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OIP will prepare an I-20 document ONLY after the prospective student is fully admitted into an eligible degree program. 

• Applying to an Undergraduate Program

• Applying to a Graduate Program

Within three days of being admitted, students WILL receive an email from oip@utep.edu that prompts them to begin the I-20 application process. 

• Only students admitted to in-person programs or English Language Training program are eligible to receive an I-20 from º£½ÇÉçÇø.
• º£½ÇÉçÇøs admitted to online program and/or a non-degree program are not eligible to receive an I-20.
• Most certificate programs are not eligible to receive an I-20 document.

º£½ÇÉçÇøs who are new to º£½ÇÉçÇø must visit and complete the required fields to set up their º£½ÇÉçÇø (@miners.utep.edu) email account.

Some international students experience difficulties setting up this account. For security purposes, account issues must be addressed by phone with the º£½ÇÉçÇø Help Desk. º£½ÇÉçÇøs can call the Help Desk at 1-915-747-4357 (or 1-866-747-5257 if calling from outside the U.S.) during regular business hours (8am – 5pm Mountain Time). If you are unable to call, please email helpdesk@utep.edu for further instructions. 

OIP cannot assist with this step.

If you indicated that you will apply for an I-20, your º£½ÇÉçÇø Information form approval email will contain instructions to proceed. Please log into Sunapsis and complete all relevant forms from the “Forms Submission” tab of the "Admissions Checklist."

Forms next to a square are required. Forms next to a circle are optional, and you only need to complete them if they apply to you. 

• Address Verification (Required)
  • All students must provide a foreign home address
  • Only provide a U.S. address if you are currently living in the U.S. 

• Passport Information (Required)
  • Provide information for your most recent passport, exactly as it appears there
  • If your passport is expired, you must renew it before submitting this form. By law, you must have a valid, unexpired passport in order to receive an I-20
  • Enter the passport validity dates "month/day/year." Pay close attention, as your passport may list the day first. 
  • Upload a clear copy of your passport biographical page (just the first page with your picture and information)

• Immigration Information for Those In The U.S. (Optional)
  • Complete this form if you are currently in F-1 status, or if you are in another status and will be applying to change status within the U.S.
  • DO NOT complete this form if you are in the U.S. with a B-1/B-2 visitor visa/Border Crossing Card. You cannot study in the U.S. as a visitor.

• Dependent Spouse & Children (Optional)
  • Most F-1 students may choose bring dependent children (unmarried, under 21) and/or spouse as F-2 dependents, but must provide proof of additional funding for each dependent. Complete this form if you have dependents that will be living in the U.S. with you on an F-2 visa.
  • If your dependent(s) will not be immediately joining you in the U.S., you may apply for dependent I-20s at a later time
  • Complete a separate form for each dependent
  • Border Commuter students who will live in Mexico during their program are not eligible to have F-2 dependents

• Application for PASE (Required ONLY for Mexican º£½ÇÉçÇøs)
  
  • º£½ÇÉçÇøs who are otherwise eligible to pay in-state tuition through an Assistantship, scholarship, or other benefit should not apply for PASE. 

• Confirmation of Financial Resources (CFR) (Required)
  • All students must complete this form to provide evidence of their ability to pay for college. Full instructions can be found on our CFR page.

• Document Shipping Request (Optional)
  • Complete this form if you need OIP to ship your I-20 to you. This form is not complete until you have made an eShipGlobal account and paid for shipping. 
  • If you do not wish to pay for shipping now, you can wait until you receive confirmation that your I-20 has been created. 

• Forms Submission Complete
  • Submit this form once you have completed and clicked "Submit" on all applicable forms and uploaded all necessary documents. Submission of this form indicates to OIP that you have finished the process and allows us to begin reviewing your applications. 
    
    
• SEVIS Transfer In Request
  • º£½ÇÉçÇøs with an active SEVIS record at another U.S. school must submit this request to arrange for their SEVIS record to be transferred to º£½ÇÉçÇø. 
  • This form is separate from the Admissions Checklist, and can be found in the "Admission" tab on the left side of your Sunapsis profile. 
  • You can submit this form before you complete the other applications above, but you must submit it no later than the same date that you complete your other applications. 
  • Do not submit this form if you have an active SEVIS record with º£½ÇÉçÇø

Once you have completed all required forms, and any optional forms that apply to you, your applications will be assigned to an OIP advisor for review. The OIP advisor will reach out to you by email if any additional documents or information is needed. This message may come from oip@utep.edu, or directly from an OIP advisor. 

Because the I-20 creation process contains many steps that must be completed carefully, please allow sufficient time for our office to complete our review. If you do not receive an update from an OIP advisor within 10 full business days from when you submitted the Forms Submission Complete e-form, you may follow up by sending an email to oip@utep.edu. 

After submitting all of the required documentation, an OIP advisor will create your I-20 using the º£½ÇÉçÇø and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS). Once your I-20 is ready, you will receive an email with further instructions.

• If you wish to pick up the document from our office, you can visit us Monday through Friday, 8:00am to 5:00pm. Be sure to bring photo ID
  • In most cases, we can only release an I-20 to the F-1 student directly, or the student's F-2 dependent
  • º£½ÇÉçÇøs who are under the age of 18 may authorize a parent to pick up their I-20 for them. Please email oip@utep.edu for authorization instructions 
•  

• If you have already paid for shipping, your I-20 will be shipped to you within 3 business days. You will receive a separate shipping confirmation email
  
  
• If you have not already arranged shipping, visit and complete the "Document Shipping Request (eShipGlobal)" from the "Document Shipping" tab

If you are already in F-1 status with an Active SEVIS record, report your arrival to OIP in the Sunapsis portal. 

º£½ÇÉçÇøs who need to obtain an F-1 visa will complete through the Department of State, and then attend an interview at a U.S. consulate or embassy abroad. Go to the link provided to gain information for the visa application: 

For information regarding the SEVIS payment fee visit the link: 

• The visa officer may request evidence of non-immigrant intent. 
• Evidence of nonimmigrant intent can be demonstrated by providing the following evidence:
  
  • Property/Assets/Businesses owned in the home country
  • Bank/Financial accounts that will remain open
  • Close family members who will remain 
  • Job offers/opportunities in the home country after completion of program

• The visa officer will also ask you to provide evidence of financial resources to pay for tuition and living expenses
  • Bring all financial documents you submitted with the CFR, including Assistantship offers, scholarship letters, financial statements, and sponsorship confirmations.

NOTE: Most F-1 visas denials are due to lack of evidence of nonimmigrant intent (the visa officer does not believe that the applicant will return home after completing their program) or lack of evidence of financial resources (the visa officer does not believe the student has enough money to live in the U.S.). In addition to bringing supporting documents, be prepared with explanations of why you will return home and where your funding is coming from.

º£½ÇÉçÇøs in scenarios A and B above should follow the steps outlined above.
º£½ÇÉçÇøs in scenarios C and D MUST contact oip@utep.edu before moving forward. 

1. Avoid processing delays - º£½ÇÉçÇøs who are abroad that need an F-1 visa plan to attend the visa interview, at least two to three months before they intend to enter the U.S. MUST obtain the I-20 at least one month before attending the visa interview.
2. Transfer SEVIS record - º£½ÇÉçÇøs already in the U.S. with an Active SEVIS record (F-1 visa status) MUST request a Transfer of the SEVIS file from the current U.S. school to º£½ÇÉçÇø, at least one month before classes begin for the new º£½ÇÉçÇø program. These students can generally begin studying with an expired visa.
3. Other Visa Status - º£½ÇÉçÇøs in the U.S., in another status that does not permit them to study, MUST apply for an F-1 status. They cannot begin studying as an F-1 student until the change of status has been approved by USCIS.  A change of status takes six months or longer.
4. º£½ÇÉçÇøs who were previously in F-1 status but have a terminated or completed SEVIS record must re-enter the U.S. with a valid visa and a new I-20 in order to begin studying. º£½ÇÉçÇøs in this situation should consult with an OIP advisor.