Introduction
To receive an LSU I-20 or DS-2019, U.S. Immigration regulations state that applicants must
- Be admitted to a degree/exchange program on campus.
- This means being officially and unconditionally admitted based on university standards for admission.
- The admission must appear in the LSU student information system and not just in Slate.
- Have sufficient funds to cover all estimated expenses for at least one academic year.
- "Sufficient Funds" can be in the form of LSU financial assistance, personal/family funding, government/company sponsorships, etc or any combination thereof.
Conditional Admission & English Proficiency Requirement for F-1 Students
Please note that in October 2016, the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) issued policy guidance for Conditional Admission. This guidance instructs that "[Designated School Officials] can only issue a Form I-20 when students have met all standards for admission for the program of study listed on the Form I-20. These standards for admission include any English proficiency requirements."
- International Student Services must follow SEVP's policy guidance as SEVP Designated School Officials. All schools across the United States must comply with this SEVP guidance per their standards for admission.
- A departmental petition to the Graduate School to waive the English proficiency requirement for academic admission purposes does not waive the English proficiency requirement for I-20 purposes based on General Catalog admission standards.
- The Graduate School admissions staff members are the experts to evaluate admission materials, considering the departmental committee's acceptance decisions and the current LSU General Catalog when determining the final admission decisions for graduate applicants.
I-20/DS-2019 Issuance Process
At present, International Student Services (ISS) has the capacity to reach out only to applicants who are admitted for the "current intake cycle." This means that if a student is admitted for a spring semester, ISS will outreach to that student starting around mid-September. If a student is admitted for summer or fall, ISS will start outreach around mid-February.
ISS runs queries twice per week in Slate to see which graduate and undergraduate applicants have been recently admitted for the current intake cycle. For populations that do not apply for admission through Slate (example: Law Center, LSU Global), ISS receives information from those programs directly.
In general, there are two avenues for a prospective student to receive their I-20 or DS-2019. The processes are essentially the same; however, there is an additional step if an individual is already in the United States in the F-1 student status.
Overview of Process
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Steps
|
Outside USA/Needs to apply for a student visa
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In USA in the F-1 student status
|
| Applicant is admitted |
ISS emails the prospective student within 2-3 business days of admission for the current intake cycle. The email contains
- a link to the online Initial I-20/DS-2019 Request form.
- information and instructions on what needs to be uploaded to the request form, including their proof of funding, as well as a link to a Help Guide for them to complete the Request form.
- a deadline by when they must submit the Request form.
|
Same |
| Online request submitted |
The student receives an automatic email which
- indicates receipt of the submission.
- informs the student they will receive a response within 5-7 business days.
ISS reviews the request for completeness. If any further documentation is needed, ISS will email the student a link to securely upload any missing items necessary for processing the I-20 or DS-2019.
|
Same but with one additional step.
Once ISS confirms complete request is received, ISS will email the student a link to complete an online Transfer-in Form to provide further details of their most recent F-1 status and enrollment at their previous U.S. school.
|
| SEVIS transfer |
N/A |
Individuals who are in the U.S. with an active F-1 SEVIS record need to have their record electronically transferred to LSU by their current/previous U.S. school before we can issue their LSU I-20.
In general, LSU would not receive or be able to access the transferred SEVIS record until the semester would end at the student's current/previous U.S. school.
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| Issue and send I-20 or DS-2019 |
Once ISS has all information, we will issue and email the form to the student.
This can occur within 5-7 business days of the receipt of a full and complete online request submitted to ISS.
|
Same |