The Admissions Office will send you a Form I-20 when you are admitted and have submitted proof of your ability to finance your education.  Take the I-20 form, your acceptance letter, passport and copies of sponsorship letters and bank statements to prove financial support to the United States Embassy or Consulate nearest your home.  A visa issuance officer will ask you to fill out a preliminary application for the visa.  Once you have acquired the visa stamp in your passport, you are ready to enter the U.S.  When you arrive in the U.S., your documents will be examined and processed by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) at the port of entry.  Your passport will be returned to you along with an I-94 card (Arrival/Departure Record) designated "D/S" which means "duration of status" and refers to the time you are engaged in a full-time course of study as indicated on your visa document.  The immigration official will keep the I-20, and mail it to an INS processing center for data entry.   The I-20 will be returned to WIU and distributed to the student to use as a travel document.  All of these documents are extremely important since they legitimize your presence in the United States. Keep them in a safe and secure place.

Canadian and some British Commonwealth citizens do not need visas to enter the U.S., but they should present their I-20 forms for processing at the point of entry even if the official does not ask for it.  They should also be prepared to show evidence of financial support and proof of citizenship.  Students must be issued an I-94 card designating student status to legally study in the United States.

NOTE: If you will not be entering the U.S. on an F-1 visa, do not use an I-20 form to obtain a visa. If you receive one, please return it to the Admissions Office with an explanation of the type of visa you hold.

If your visa document (I-20) does not arrive in time for you to secure the proper visa, do not enter the United States on a B1/B2 Visitor Visa. Obtain a B-2 "prospective student” visa from a U.S. Embassy or consulate post in your country.  Be certain the consul writes "Prospective Student" in your passport on the visa page.  You will need to present your letter of acceptance and evidence of financial support to request this visa.  In general, it is best to avoid using the B-2 visa since you will have to pay a fee and do a time-consuming change of status through INS after you arrive.  Students who have obtained the proper I-20 form must attend the school named on the certificate of eligibility presented at the port of entry in order to maintain their status.  At the port of entry into the United States, also make sure the INS official writes “Prospective Student” on the I-94 card or you will be unable to submit an application for a change of status to student (remember this is only if you do not have the I-20).

NOTE:  Do not enter the U.S. on a "W-T" or “W-B” (waiver) as this classification cannot be extended or changed and you will lose your legal immigration status as a student.)