Canadian Education Program
Student Visa Requirements
Federal Immigration and Naturalization laws require that any student studying in the United States whose citizenship is not U.S. must have foreign student status. This applies to students commuting to school from Canada and those taking residence in the United States. To obtain a student visa, a student must meet the following criteria:
Be accepted at Medaille College for full-time study.
Provide financial documentation of ability to pay tuition and fees and living expenses in the U.S. (if applicable).
This documentation must come in the form of a letter from a bank (not a statement) and must have the dollar figure in it.
Specifically, if you are living in Canada, the bank letter must show a minimum of $21,672.00. If you are living in the United States, you must show cost of tuition and living expenses. (A sample letter is enclosed).
Remember, the account must be in U.S. funds, so take the exchange into account.
This money can be from another source (relative). If that is the case, a letter must accompany the bank letter to the effect that the money is available for your education. This can be in the bank letter or in a separate letter from the individual.
As soon as your financial documentation is received, your I-20 will be produced by our office and mailed to you. It is in effect 30 days before the first day of school. You may not start school without foreign student status. The border will prohibit you from crossing into the United States.
If you are a landed immigrant in Canada but do not hold Canadian citizenship, you must apply for a visa at the U.S. Embassy/Consulate. Please contact Admissions immediately to receive information on this process and be advised that it may take several months to obtain an appointment with the Embassy.
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