Pre Arrival Information

Once you are accepted to UCCS, shortly after you will receive a 3 page form from the university called an I-20. Then you will sign it and schedule a visa interview with the nearest consulate. Please refer to http://usembassy.state.gov/ to find the nearest consulate. To receive a visa you must also have a valid passport. All applicants who want to obtain a student visa must pay $200 SEVIS I-901 fee. The SEVIS I-901 fee must be processed at least 3 business days before the consular interview unless the applicant has a printed receipt from the Internet payment. The SEVIS I-901 fee is not payable at the consulate. For more info about SEVIS Fee http://www.ice.gov/sevis/index.htm. Each embassy and consulate sets its own rules to apply for a visa, so please check with your nearest embassy or consulate. If you will be coming with your family (dependents) they will also have to provide paperwork for them too. For purposes of immigration law, your passport must be valid for 6 months beyond the period of your approved stay in the US.

For more info on receiving your visa, please refer to http://www.unitedstatesvisas.gov/obtainingvisa/index.html website. There many different types of visas, the most common types that ISS assists with is F1 and J1 visas.

After you receive your I-20 and visa you are ready to travel to Colorado Springs. You can not enter the U.S. before thirty (30) days before the start date that is listed on your I-20.

Travel/ Re-entry

When traveling to the U.S. keep all documents ready and accessible such as passport/visa, and I-20. You need to have these documents with you at all times (Also, DO NOT carry a large amount of cash, bring your money in the form of traveler's checks or obtain a bankcard to withdraw cash from an automatic teller machine, ATM).  Once you arrive in the U.S., your documents will scrutinized and processed by a staff member of the USCIS at the port of entry . Your passport will be returned to you along with an I-94 card and your I-20 form. All visitors to the U.S. entering with a visa will be subject to the newly-implemented US-Visit program. You may have your fingerprints scanned by an inkless device and a digital photograph taken of you. For more port of entry info please refer to http://www.dhs.gov/us-visit and http://www.ice.gov/sevis/factsheet/100104ent_stdnt_fs.htm

In-Processing (Mandatory Check-In)

You MUST report of ISS within 2 weeks (14 days) of arriving in Colorado Springs. ISS must report students who do not  IN-PROCESS (check-in) to United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). If you do not In-Process you will be out-of-status and you may be deported back to your home country.

Once you report to ISS you will set up an appointment with student assistant to In-Process. In-Processing is time for information gathering and essentially to validate you through SEVIS.

You must bring the following items with you to In-Process:

• I-20
• I-94 card
• Passport/ Visa
• Any and all documents from Department of State
• Any and all documents from UCCS
• Current U.S. Address

Also, during In-Processing the following subjects will be discussed:

• Colorado ID Cards/ Colorado Driver's License
• Employment
• Immunizations/ Health Insurance
• Bank Account/ Credit Cards
• UCCS Email Account
• Academic Advising
• Student Id and Parking Permit
• Purchasing a Car

Housing

If you are considering on-campus housing apply early as possible the UCCS housing website is: http://www.uccs.edu/~residence. To the Right: Summit Village (Dorms) at UCCS

For off-campus housing please refer to these websites to find one:

www.forrent.com

www.apartmentguide.com

www.rentnet.com

If you have any other questions please feel free to contact us: iss@uccs.edu

Arriving in Colorado Springs

Airports:

Colorado Springs Airport (COS)

or

Denver International Airport (DIA)

Public Transportation:

Public Transportation is provided by an efficient bus system that serves the city and its surrounding areas. The terminal is located downtown. Bus schedules and bus passes are available at the University Center Information Desk on the main floor.  For more information http://www.springsgov.com/SectionIndex.asp?sectionID=16.

Taxis:

Yellow Cab (719)-634-5000 offer services from Colorado Springs Airport, for more information about services from the Colorado Springs Airport: http://www.springsgov.com/AirportPage.aspx?PageID=1788