Greetings from Immigration Services at Wesleyan!  

Congratulations on your offer of admissions to Wesleyan University.  You must be very excited about the possibilities that Wesleyan and life in the United States will offer to you.  We will help you to make the transition to you new life successfully. 

For now, we will focus on what you must do in order to get an “F-1” student visa.  The information might seem overwhelming, but the process is something that all students must go through in order to be able to enter the United States lawfully.  

Now that you have been admitted to Wesleyan, it is important to move quickly on the process of obtaining an “F-1” student visa.

Important First Steps:  

• Check the website of the American Consulate or Embassy in your homeland for instructions to obtain an F-1 student visa.  You will probably be able to download the application and instructions.  Be certain that you have the information.  There are fees attached to the visa.  You will also need to obtain photos of yourself.
• There will be certain documents that you will need to bring to the interview at the consulate.  One of those documents will be Wesleyan’s admission letter that was sent to you.  Be sure that you still have that letter.
• You need a passport.  Your passport must be valid for at least six months beyond the initial period of admission.
• You should be prepared to produce an original high school transcript, test scores for the ACT, SAT, and/or TOEFL exams (if applicable).

         You must demonstrate that you can financially support your studies.  You need to produce your financial aid award letter and/or your scholarship letter.  You will need to prove that you and/or your family have sufficient funds to cover the cost of that portion of your education that is not covered by financial aid and scholarships.  Proof of income can be demonstrated through a variety of documents, including tax returns from the past several years, an official statement of salary paid, a letter on employer’s business stationery or by a private accountant if you are self-employed, and/or a bank statement that states the date the account was opened, current balance in U.S. dollars, average deposits and average balances. 

·         You will receive a letter from our office supporting your application for an F-1 visa.

• You will receive a SEVIS Form I-20 from our office.  This will prove to the Consulate representative that you are in the United States Immigration system.

An interview is required of all first time F-1 visa applicants, therefore you should schedule an appointment at the nearest American consulate or embassy as soon as possible.  The consular officer who interviews you is required by law to assume that you intend to stay in the U.S. indefinitely.  Thus the burden of proof is upon you to convince the consular officer that you will return to your home country upon completion of studies.