F-2 dependents and family members
If you are a student in F-1 status who would like to bring your spouse and/or unmarried minor children (under 21 years old) to the United States, you may ask for a new Form I-20 from OISS.
Please remember, OISS requires between two and four working days to process these requests.
Bringing family members to the United States
You can work with OISS to request an F-2 I-20 in order to bring your family member(s) to the U.S. Complete the following steps to begin the process:
Complete the Student I-20/DS-2019 Request Form and documentation. Complete the form, providing the names and birth dates of spouse and dependent children, including a copy of the bio page of each dependent's passport. You must also provide evidence of financial support to cover yourself and your dependent(s) (e.g., bank statement or letter from a University department).
You must demonstrate $12,000 for the spouse and $10,500 for each child. Be sure to check with OISS for the current amount for yourself (the student). If funds will not be from you (the student), your sponsor must submit a Financial Data form and upload the financial documents with the form.
Endorse the I-20. Once all the required documents are received by OISS, OISS will issue new I-20s for you and your dependent(s). You must endorse all the new Form I-20s at the bottom of the first page.
Mail the original documents. You should mail the following items to your dependent(s):
- Original new Form I-20 (all pages) for dependent(s)
- Copy of first and second pages of student's I-20
- Evidence of financial support to match amount shown on I-20
Have spouse/dependents visit embassy or U.S. consular office. You should instruct your spouse/dependent(s) to take these documents to the nearest U.S. consular office or embassy and apply for F-2 visas. The U.S. embassy or consulate may not issue a visa unless it is satisfied the spouse/dependent has a residence in a foreign country to which they plan to return and has no intention of abandoning
Dependents do not pay the SEVIS fee.
Reminder about financial support and funding
Dependents in F-2 status are not allowed to accept employment in the United States. F-1 students must be sure they have adequate funds to support themselves and their dependents before bringing them to the United States.