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Use this guide as your checklist of things to accomplish before and immediately after you arrive in Rochester as an international student. We are here to help you stay up to date on all the important requirements and information. Safe travels, and we look forward to seeing you soon!
Step 1: Complete the New Student Intake Forms (NSIF)
ISO is prepared to assist new international students who are seeking immigration permission for full-time study at UR. The New Student Intake Forms must be used to request your Form I-20 (for F-1 study) or Form DS-2019 (for J-1 study) if you intend to study under the UR’s immigration sponsorship. The NSIF consists of two parts, the NSIF Department Section and the NSIF Student Section. After your admitting department or admissions office submits the NSIF Department Section, you will receive an email communication inviting you to request your immigration document by completing the NSIF Student Section. Please contact your school directly if you have not received the invitation to complete your NSIF.
If you are planning to study under sponsorship from another organization, or you are not eligible for the F-1 or J-1 category, please find more information on .
Step 2: Pay the I-901 SEVIS fee
After receiving the Form I-20 (for F-1 study) or DS-2019 (for J-1 study), international students must pay the I-901 SEVIS fee online. This is separate from visa application fees. Pay this fee and print proof of payment before you attend your visa appointment. You can schedule an interview before you make the I-901 fee payment. Allow at least three business days for the payment to be received and verified.
and who will not apply for a student visa sticker must pay this fee several days before appearing at the US Port of Entry.
Students with the SEVIS category of Change of Education Level (COEL) or Immigration Transfer do not need to pay the fee again, unless the transfer is from a federally sponsored exchange program that did not require the payment previously.
If you pay the I-901 Fee and then defer your admission, you may need to request a transfer of your SEVIS fee (if you receive an I-20 with a new SEVIS number) or you may need to pay the fee again; the fee 12 months after the original fee payment is made for a SEVIS record in Initial status. More information about who must pay the fee and how to request a payment transfer is available online: . Questions about payment may be directed to SEVP: fmjfee.sevis@ice.dhs.gov.
Step 3: Prepare and interview for your student visa
To obtain the student visa, you must schedule an interview and apply for the visa in person at your local US Consulate or Embassy after completing the Form DS-160.
Reference our video on and our Visa Application page for more information. Homebase is offering a monthly webinar through August 2026. offers tips when applying for a student visa. In particular – as an applicant for the F-1 or J-1 visa, you will want to think through how you will demonstrate non-immigrant intent.
You may also review a recording of the webinar Matt Pierson, a former US foreign service officer, recently hosted for newly admitted 蘑菇传媒 students who will be applying for a student visa: .
Canadians and Bermudians
Under current immigration rules, Canadian and (most) Bermudian citizens are not required to apply for a visa. However, you still must prepare all other documents and pay the I-901 SEVIS fee for F-1 and J-1 students. The Department of State offers more information online:听,听.
Completing the DS-160
While navigating the , it is critical that your documentation is accurate and consistent. Please have your immigration document available when completing the ; it includes UR鈥檚 school code, address, and school official鈥檚 name, as well as program dates and the official major code for your field of study. If additional academic details are needed, please contact your admitting department.
Below are suggested answers you are welcome to use when you fill out your DS-160. Please be aware that you are ultimately responsible for the accuracy of information you provide in this form.
- US Point of Contact: You may list the Designated School Official (if you receive an F-1 I-20) or the Alternate Responsible Officer (if you receive a J-1 DS-2019) and School Address listed on your immigration document, as well as ISO鈥檚 general contact details (+1-585-275-2866, iso@rochester.edu).
- Intended Place of Stay: If you know where you will stay, use that address. If you have not yet secured your housing, you may choose to list the 蘑菇传媒鈥檚 address (500 Joseph C. Wilson Blvd., Rochester, New York, 14627).
- Person/entity paying for your trip: You may list your primary/largest source of funding as indicated on your immigration document.
Visa validity parameters
The Department of State (DOS) sets visa validity, number of entries, and fees for nationals of a country based on what that country provides to U.S. citizens for the same purpose of travel. You can review what to expect for your student visa validity issuance by accessing the DOS’s , available for each country for which it issues visas. Please note, additional administrative processing may result in reduced visa validity.
Note: In early July 2025, the DOS reduced the visa validity parameters for many nonimmigrant visas issued after that date to 3 months and only a single entry. If this applies to your country of citizenship, you may need to carefully consider the timing of your visa interview to ensure your visa is not issued too early.
Visa appointment availability
US State Department policy requires that embassies and consulates give priority for student visa appointments. While appointment times may appear limited, the expectation is that consulates will make more appointment times available as demand increases. If you will need an earlier visa appointment than what appears to be available, you should be able to submit a request for an expedited visa appointment. You must first schedule a regular visa appointment (even if it is after you anticipate needing to travel to the US), before you will be able to request an expedited date. Expedited appointments will only be granted at the Consulate鈥檚 discretion. Please follow the instructions provided on the听 at which you will apply for your student visa.
See for more information.
Visa Issuance Suspensions effective 6/9/2025, 1/1/2026
Effective 6/9/2025:
Following the and , the Department of State suspended visa issuance to nationals of Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen for all nonimmigrant and immigrant visa categories with limited exceptions. Additionally, the Department of State partially suspended visa issuance to nationals of Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela for nonimmigrant B-1/B-2 visitor visas and F, M, and J student and exchange visitor visas, and all immigrant visas with limited exceptions.
: “This Presidential Proclamation only applies to foreign nationals who are outside the United States on the effective date AND do not hold a valid visa on the effective date (June 9, 2025). Foreign nationals, even those outside the United States, who hold valid visas as of the effective date are not subject to the Proclamation. No visas issued before June 9, 2025, have been or will be revoked pursuant to the Proclamation. Visa applicants who are subject to this Presidential Proclamation may still submit visa applications and schedule interviews, but they may be ineligible for visa issuance or admission to the United States.”
Effective 1/1/2026:
Following the and , the Department of State is fully suspending visa issuance to nationals of 19 countries 鈥� Afghanistan, Burma, Burkina Faso, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Laos, Libya, Mali, Niger, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen 鈥� and to individuals traveling on any travel documents issued or endorsed by the Palestinian Authority, for all nonimmigrant B-1/B-2 visitor visas and F, M, and J student and exchange visitor visas and immigrant visa categories听with limited exceptions.
Additionally, the Department of State is partially suspending visa issuance to nationals of 19 countries 鈥� Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Burundi, Cote D鈥橧voire, Cuba, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Venezuela, Zambia, and Zimbabwe 鈥� for nonimmigrant B-1/B-2 visitor visas and F, M, J student and exchange visitor visas, and all immigrant visas听with limited exceptions.
This is an update to the (see above, Visa Issuance Suspensions effective 6/9/2025).
Third country application options
Effective 9/6/2025, applicants for nonimmigrant visas (such as F-1, J-1, F-2, J-2) should schedule their visa interview appointment at the 听in their country of nationality or residence.
Nationals of countries where the US government is not conducting routine nonimmigrant visa operations must apply at the designated embassy or consulate, unless their residence is elsewhere.听 The government provides the list of designated consulates/embassies here:
Multiple schools
If you have multiple documents from different US universities, you need to decide which school you plan to attend before applying for your visa. Once the visa is issued, you must enter the country with the I-20 or DS-2019 from the school printed on the visa stamp and your permission to study will be granted only at that school.
Social Media Vetting
Effective 6/18/2025, online presence will be vetted as part of the visa application process, and student visa applicants are now required to make all social media accounts public.
Additionally, immigration officials have broad discretion to check a traveler鈥檚 personal belongings when entering and exiting the US. Such checks occur most frequently when entering the US, and may include your luggage, other items that you are carrying with you, and importantly, the contents of your electronic devices. Be mindful that immigration officials may view and consider material on your electronic devices such as photographs, apps, text messages, and emails when making immigration related decisions. It is possible this content may also be reviewed in advance of your travel, even after visa issuance.
Visa delay (administrative processing) or denial
Visa issuance is delayed for some students due to administrative processing. You can read more about visa application decisions听辞谤听.
Step 4: Enter the US in F-1 or J-1 student status
When finalizing your travel plans to Rochester, keep in mind you can enter the US only up to 30 days before the program start date listed on your initial I-20 or DS-2019.
- This travel restriction does not apply to students with a SEVIS Category of Immigration Transfer or Change of Education Level.
- If you intend to apply for a Change of Status (Form I-539), you should not leave the US while your application is pending.
Please review our 听补苍诲 Travel and Arrival in the US听for more information.
Traveling to and arriving in the US
Step 5: Enroll in the student health insurance plan
The United States does not provide socialized medical care and currently there is no national system of health insurance coverage that will cover foreign nationals.
All full-time students participate in the Student Health Program, which provides care and services offered by the University Health Service (UHS) and the University Counseling Center (UCC). The Student Health Program consists of two components: the Mandatory Health Fee and the UR Student Health Insurance Plan (Aetna).
Reference UHS鈥檚听Health Insurance for Full Time Students page or our Health Insurance Overview page for more information.
Visit UHS to learn about health insurance requirements for students
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Step 6: Participate in ISO’s pre-arrival programs
Before you arrive at the URochester, it is important to learn about US immigration requirements and campus services. ISO offers two pre-arrival programs to help you prepare.
- International Student Pre-Arrival: This online training program consists of relevant content that you can complete at your pace. This training program will be released in May for incoming Fall 2026 students.
- ISO pre-arrival webinars: These optional webinars cover topics such as the international student experience, student employment, and social security. If you can’t attend live, recorded videos will be posted on the website for you to view later.
Review both programs to learn as much as you can before you arrive. This will help you have a smooth transition to life in the US as an internatinal student.
Step 7: Report arrival and complete immigration check-in
Within one week of arriving to the US and no later than your program start date, you must use ISO’s Immigration Check-In tool in URcompass to complete an immigration check-in with ISO. This will allow us to report your arrival to the government and activate your SEVIS record for study at the URochester.
If you will no longer arrive at UR by the Program Start Date listed on your I-20 or DS-2019, please notify your school right away to revise your attendance plan. Your UR Department will need to report their approval of a later arrival to ISO via your NSIF before ISO will be able to update your immigration record accordingly and issue a new immigration document, as needed. Students approved to defer their arrival will be invited to complete immigration check-in at a later time that aligns with the new start date.
Step 8: Attend ISO鈥檚 immigration compliance webinar
The ISO offers this webinar to help you learn about US immigration requirements and benefits. You must attend this webinar if you’re a new international student, or if you’re returning from an absence longer than one year, changing degree level at the University, or transferring your immigration record from another US school. We appreciate and look forward to your participation!
Learn about the immigration compliance webinar
Step 9: Attend your school’s orientation
It is important that all international students attend their school and/or department’s scheduled orientation programs before they begin their academic courses at the URochester. Please be sure to check your school’s website for orientation requirements.