I-20 Information

Canadian students maintaining residence in Canada and traveling to the U.S. for required residencies, orientations or meetings with their faculty mentors are considered border commuter students and need an I-20 to study in the U.S.

Once accepted to the college, Canadian students are entered into the federal Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) which generates the I-20.

Students contact the International Student Services Coordinator (ISSC) each term once they have registered so their status in SEVIS can be updated. To receive a new I-20 for the term, students must also submit new financial documents to the ISSC.

A SEVIS fee is required of everyone who is issued an I-20 and is paid directly to the U.S. government. Information on the SEVIS fee and how to pay it is available at www.ice.gov/sevis/i901.

A new I-20 is issued for each consecutive term a student is enrolled at the college without an additional fee. If consecutive term enrollment is not maintained, the SEVIS fee will again need to be paid when a new I-20 is issued.

Canadian citizens are not required to hold an F-1 student visa. To cross the border, border commuter students should bring their valid passport, I-20 issued for the current term, SEVIS fee receipt and financial documents. Students may enter the U.S. 30 days before the start of the term.

Residents of Canada, who are not Canadian citizens, need to apply for an F-1 student visa at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate once they have received their initial I-20 from the college.