jj logo

Have you been accepted to
John Jay College of Criminal Justice
& plan to enter the United States with an F-1 student visa
?
If yes, then first read the
ESTIMATED ANNUAL FINANCIAL REQUIREMENTS
for UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS
or, for
GRADUATE STUDENTS

Then, PRINT, FILL OUT & MAIL the APPLICATION FOR A FORM I-20

PLEASE SEND I-20 APPLICATION & FINANCIAL DOCUMENTS TO:

John Jay College of Criminal Justice/CUNY
attn: Mr. Angelos Kyriacou
Assistant Registrar & International Student Advisor/DSO

445 West 59th Street, Room #4113-6N
New York, NY  10019

Phone: (212) 237-8199 Fax: (212) 237-8875
Email: akyriacou@jjay.cuny.edu


Are you an F-1 student transferring to John Jay College of Criminal Justice? Click Here



Please Read This First Before Submitting I-20 Application

 

HOW TO GET YOUR FORM I-20

Certificate of Eligibility for F-1 Student Status

 

IMPORTANT: The information on the following pages carefully explains how to get your Form I-20. Please read it and follow the directions completely to avoid delays in getting your I-20.

 

What is a Form I-20 and why do you need one?

A Form I-20 is a government form that tells the U.S. government that you are eligible for F-l student status. It certifies that;

1. You are or expect to be a "bona fide" student.

2. You meet our admissions requirements.

3. You will pursue a full course of study (you must be full-time for each semester enrolled).

4. You proved to us that you have enough money to study and live in the U.S. without working illegally or suffering from poverty.

 

You need a Form I-20 to obtain an F-l student visa or status, or to keep lawful F-l status when transferring or changing schools within the U.S.

 

Does everybody need an I-20?

No, some international students do not need I-20's. F-2 dependents that want to study full-time must obtain an I-20 and apply for a change of status to F-1 student. If you are maintaining another non-immigrant status in the U.S., you do not have to have an I-20 and may attend school full or part-time. Dependent children in E, H. I, J, L, M, N, 0, P, R, or S status need to change status after their 21st birthday or if they marry. If you have no legal status, you may attend school but you are not eligible to change status and do not need an I-20.


Now that you are planning to be a student, there are 2 things you cannot do!

1. Do not enter the U.S. with a B-1, B-2, OR B-1/2 visa.

If you use a B visa to enter the U.S., you are saying “I’m here as a visitor” only. Since you contacted our school about study, this would be viewed as a “fraudulent entry” and you could be refused permission to stay longer than six months or to extend or change your status. Do not listen to people who say it is easy to enter the country as a visitor and change your status. It is not true! B visitors are prohibited by U.S. law from pursuing a course of study prior to obtaining a change of status to F-1 student.

 

2. Do not enter the U.S. without a visa (unless you are Canadian).

If you are from a country from which you can enter the U.S. as a visitor by showing a round trip airline ticket, do not do this. If you enter without a visa, you will be permitted to stay for only 90 days. You will not be given more time or allowed to change to student status.

 

If your study plans are not certain and you want to enter the U.S. to visit schools, you must explain this on your visa application and ask the visa officer for a B-2 visa with the words “Prospective Student” noted on it or have the words added to your B visa if you already have one.

 

These are the rules for getting your Form I-20

1. You must be a "bonafide" student, accepted to a full-time program of study.

2. You must prove to us that you can support the costs of living and studying in the U.S. for every year of your program of study. U.S. law requires this.

 

Do not expect that you will be able to work in the U.S. to help meet your annual costs! On-campus employment is limited and competitive; off-campus employment is strictly controlled by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

 

Carefully review our school’s "Estimated Annual Financial Requirements For International Students." This is the amount that you must prove that you can support for every year in your program of study. (Estimate 4-5 years for a Bachelor's degree and 2-3 years for a Master's degree.)

 

These requirements are not negotiable. They represent a modest average budget that does not include luxuries of any kind. We strongly recommend that you budget at least 10% more if possible. Too little money causes pain and distress. We insist that students and their families look closely at the costs of living and studying in the U.S. and make careful plans to be sure your needs will be met. Expect annual increases in tuition and living costs of approximately 10%.

 

Read and follow the instructions below very carefully. You cannot complete this process without following them step-by-step. Sometimes, we may have to ask you to give us more evidence of your financial ability; perhaps more than once. The U.S. government requires that we be absolutely sure, to the best of our ability, that you will have enough financial support to cover the full costs of your stay in the U.S.

 

SOURCES OF FINANCIAL SUPPORT

(Your financial support can come from any combination of the following sources in the U.S. or abroad as long as the annual financial requirements have been met.)

 

1. *Funds from "sponsors" (parents, relatives, friends, organizations). You may have as many sponsors as you need. Sponsors may provide you with support in the form of cash and/or room and board. Free room and board is when you live with someone and don't have to pay for your room or food.

 

*It is highly recommended that at least part of your financial support come from your home country.  This is important for getting your student visa!

 

A sponsor should promise only as much money as he or she is able to give you.  Some sponsors believe that the more money they promise to give the easier it will be to get your I-20. One reason for rejection of financial documents is that we do not believe the sponsor can afford to give as much as promised. A sponsor should promise only what he or she intends to give and only as much as can be afforded.

 

2. Personal funds that come from your own resources, not from those of your relatives. Unless you have enough cash to support yourself for your entire program of study or can prove other sources of personal income, you will need a sponsor with an income sufficient to support you.

 

DOCUMENTARY EVIDENCE REQUIREMENTS

Complete the Application For A Form I-20 (attached) and submit it with all the necessary evidence of financial capability directly to the International Student Advisor (see first page of this document for name and address) by mail.

 

We strongly recommend that you do this at the same time as you are applying to the university. That way, once you are accepted, your form I-20 can be issued quickly!

 

All documents you give us must be:

1. Less than 2 months old.

2. In English; we cannot review documents that are not in English.

3. Originals; your original documents will be returned to you along with your I-20. You will need the originals of all the documents you have sent us to take to the American Embassy.

4. Sponsor affidavits must be notarized, that is, signed by the sponsor in the presence of a notary public. The notary public must sign, and the official seal of the notary public must be on the affidavit. There are notaries public at all U.S. embassies and consulates. In the U.S., most neighborhood pharmacists, lawyers and accountants are notaries. There are notaries in all countries, though the names for them may be different. There are officials licensed by the national or regional government to take sworn statements for courts of law or to witness contracts and property deeds.

 

EVIDENCE REQUIRED

(Please note that any combination of the following types of financial documentation must be equal to, or exceed the annual financial requirements. This amount is indicated in the

document, “Estimated Annual Financial Requirements for International Students,” and  is either attached to this form or available at; www.jjay.cuny.edu/f1student)


For personal funds: A bank statement is required in your name, which states the date the account was opened, current balance (make sure the currency is clear), average deposits and average balances. The amount of your bank statement will be divided by the number of years of study in order to determine how much money you will have available for each year of your program of study.


For each sponsor of cash support, the following 3 documents are required:

1. Affidavit of Annual Cash Support (forms are included in this application). This form may be photocopied for each sponsor if you need more forms. All information must be filled out and notarized.

2. *Bank statement(s) in the name of the sponsor only, which states the date the account was opened, current balance (make sure the currency is clear), average deposits and average balances. The current balance must show at least the amount of support promised for 1 year. (For example, if one of your sponsor’s is promising you $15,000.00 for each year of your studies, the bank statement(s) must be equal to, or exceed $15,000.00.)

 

*If a bank statement is in the name of more than one person, each individual must submit an affidavit of support. Also, we cannot accept statements that do not specify balances unless it is stated to be a minimum of six figures in U.S. dollars.

 

3. *Proof of income (submit any of the following);

• Employer's letter on letterhead stationery with most recent pay stub.

• Last year’s income tax returns or receipts with most recent pay stub.

• Bank statements for the last six months that indicate deposited income from employment.

• Investments.

• If self-employed; income estimate by a bank or private accountant.

 

*If there is no proof of income provided with a bank statement, the statement balance will be totaled and divided by the number of years in your program of study to determine the amount available to you for each year.

 

For a *company sponsor:

• Submit the most recent "Profit and Loss Statement" for the company.

 

*The income of a company is not the income of the owner of the business and will not be accepted as proof of income. You must provide an official statement of the salary paid to the owner/sponsor.

 

SPONSORS OF FREE ROOM AND BOARD

(See the document, “Estimated Annual Financial Requirements for International Students” to determine the estimated annual value of Free Room and Board.)

 

The following 3 documents are required:

1. Affidavit of Free Room and Board (the form is included in the application). All information must be filled out and notarized.

2. Proof of income (submit any of the following);

• Employer's letter on letterhead stationery with most recent pay stub.

• Last year’s income tax returns or receipts with most recent pay stub.

• Bank statements for the last six months that indicate deposited income from employment.

• Investments.

• If self-employed; income estimate by a bank or private accountant.

3. Photocopy of deed, lease deed or rent receipts.


Acknowledgement
Excerpts used as a primary resource: International Education Training Services (IETS)
42-24 158th Street
Flushing, NY  11358

GO BACK TO TOP OF PAGE