will allow
them to maintain their visa status.
Additional information can be found on our website under the “New
Student” section. For information regarding on campus housing go
to: http://housing.unc.edu
For
information regarding off campus housing:
UNC's Housing Office
http://gpsf-wiki.unc.edu/confluence/display/handbook/Housing
|
