Understanding your I-20
I Have My I-20, Now What?
Step 1: Getting Your Visa – The Most Interesting Part
You will need to make an appointment with the U.S. Embassy or Consulate in your country of citizenship or permanent residence. This cannot be done without first receiving your I-20 form. You will need to take all of the necessary documents (originals) that you prepared for Admission to the Embassy as follows.
- A current valid passport (if Canadian not required to have a visa)
- A SEVIS Form I-20 for the F-1 visa (you are holding a SEVIS I-20 if there is a barcode on it)
- I-901 fee receipt (go to www.FMJfee.com to pay using a credit card)
- Your Northwest Missouri State University acceptance letter
- Certified evidence of financial support for your education and other expenses
- Two passport size photos
- Non-immigrant visa application forms (DS-156, 7, 8 etc. varies by gender and country)
- Visa fee in the currency accepted by the US consulate/embassy
- Transcripts of your previous education
- TOEFL, GMAT or GRE score sheets
Most importantly you will need to show that you will be able to pay for your costs while in the United States. You will also need to show the officer that you intend to return to your home country once you are finished studying in here. They will deny you a student visa if they think you wish to immigrate to the United States using the student visa. Avoid using complimentary phrases like, "I love the U.S.A., I would like to live there!" or "After graduation, I plan to work in the U.S.A." Do stress that you plan to return home after you graduate.
When applying for the F-1 Student Visa, remember that you are applying for a NON-IMMIGRANT visa to enter the United States to study and your intentions are to return to your home after graduation. Check your visa and if there is a mistake (i.e. name misspelled) do not be scare, just inform to an officer that there is a mistake. Not doing this will result in problems in future dealings with other American government offices.
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I Have My Visa, Now What?
Step 2: Plan Your Housing and Send Health Forms
- All first-time freshman (year 1 of Bachelor's degree) students under 21 years old are required to live on-campus
- Send your Residential Life Form (required for all freshmen)
- There is no off-campus housing authority, but you can contact a local real estate dealer at 660.562.7562 or you can contact a popular apartment complex at 660.582.5211. Students looking for housing will be provided with transportation to "apartment hunt" on Wednesday during arrival week. Plan flight to arrive on Tuesday (see step 3 below for arrival days).
- Send Health Form (located in Residential Life booklet) to Wellness Center
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Planning Your Trip
Step 3: Planning Your Trip and Reserving Airport Pickup
Arrival days for the fall are always the Tuesday and Wednesday before the first day of class. Arrival days for spring always fall on the Wednesday and Thursday before the first day of class. Please contact the IIC for summer arrival days by e-mailing us at iic@nwmissouri.edu.
Please arrive during those days – there is no advantage or cost saving by coming early, but you must NOT arrive AFTER these days.
| Trimester |
Master Students
Arrival Date |
Esl, Bachelor and
Exchange Students
Arrival Date |
| Fall 2008 |
August 19 |
August 20 |
| Spring 2009 |
January 7 |
January 8 |
| Summer 2009 |
Contact the IIC |
| Fall 2009 |
August 25 |
August 26 |
| Spring 2010 |
January 6 |
January 7 |
| Summer 2010 |
Contact the IIC |
- Contact your travel agent and get your tickets for Kansas City International Airport, Missouri (Airport Code: MCI). This is the nearest airport to the University.
Note: F-1 students may come 30 days prior to date in Item 5 of your I-20.
- There are several Ports of Entries (POE) to the United States. The best direct flights to Kansas City exist from Chicago, Dallas, Minneapolis, Denver, Houston, Atlanta, and Newark. TRY NOT to arrive in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, New York, Miami, Washington D.C. or Detroit because there are few, if any, direct flights. You should fly to Chicago or Minneapolis as it is the nearest city to MCI if you are arriving from Europe, South East Asia or East Asia. If you are arriving from Mexico, Central America or South America, you should fly to Dallas.
- Please reserve your airport pickup with us (arrival days only – see above). Give us all flight numbers, airline names and arrival times as soon as you have your tickets.
- Arrival before these dates is your responsibility. Call 816.617.8717 to reserve; one way is $90.
Sign-Up for an Airport Pickup
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How Do I Pay For Classes?
Step 4: How To Pay For Tuition or Bring Money
See fee sheet in I-20 packet for current pricing
- International students pay out of state tuition prices.
- Tuition can be paid here once you enroll for classes. Tuition can be set up on a payment plan with interest being charged monthly. All fees charged at Northwest must be paid in full before the start of classes the following semester or further enrolment will be blocked.
- Carrying money as a draft made out to you in USD is the simplest way to bring currency.
- To transfer money to pay any deposit or tuition required, use the following address:
Citizen Bank and Trust of Chillicothe
PO Box 50
Chillicothe, MO 64601
to First Bank of Maryville, ABA#101901396, (#540757). This is the local funds account for Northwest Missouri State University. Be sure to give your full name.
- To calculate the amount of tuition, room, and board please go to the Undergraduate Cost Worksheet or the Graduate Cost Worksheet.
Note: Undergrad students must be enrolled in 12 hours minimum and graduate students must have 9 hours minimum.
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Things I Need To Bring To the U.S.
Step 5: Documents To Bring With You To Northwest
- Official transcripts
- Passport
- International drivers license (optional)
- TOEFL, GMAT or GRE score sheets
- Health form completed
Step 6: Medical Insurance
Medical insurance needs to be purchased upon arrival from Northwest Missouri State University unless you can provide evidence of sufficient insurance coverage valid for the United States of America ($50,000 injury, $15,000 repatriation, $15,000 medical evacuation).
Step 7: Pack Your Bags
- Remember that there is a 25kg max per bag and 2 checked bags are allowed per passenger.
- Bring clothing to suit extreme temperatures depending on your arrival time.
- You may purchase heavy items like bedding (Sheets, blankets) and any other cold weather clothes and supplies from Wal-Mart, a “super center,” which stocks almost everything you may need. However, it maybe advisable to bring bedding and any other immediate supplies from your country if you have special needs.
- During orientation week, the IIC will run a shuttle service for you to and from Wal-Mart to buy any supplies you may need. It is advised to not bring cold weather clothing if you are coming in May to August as you can buy it cheaply here.
Step 8: Flying and Immigration Check
- Always keep money, your passport, and tickets with you at all times while traveling.
- On the flight to the United States, the flight attendant will hand you a white card (I-94 form) and blue form. Please fill these forms out, as they are needed when you land.
- Once you land in the United States you will have to pass through immigration.
- This is where you will need to show your passport, both pages of the I-20 copies and the I-94 from that you filled out.
- The officer will ask you a couple of questions about your stay and then will stamp your I-20, (give you back your SEVIS I-20) and give you back the I-94 card.
- Verify that the stamp reads F-1/D/S (Duration of Status) on the I-94 before you leave the immigration checkpoint.
- Make sure you have the stamped copy of your I-20.
- DO NOT THROW AWAY your I-20 or I-94.
Step 9: Pick Up Your Baggage and Continue To Kansas City
- After you clear immigration, collect your bags from the carousel, go through customs and give your blue form to the officer, and take them to be rechecked for your connecting flight.
- Go to the gate where you will fly to Kansas City.
- Once you reach Kansas City International Airport, look for people holding a sign, which either displays your name or reads “Northwest Missouri State University” (if you have properly notified us). You will have to pick up your bags from the airport baggage claim and again check it in for your next flight to Kansas City.
- We will drive you to the University and get you in to your room. There is a discounted charge of $50.00 for this service. A regular taxi from KCI to Maryville costs about $125.
- You will be taken to Campus Safety to get your room keys (if you have filled out your Residential Life Form to reserve a room) or to a hotel (at your expense) until you find an apartment.
Step 10: Report to the Intercultural International Center
Please report to the front desk by 8 a.m. on the Thursday before classes start for your check-in and registration process. Remember, you have to check in first with us before you can register for classes.
Mandatory international student orientation begins that day for all students new to Northwest. You will be guided through registration and informative sessions from Thursday to Sunday.
Step 1: Understanding your I-20