After you are admitted to American University, you will need immigration documents to present at the US Embassy or Consulate in your country to apply for an F-1 or J-1 student visa.

Step 1: Be Admitted to American University

You must first be admitted to American University before the International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) can begin processing your immigration paperwork.

To learn more about the admission process, click here: Admission Process for International Students

Step 2: Submit Information for Immigration to Your Admission Unit

After you are admitted to American University, you will need to submit both your personal information and your deposit to your admission unit.  After both of these are received, your admission unit will send us a request to process your I-20 or DS-2019.  For more information, please click here: Information to Submit to Admission Units.

For questions on the process, contact your admission unit directly.

 Step 3: Submit Supporting Financial Documents

All students are required to demonstrate financial ability to pay for at least one year of academic and living expenses* before being issued an immigration document (I-20 or DS-2019) by American University. For a guide on submitting financial documents and for sample financial documents, please click here: Financial Proof.

For the costs per AU program, click here: Cost Guides.

Financial documents can be submitted to ISSS via email at isssdocuments@american.edu
or by fax at 202-885-3354.

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Your I-20 or DS-2019 will be issued within 2 weeks* from the time the ISSS office receives and reviews all of your documents. Your admission unit will then mail it out to you to the address they have on file.

However, any issues that arise during the review process may delay the issuance of your immigration documents. If issues do arise during the review process, ISSS will contact you through the email we have on file for you. 

Please contact your admission unit:

• If you would like to change your email address.
  
• If you would like to change your mailing address for the I-20 or DS-2019.
  

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NEXT STEPS:

After you receive your I-20 or DS-2019, remember to do the following:

A: PAY THE SEVIS FEE

Before applying for an F-1 or J-1 visa, all first time F-1 and J-1 visa applicants (as well as some others) are required to pay the SEVIS FEE in addition to the visa application fee. For more information, please click here: SEVIS Fee for F1 and J1 Students.

B: APPLY FOR A VISA

After you receive your immigration documents, you will need to apply at the US Embassy or Consulate in your country for your F-1 or J-1 visa. For information on how to apply for a visa, please click here: Applying for a Visa to the US.