·Is there a deadline for submitting the Financial Certification Form
No. There is no deadline for submitting financial certification forms to the DSO. You simply will not be issued an I-20 until they are received in proper form. Keep in mind that it may take several months to obtain a visa and you will need your I-20 to apply.
·My department has not yet made decisions on funding. Can I wait until I hear from my department about funding before I send the financial certification form?
Yes. Again, there is no deadline for submitting the financial certification forms. You simply will not receive your I-20 until the documentation of your funding is received.
·If there is a problem with the financial certification documents submitted, will I be notified?
Yes. Anytime a student submits financial certification documents that are incomplete or inadequate, the International Student Advisor will contact the student explaining the problem.
·Do I have to submit financial documents in U.S. dollars?
No. Your financial documents do not have to be submitted in U.S. dollars, although it is helpful that any document you submit in foreign currency contains the U.S. dollar equivalency.
·I need to have my original financial documents to apply for the student visa. Can I submit copies of my documents to the International Student Advisor and keep the originals?
No. You must submit the original financial documents to the ISA. We will send the original documents back to you with our I-20 form to apply for the student visa. Financial documents must be submitted in English or have an English translation attached.
·I have been awarded College funding (i.e. a scholarship). Can I count the amount of the award as a source of support for subsequent years of study?
No. Durations of awards given varies upon specifications of qualifications. You may qualify for a scholarship for your first year however, you may and may not qualify for it the second year.
·My funding from the College and Sponsors is equal to or greater than the amount of expenses required by the ISA to be issued an I-20. Do I need to submit additional financial documents to the ISA?
No. If the amount of funding coming from your department exceeds the amount of funding required by the ISA to be issued an I-20 you do not need to submit additional financial documents.
·Can I be issued an I-20 based on providing financial support for one year of study?
No. All students must provide financial support for all years of study needed to complete a degree. That is two years for an Associate Degree. Funds for the first year of study must be documented and available. Funds for subsequent years of study must be attainable as demonstrated by income from employment or investments. This typically occurs when a sponsor (family or friend) is involved. If using personal funds (meaning money that appears on documents in your name) for any part of support the student must have the personal funds for all years of study. For example, a student who states that he or she will use $10,000 of personal funds for support would have to have $10,000 x 2 ($20,000) in order to be issued an I-20. Personal funds can’t be earned, the student either has the funds or doesn’t.
·I want to bring my spouse and children to the U.S. with me. What do I need to do?
You need to show you have the financial resources to provide $5,000 per year for the spouse and $3,000 per year for each child. This is in addition to what you need to prove you can meet your own living and educational expenses. We will also need to know the name, date of birth, city and country of birth, and country of citizenship for each dependent.
·Must the financial certification be notarized?
Yes. Any financial certification made by a sponsor must have a notary seal affixed to the sponsors’ signature or the form will not be accepted. A notary seal is an official stamp certifying that the person signing the form is the sponsor. Lawyers, bankers, police officers and other government officials typically have the authority to make such certifications. In some countries (especially China) such officials may not stamp or seal the Financial Certification Form because it is written in English. It is acceptable in such instances to send an appropriate form from your home country with the appropriate seals instead of the Financial Certification Form.
·Can I have a friend pick-up my I-20 and mail it to me?
Yes. You may designate anyone you want to pick up your I-20. But you must indicate to us in writing who that person is, and how to contact them.
·Can the ISA tell me if I have been awarded a scholarship or, assistantship, or grant me an extension to the deadline to accept my offer of admission?
No. Individual departments grant financial aid, not the ISA. You must contact your Admissions Representative directly about financial awards or exceptions to deadlines.
·What happens if my passport or visa expires during my stay in the United States?
It is the student’s responsibility to make sure his/her visa and/or passport stay valid during their stay in the U.S. It is strongly recommended that students are make sure they are well aware of the expiration date and apply for extension or renewal at least 6 months in advance prior to the expiration date to avoid any future complications. You may contact the ISA if there are further questions.
·I-20 Form: A certificate of eligibility for an F-1 student visa or F- immigration status
·I-94: Arrival/departure record. A student’s most important document – grants permission to enter and remain in the U.S.
·DHS: Department of Homeland Security
·D/S: Stands for “Duration of Status” for F-status student and dependents. This means the time a student is pursuing a full course of study, plus academic or practical training, and a 60-day grace period that allows for preparation of the departure.
·DSO: Designated School Official
·ICE: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. An agency within the Department of Homeland Security with jurisdiction over immigration enforcement issues. This is the agency with direct oversight of the SEVIS program.
· ISA: International Student Advisor
·Out of Status: Only the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Service is empowered legally to confer immigration status and only the BCIS can take it away. Whatever the student may have done, he or she is not out of status unless there is a document from the BCIS specifically saying so. We are not judge and jury and may not make the equivalent of judicial decisions.
·Passport: A document issued by an authority of a particular country proving citizenship status.
· PDSO: Principal Designated School Official. The person designated by the president or chief executive officer of school to have oversight of other DSO’s and the institutions compliance with the SEVIS.
·SEVIS: Student Exchange Visitor Information System
·USCIS: United States Citizenship and Immigration Services
·Visa: A travel stamp issued by the US Department of State. It does not grant permission to enter or remain in the United. States. It allows the holder of the visa to apply at a port of entry for admissions to the U.S. At the port of entry, the decision on whether or not to admit the individual, and in which status, is made by an entirely differently agency of government, the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Helpful Websites
http://www.ece.org
https://www.fmjfee.com/index.jhtml
http://uscis.gov/graphics
http://www.ice.gov/graphics/sevis/i901/faq4.htm#_Toc81222043
http://www.wes.org/
http://www.educational-perspectives.org
Yovana Alvarez, DSO
Northwestern Business College
7725 S. Harlem Ave.
Bridgeview, IL 60455
Phone: 708-237-5050 ext. 2646
yalvarez@nwbc.edu
www.northwesternbc.edu
