South Florida Institute of Technology is approved by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to enroll non-immigrant alien students with (M) visa in the United States. Before applying for a (M) student visa at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate, the student must first apply to and be accepted by South Florida Institute of Technology and be issued a Form I-20 from the school.
To study in the United States, an international student must:
APPYING TO THE SCHOOL
In order to process a Form I-20, the student is required to fulfill the following admissions procedures:
- Submit a completed Application for Admission; including all admissions credentials. Application must be received at least 45 days prior to the program’s start date in which the applicant wishes to enroll. The student may request a copy of the Application for Admission by calling 305-456-6745
- High School Diploma must be official. In the case that the student cannot provide a high school diploma and he/she states that it was completed in their country, the school will require the student to take an equivalency test.
- All international students must have sufficient personal resources to pay full SFIT registration and tuition fees, textbooks, living expenses, transportation expenses, and other incidental expenses while attending a school in the United States.
- Documented evidence of means of financial support must be provided to SFIT for admission purposes and for issuance of the Certificate of Eligibility (Form I-20). This evidence is also required by the American Embassy or Consulate when applying for a student visa to enter the United States. Documented evidence of financial support can be one of the following:
- An original bank letter stamped and signed by the bank official stating the amount in the account. The bank letter may not be older than six months from the date the student plans to attend SFIT
- Bank Statement; or
- Affidavit of Sponsorship signed and notarized by the person(s) providing financial support to the student. (Sponsor(s) must also submit evidence of financial support to SFIT; either bank letter or bank statement).
- Financial aid in the form of grants or loans from the federal or state sources is not available to international students.
CERTIFICATE OF ELIGIBILITY (FORM I-20)
Once the student is accepted to South Florida Institute of Technology, the student will be enrolled in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) and a “Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status” (Form I-20) will be sent to the student.
Students are advised to check their Form I-20 against their passport information to confirm that name and date of birth are correct. If the information on the Form I-20 does not match the information on the passport, contact the designated school official (DSO) at South Florida Institute of Technology and request to correct the information. An updated Form I-20 will be sent to the student.
Spouse and/or children of the student that intend to reside with the student in the United States while the student attends school, must obtain individual Form I-20s. However, spouses and/or dependents of the student do not pay the SEVIS fee.
PAYING THE I-901 SEVIS FEE
After the student has verified that their Form I-20 is correct, they must pay the I-901 SEVIS fee.
To pay the I-901 SEVIS fee online, please visit: https://www.fmjfee.com/
To submit payment by mail, please download Form I-901 https://www.ice.gov/sevis/i901
- Also visit: https://www.ice.gov/sevis/i901/faq for payment instructions.
COMPLETE THE ONLINE VISA APPLICATION (FORM DS-160)
Form DS-160 is submitted electronically to the Department of State website via the internet: https://ceac.state.gov/genniv/
The student must pay the non-refundable visa application fee of $160 along with the visa application.
Consular Officers use the information entered on the DS-160 to process the visa application and, combined with a personal interview, determine an applicant’s eligibility for a nonimmigrant alien student (M) visa.
Once Form DS-160 is completed and submitted, students must print and keep the DS-160 barcode page (confirmation page). Students must bring this page to the visa interview.
SCHEDULING THE VISA INTERVIEW
Student must schedule an appointment for their visa interview, generally, at the U.S. Embassy or Consulate in the country where they live.
Wait times for interview appointments vary by location, season, and visa category, so students are encouraged to apply for the visa interview early.
It is important to gather and prepare all required documents before the visa interview. Students should review the instructions for how to apply for a visa on the website of the embassy or consulate where they will apply.
For more information about Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), please visit: https://www.ice.gov/sevis/schools. Also visit: https://travel.state.gov/content/visas/en/study-exchange/student.html for information on how to obtain an M-1 student visa.