International Students

International students who attend school in the United States may need to apply for an F-1 Student Classification Visa. The New York Law School Office of Student Life will help you with this process and will work with you as long as you hold your F-1 student visa at NYLS.

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F-1 Visa Information For Incoming Students

To apply for an F-1 student visa to attend classes in the United States, you must be a full-time Day Division student. Students who apply for an F-1 visa must provide financial documentation of their ability to pay for tuition and other expenses, as well as biographical information needed for our office to issue the paperwork for the visa application.

Information you provide will be entered into the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS). Schools are required to make regular electronic updates in SEVIS throughout each semester on the records of their students in F-1 status and the students’ dependents. Required updates include enrollment status, changes of address, and changes in level of study, employment, and school transfers.

Obtaining a Student Visa

Step 1: Obtain the I-20 form from NYLS.

Email the Office of Student Life to indicate your interest in applying for the F-1 Visa. The Office will then contact you to request information NYLS needs to complete the I-20 form required for the visa. Once you provide the Office with all of the necessary information, NYLS will produce and mail an I-20 form to you.

Step 2: Review and sign your I-20 form.

Step 3: Complete the I-901 form and print the receipt.

Visit I-901 SEVIS and complete the I-901 online form. Pay the SEVIS fee and be sure to print and save the receipt—you will need this for your embassy or consulate interview and every time you cross the border.

Step 4: Schedule the Initial Entry Visa Interview.

Once you have completed the I-901 form and paid the SEVIS fee, schedule your Initial Entry Visa Interview with your local U.S. embassy or consulate.*

More information about the interview process, including appointment availability, is available from the U.S. Department of State. Please note that wait times for student visa appointments at embassies and consulates vary. Remember to bring your I-901 SEVIS receipt and all other required documentation to your interview.

*Note: F-1 entry visas cannot be obtained within the United States. An application for a new visa must be made in person at a U.S. consulate or embassy outside the United States. Check with the U.S. embassy or consulate in your home country to determine its policies and procedures.

Step 5: Arrival at a U.S. port of entry.

IMPORTANT: You cannot enter the United States more than 30 days before your program start date.

Upon arrival at a U.S. port of entry, present these items:

Signed I-20 form
Valid passport
Valid visa containing your SEVIS identification number and the name of the school you will be attending (usually stamped in your passport)
Financial documentation submitted to obtain the I-20 form

Special Instructions for Canadian Citizens

Canadian citizens do not require an entry visa to enter the United States from Canada. Those wishing to enter the United States for purposes of studying should request F-1 status at the border and must always show the I-20 form to the immigration inspector. Otherwise, the student will be in Tourist (B-2) status.

When entering the United States for the first time, Canadian citizens will need to present:

Signed I-20 form
Valid passport
I-901 SEVIS receipt
Letter of admission from New York Law School
Financial documentation submitted to obtain the I-20 form

F-1 Visa Information for Transfer Students

If you are currently in F-1 status from another U.S. institution and intend to begin your studies at NYLS, you are considered a “transfer student” for the purposes of issuing an I-20 form. A transfer of the supervision of your F-1 status from your previous or current school to NYLS is required by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

You will be considered a transfer student if one of the following applies to you:

You are in the middle of a degree program and are leaving that program to begin at NYLS.
You will have completed a degree program at your current institution and will begin a new degree program at NYLS.
You are currently authorized for Optional Practical Training from another school and will begin a new degree program at NYLS.

Transferring Your F-1 Status

Step 1: Request transfer to NYLS.

Once you have been admitted to NYLS and have accepted the offer, you will need to submit the required financial documentation and a completed NYLSF-1 Student Transfer Form. You will also need to notify your current school of your intention to transfer to NYLS, request to have that school sign the NYLS F-1 Student Transfer Form, and inform that school of your selected release date.

Step 2: Review and sign your I-20 form.

Once the Office of Student Life has received your financial documentation and the F-1 Student Transfer Form, and your previous school has transferred you out in SEVIS, the Office will create your I-20 form and send it to you.

If you are traveling or moving during the break before coming to NYLS, remember to update the Office with your current address so the I-20 form is mailed to the correct location.

Step 3: Complete the transfer process.

Upon arriving at NYLS, you must report to the Office of Student Life to complete the transfer process. You are required to report in person to the Office no later than 15 days after the start date on your I-20 form; we recommend that you complete the transfer as soon as you arrive at NYLS. If you fail to report within the required time frame, you will be in violation of your F-1 status. When you come to report to the Office, you must bring your passport and I-20 form.

You are required to register for full-time studies at NYLS in the first available term after leaving your previous school or the first term after the summer vacation period.

Definitions

F-1 Student Classification Visa

Those who hold F-1 student visas are normally admitted to the United States for “duration of status” by the Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. government department responsible for administering regulations related to the stay of non-U.S. citizens. Under the terms of a student visa, you are required to pursue a full-time course of study during the academic year, September through May.

I-20 Form

The I-20 form is the Certificate of Visa Eligibility for Nonimmigrant F-1 Student Status. This is the document issued by a school through the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) for presentation at a U.S. consulate abroad to apply for an F-1 student visa. It must also be presented to an immigration official upon entry into the United States. When traveling outside the United States, those in F-1 status must carry their signed I-20 and financial documentation if they intend to return to the United States in F-1 status to continue their studies or practical training. The I-20 and its corresponding electronic updates in SEVIS are a permanent record of your activities as a student in the United States.

It is your responsibility to keep all I-20s issued to you throughout your student status, no matter how long you stay in the United States or how many times you travel abroad. The initial I-20 used when you enter the country and stamped by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is a very important immigration document. Make a copy of both sides for your records. If you were not issued an I-20, or if you lose it, come to the Office of Student Life. Under most circumstances, we can provide you with a replacement form within five working days.

I-94 Card

This small white card* is a record of your legal entry into the United States and immigration status. It is processed at a port of entry. The form is also a record of your arrivals and departures. Each time you leave the country, you surrender your I-94. Only in the case of short trips to Canada, Mexico, and parts of the Caribbean do you keep this form. The I-94 is an important form; we recommend that you make a photocopy of both sides of the form to keep separately in case you need to replace it.

*The I-94 may now be issued as an electronic form at air and sea ports of entry.

Re-entry

Release date

The release date is the date that your SEVIS record will become available to NYLS. The Office of Student Life is not able to issue your I-20 form before the release date. The transfer-out procedure (from your previous school to NYLS) must be requested within 60 days of completing your program at the school you are leaving, though the actual release date may be later. F-1 regulations allow a student to work in the summer between programs, so you may want to take this into consideration when choosing your release date. You should also consider any plans to travel outside the United States (e.g., if you have a release date of August 15 and are planning to re-enter the United States on August 20, this will not be enough time to get your new I-20 to you before you return).

SEVIS

SEVIS is an acronym for Student and Exchange Visitor Information System. It is a data collection and monitoring system that creates an interface among institutions of higher education, the Department of Homeland Security, consulates and embassies abroad, and ports of entry. Schools are required to make regular electronic updates in SEVIS throughout each semester on the records of their enrolled students in F-1 status and those students’ dependents. Data collected includes, but is not limited to, enrollment status, changes of address, and changes in level of study, employment, and school transfers.

SEVIS I-901 Fee

Office of Student Life • T 212.431.2851 • E studentlife@nyls.edu