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Step Two: PROCESSING OF YOUR VISA DOCUMENTS BY THEINTERNATIONAL OFFICEOnce the International Office has received your ISVDR form and has processed yourvisa request, they will forward it to your academic department. Your department will usean express courier service to mail your I-20 or IAP66 visa documents to you, along witha letter from The Graduate School indicating that you will be enrolling in the summerinstead of the fall. You must bring this letter with you when you apply for a visa.Sometimes we may need to send you other visa documents by express courier. We willneed a current address and phone number in order to do this. You can give us thisinformation on your Participant Response Form. There must be someone present atthat address to sign for the package if you are not available. If necessary, you may ask usto send your documents to a different address where someone will be available to signfor it during business hours. It is very important that we have a correct address for you!You may also need additional application materials, including proof of Englishproficiency, school records to verify your academic preparation, or additional evidenceof strong ties to your home country. Be sure to check with the U.S. embassy orconsulate before your appointment.For any additional questions about our program, please send an e-mail message toisi@northwestern.edu.Thanks, and we hope to see you soon in Evanston!Step Three: SEVIS FEEIn order to apply for a visa, you will need a Receipt of SEVIS fee payment (I-901). Youcan pay the fee online at http://www.Fmjfee.com. For more information visithttp://www.northwestern.edu/internationalStep Four: APPLY FOR YOUR VISAOnce you have received your visa documents from your department, check them tomake sure that all the information is accurate. In particular, make sure that the start dateon your visa is August 1, not September 2011. If you have a September date, pleasecontact the ISI Director (isi@northwestern.edu) so that we can ask the InternationalOffice to issue a new I-20 or DS-2019 for you.Then use your visa documents to obtain a visa to enter the United States. You will applyfor the visa at the nearest U.S. consulate in your home country using the “Certificate ofEligibility” (I-20 or DS-2019) form that you received from Northwestern University..Your SEVIS Certificate of Eligibility (I-20 or DS-2019) has a bar code in the upper rightcorner of the first page. When you visit the U.S. consulate or embassy to apply for yourvisa using Northwestern’s form, this information will be recorded in the SEVIS Systemand entered on your student visa stamp. This means that you will also have to provideNorthwestern’s I-20 or DS-2019 when you arrive at the port of entry here in the U.S.You will need several documents to support your visa application and you shouldprepare carefully for your visit to the U.S. embassy or consulate. Be sure to read page 2of your I-20 or DS-2019 carefully so that you understand your responsibility to complywith U.S. laws and regulations that apply to your F-1 or J-1 student status.Visa procedures vary slightly from one U.S. embassy or consulate to another. Beforeyou apply for your student visa, be sure to check with the embassy or consulate youplan to visit to learn about specific procedures and policies that apply to that office. Forexample, some U.S. embassies and consulates require appointments several weeks inadvance, others may accept student visa applications only during certain hours of theday. Be sure to plan ahead so that you will be as prepared as possible!