Visa Information

Visas

* If you intend to study at PALS as a full time student you must obtain an F-1 Visa before entering the US. If you are on a tourist visa, you may study part time only as long as your permission to stay in the US is valid. If you have any questions, please contact the International Student Advisor at eslpals@rci.rutgers.edu.

PALS issues I-20 forms in the fall time for students who wish to study in F-1 status.  Once you have received an I-20 form from PALS, you must go to the US Embassy in your home country to apply for an F-1 student visa.

Because it takes a fairly long time to apply for and receive a visa to enter the United States in Non-immigrant (F-1) Student status, students who are requesting immigration documents should submit the complete and signed application form and financial documentation at least two months before the starting date of their first session of enrollment.

*It takes two weeks for PALS to process an application and issue an I-20.  Please allow yourself plenty of time to receive an I-20 and apply for an F-1 visa.

To be eligible for admission to PALS, please submit:

• An original, completed application form for a minimum of two sessions(14 weeks) of study.
• A non-refundable deposit of $200 toward tuition.
• A one-time placement test fee of $100.
• An original Financial Guarantee, signed by you or your sponsor.
• An original bank statement from either your personal or your sponsor’s bank. The statement must be written in English and include the account holder’s name and the amount of money in the account in US dollars. A minimum of $9800 must be available for estimated expenses for the two sessions. The statement must be signed by an officer of the bank.

*PALS cannot accept faxed applications.  All applications and supporting documents must be originals.

To find the US embassy in your country, please visit the following website:  http://usembassy.state.gov/

INFORMATION FOR TRANSFER STUDENTS:

If you are already in the United States in Non-immigrant (F-1) Student status wtih another school and wish to transfer to PALS, you will need to follow certain immigration procedures to transfer to PALS. It is very important that you follow these procedures. If you do not transfer correctly from your current school to PALS according to immigration procedures, you will be out of status. To be out of status means that you are in the United States illegally and the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services has the right to order you to leave the United States.

A. Transferring to PALS From Another School

Before we can transfer you from your present school to PALS, you must have your current international student advisor complete the International Student Advisor’s Report. Your school advisor should complete the form and send it directly to PALS.

It is your responsibility to provide PALS with clear copies of your current Form I-20 and your I-94 card. You must also provide us with the original financial documentation. (For detailed information about the necessary financial documents, please see Requirements for the Form I-20.)

To be eligible to transfer to PALS, you must submit:

• An original, completed application.
• An International Student Advisor’s report, completed and signed by the advisor at your current school.
• An original Financial Guarantee, signed by you or your sponsor
• Original financial documents.  For detailed information about acceptable financial documents, please see “Requirements for the Form I-20” section.
• A non-refundable deposit of $200 toward tuition and $100 towards the placement test.
• Copies of your passport, F-1 visa stamp, current I-20 and current I-94 card.

You will receive a letter of acceptance after your application has been processed. The letter will indicate registration and payment information.  PALS will contact you when your I-20 form is ready to be picked up. 

*If you will travel outside the US before you begin classes at PALS, you must pick up your PALS I-20 before you leave or make arrangements for the I-20 to be mailed to you.  You will need your PALS I-20 to return to the United States.

**If you do not complete the transfer before you start classes, please remember that the transfer must be completed within 15 days of the first day of classes, or you will be out of status.

B. Transferring From PALS To Another School

If you are studying at PALS and you plan to transfer out of PALS, you must have studied for 14 weeks (two PALS session) before this request can be approved.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the PALS International Student Advisor.