I-20 & DS-2019 Requests

Immigration Overview • Create Your NetID • Secure Your Admission • Submit Your I-20/DS-2019 Request • Pay the SEVIS I-901 Fee • Frequently Asked Questions

I-20/DS-2019 Deadlines

  • July 1 for Fall
  • November 20 for Spring
  • May 1 for Summer I and June 1 for Summer II (I-20s will be issued only if both full-time enrollment and funding requirements can be satisfied)

Important Considerations:

  • If you are a SEVIS transfer, you must still submit your request by the deadline, even if your record will not be released to the University of Arizona until a later date.
  • Visa wait times vary by embassy/consulate. Submitting by the deadline does not guarantee that you will be able to receive a visa in time to travel to the U.S.

Immigration Overview

As a newly admitted international student, you’ll need a Certificate of Eligibility – either an I-20 (for F-1 students) or a DS-2019 (for J-1 students). These documents are created through the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), a U.S. government database for international student records.

The Form I-20 is required to apply for an F-1 student visa, and the Form DS-2019 is required to apply for a J-1 exchange visitor visa. These forms include your personal and academic details, estimated expenses, and funding sources. They also allow for school-authorized benefits like certain types of employment.

Most students will receive an I-20 for an F-1 visa. DS-2019 forms are issued only to students who are either:

  • Sponsored by their home government and required to use a J-1 visa per their scholarship terms, or
  • Participating in a formal reciprocal exchange program.

At the University of Arizona, your document will be issued by an international student adviser in International Student Services: a Designated School Official (DSO) for F-1 students, or an Alternate Responsible Officer (ARO) for J-1 students.

Continue below for instructions for requesting your I-20 or DS-2019.

Create Your NetID

The first thing you should do is create your NetID, NetID+ and password using the 8-digit student ID and PIN in in your admission email (undergraduates) or admission certificate (graduates). Your NetID will also be used for your university email (Catmail) in the format: NetID @arizona.edu. As an admitted student, this is the official means of communication between you and the university.

After you create your NetID, you must wait 48 hours before requesting your I-20.

Secure Your Admission

We will not issue your I-20/DS-2019 until you have secured your admission to the University of Arizona:

Submit Your I-20 or DS-2019 Request

Instructions:

  1. Launch MyGlobal.
  2. Open the appropriate e-form for your admit type and level.
  3. Upload your passport biographical page.
  4. Upload your funding documents (bank statements from checking or savings accounts, or proof of scholarship/sponsorship).
  5. Upload your Declaration of Support (for funding from family/friends).
  6. If you are a graduate student receiving university funding, enter the name and email for your department contact so they can upload a Graduate International Student Award Letter (GISAL).

For funding documents, review the Financial Guarantee Requirement. Graduate students should contact your department if you have any questions about university funding.

Transferring your F-1 SEVIS record from a school in the United States? Provide the name and email address of the designated school official (DSO) at your current or previous school so we can send them an email with transfer instructions. You can find your DSO's name printed on your current I-20 under "School Attestation."

Our office is paperless, and we do not have a transfer-in form for your DSO to complete.

SEVIS school codes:

  • Main Campus (Tucson): PHO214F20092000
  • Chandler: PHO214F20092011
  • Douglas: PHO214F20092003
  • Gilbert: PHO214F20092018
  • North Valley: PHO214F20092014
  • Oro Valley: PHO214F20092017
  • Phoenix: PHO214F20092001
  • Sierra Vista: PHO214F20092002
  • Yuma: PHO214F20092015

Are your spouse or children planning to join you in the U.S. as your F-2 or J-2 dependents? You’ll need to submit copies of their:

  • Passport biographical pages
  • Proof of relationship (marriage certificate, birth certificate or passport listing the children’s parents)

Pay the SEVIS I-901 Fee

After receiving your I-20 or DS-2019, pay the SEVIS I-901 fee. The SEVIS I-901 fee, paid to the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), is separate from visa application fees. Print a copy of your receipt to bring to your visa interview.

Special Considerations:

  • Students with a country of birth/citizenship of Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, or Gambia cannot pay online and must pay by mail or Western Union Quick Pay. Mail service varies throughout the world, allow at least 2 weeks for delivery.
  • The fee is not required for SEVIS transfers or F-2/J-2 dependents.
  • If you already paid the SEVIS I-901 fee on a different SEVIS ID that you did not use, you can request a transfer of the fee to your new SEVIS ID within 12 months of the initial SEVIS fee payment. Learn more at I-901 SEVIS Fee Frequently Asked Questions ("How Can I-901 SEVIS Fee Paid on One SEVIS ID be Moved to Another SEVIS ID?").

Frequently Asked Questions

Normal processing time is 10 business days (Monday-Friday). We will send the I-20 or DS-2019 to your University of Arizona e-mail.

If you are currently in the U.S. in active F-1 status, the transfer release date is the date your I-20 record will be electronically sent in SEVIS to the University of Arizona. It can be scheduled in SEVIS for a future date. On the transfer release date, your old school will lose access to your I-20 record, and we will immediately gain access.  

Your I-20 record does not need to be released to U of A before you submit your I-20 request. You can submit the I-20 request in MyGlobal first, and then work with your school to schedule the SEVIS transfer. 

The transfer release date you select depends, in part, on whether you are completing a degree program or OPT before transferring. Classes at the University of Arizona must begin within 5 months of either the last day you attended classes at your old school or the end date of your post-completion OPT. 

After Initial Entry to the U.S. 

  • After entering the U.S., you must check in with the school that issued your I-20. 
  • If there is more than 30 days between when you entered the U.S. and when classes begin at U of A, then you may be required to register at the original school first.  

During Your Degree  

  • In general, if you are transferring in the middle of your degree program, your release date should be between semesters or terms. 
  • If you have on-campus employment, your work authorization for that school ends on the transfer release date.  

After Graduation  

  • Your I-20 record must be transferred to U of A before the end of the 60-day grace period following your degree completion.  
  • If you leave the U.S. during your grace period without applying for post-completion OPT, your F-1 status will end, and you will not be eligible to transfer your I-20 record.  

During Post-Completion OPT  

  • Your record can be transferred during your OPT or the 60-day grace period after it ends.  
  • If you transfer your record before your EAD card expires, you will lose any remaining days of OPT work authorization  
  • Select a transfer release date so you do not accrue too many days of unemployment (90 days for post-completion OPT and 150 for STEM OPT) 

In all cases, you must work with an international student advisor (DSO) at your current school for more information about your eligibility, release date, and the process for requesting a SEVIS transfer to the U of A. 

The majors offered at the University of Arizona are all mapped to a corresponding standardized Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) codes, used by the U.S. Department of Education for reporting and record-keeping. The description for your major's CIP code is what displays under 'Major' on your I-20. In most cases, the description will not exactly match the actual name of your major.

We match the name on your I-20 to what is listed in the Machine-Readable Zone of your passport (in the bottom 2 lines), following guidance from the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP). This helps to ensure consistency in how your name appears on all official documents in the U.S. If your name is written differently elsewhere in your passport, we may be able to enter the other version as your Passport Name on your I-20. If your passport only lists a single name, then it must be entered as your Surname/Primary Name on your I-20.

If you paid the SEVIS I-901 fee on a different SEVIS ID that you did not use, you can request a transfer to your new SEVIS ID within 12 months of the initial payment. 

To transfer your SEVIS fee:

  1. Check your payment status on the I-901 Fee website.
  2. If there is a valid fee payment, click the "Request Transfer" button.
  3. Enter your new SEVIS ID, school/program code, and verify your personal information.
  4. Submit your request.

IMPORTANT You must transfer the SEVIS fee before attending your visa interview. Print a copy of your receipt to bring to your visa interview.

Learn more at I-901 SEVIS Fee Frequently Asked Questions ("How Can I-901 SEVIS Fee Paid on One SEVIS ID be Moved to Another SEVIS ID?").