Getting a new I-20

[chernarumi]

just wondering about international students that are already in the US on a student visa from their undergrad (or MA, i guess)...

does anyone know about the process about getting a new i-20? like, will we have to go through the whole interview process again? or do it all in our home country? i had done everything at the american embassy back home, i wasn't sure where/how it works to get another one. i know i'll find out sooner or later, but i haven't gotten the paperwork from my school yet and wanted to be prepared before the bum rush begins.

[Guest guest]

hi,

i'm only accepted to my safety master's program and still haven't quite decided if i'm going to attend (they didn't really give me a deadline to accept or decline, i just need to register for classes next month if i'm attending). but yeah, i'm an international student with a current 1-20 from my undergrad school. as far as i know the whole process should be the same. your new school issues you your i-20, which can take a while to receive if they have a big foreign student population. and maybe if you're already in the US you wanna make sure with the international student office that they're sending the i-20 to your US address. if your f-1 visa is still valid i think all you need to do is to have your former school transfer your sevis information to the new school. the new school should provide you information on this. if it's expired you need to go back home to apply for a new visa at the us embassy. also, if you don't need a new visa and you're going home for vacation before you attend grad school my guess is you need a councelor's signature on the new i-20.

[Somedfjd]

If I have a I-20 from a University that I was thinking that I'm going to admit but now I want to have a new I-20 from other University that I am going to admit, can I cancel the first one? will I have to go over a hard procedure?

[Debating]

Getting the new I-20 usually involves twol steps--telling your current intl adviser to transfer you over on SEVIS (you will need to fill out and submit a form), and asking your graduate school for a new I-20 (another form, giving them a valid summer address).

If your school has not awarded you enough money, you will also need to submit documentation proving you have the money necessary to pay for at least the first year of school I believe.

If you have an F-1 valid until a year after you graduate you can choose not to get a new visa until the old one expires, but my school recommended I get a new one anyway...

[Guest anonimous]

Hello, everyone.

You are all correct except for one thing--you don't need a new visa even if the old one is expired. The visa is just an entry document. You don't need a valid one as long as you are not entering the country. What keeps you "lega" is the I-20. If you have a valid I-20 from the grad school, you are a legal alien.

That's all!