Requirements
Arrival Dates
Timeline
Visa Types
Change of Visa Status
Confidential Financial Statement (CFS)
Visa Compliance 

Requirements

A full-time student visa must be obtained by all international citizens before enrolling in the MBA program (unless already a U.S. Permanent Resident), which requires all of the following:

• Accept offer via link in admission letter, submit all documents and scores required, and pay $1500 non-refundable tuition deposit
• Submit Statement of Intent to Register (SIR), available only via the link emailed directly from UCLA Graduate Division after all required admission documents have been received and approved
• Complete additional steps to apply for a student visa, including submission of a Confidential Financial Statement form via the link supplied by UCLA only after the SIR form has been processed.
• No vaccinations or health examinations are currently required by UCLA for a student visa

 

Arrival Dates

• The U.S. Government only allows entry on a student visa 30 days before the program start date as shown by UCLA on the visa document (Form I-20 or DS-2019)
• Visa document production may delay arrival dates, as UCLA offices coordinate thousands of visa requests at once. Students should not make visa appointments or travel arrangements until notified of the visa document's actual production and its number in the government's SEVIS student visa system.
• Regular MBA international students may only enter the USA on or after August 17, 2013 (and should be settled in Los Angeles by August 25)
• Incoming MBA students who also register for the International Pre-Orientation (IPO) program may enter on or after July 6, 2013 (and should be settled in Los Angeles by Aug. 1)
• Incoming MBA students who also register for UCLA Summer Session A courses may enter on or after May 25, 2013 (and should be settled in Los Angeles by June 15)
• Students must supply a Confidential Financial Statement (CFS) showing enough resources to pay for the combined student budget for all the programs they enroll in, from arrival date through June 2014 (with minimum dollar totals as set by UCLA visa advisors) -- see more CFS info below

Timeline

• After the incoming student submits all required documents and payments to register, MBA Admissions sends the completed dossier to UCLA Graduate Division for final approval
• 4-6 weeks after submission, UCLA Graduate Division sends an official email directly to the student with links to the Statement of Intent to Register (SIR) and other important forms
• After submitting the SIR form on-line, the student will be sent the links to apply for visa approval (a "Certificate of Eligibility"): Form I-20 for F-1 visas, or Form DS-2019 for J-1 visas
• During June and July, UCLA releases visa forms for pick up by MBA Admissions and we express-ship the documents to incoming students
• With the UCLA form in hand, students can make a visa appointment at the nearest U.S. Consulate to get their actual student visa, and pay the SEVIS visa fees directly
• Canadian citizens do not need to visit a consulate for a visa but should present all documents upon U.S. entry as explained by the US-Canadian embassy
• Starting in mid-August the bulk of international students arrive and settle down fast in Los Angeles before Orientation begins (IPO and Summer Session students arrive weeks earlier)

Visa Types

• About 95% of international MBA students get an F-1 visa
• About 5% of international MBA students get a J-1 visa, if they have a corporate or government sponsor paying at least half of the minimum resources required, as shown in a sponsorship letter
• Most spouses and children get an F-2 visa (which does not allow employment), and those accompanying a J-1 student get a J-2 visa (which does allow employment authorization)
• Only legally married spouses can get a visa to accompany the student, not unmarried partners (though they can potentially seek their own student visa by enrolling in a certificate program at UCLA Extension:www.uclaextension.edu/intl/international.aspx )
• Sponsored students have the option of obtaining an F-1 or J-1 as their sponsor permits, and most choose the J-1 visa, especially if they have a spouse who wants to work in the USA
• Students on a visa may obtain temporary work authorization after their first year of study under the Curricular Practical Training (CPT) program, and for a year after graduation under the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program
• To work in the USA after OPT expires, the employer must sponsor a person for an employment visa such as H-1b

Change of Visa Status

• Admits currently in the US on a work-related visa such as H-1 or L-1 must convert to a full-time student visa (F-1 or J-1) before enrolling (H-4 visa holders may ask for permission to enroll)
• Admits converting an existing visa must do so through their own attorney, and UCLA enrollment is possible before the change is complete if the student proves the change-of-status request is being processed by the government
• The U.S. Government prefers that people converting to a student visa go back to their home country to get the actual new visa at a U.S. consulate there
• The timing of change-of-status requests is critical to maintain proper visa status, and it can also affect a student's eligibility for CPT and other programs, so incoming students must get the latest legal advice from their own attorney
• Applying for U.S. Permanent Residency is not compatible with a student visa (which is a non-immigrant visa), so those already seeking Permanent Resident status must get advice from their own attorney before applying for any student visa
• Tourist visas cannot be converted to student visas, so those visiting the U.S. before the student visa becomes valid must leave the country and re-enter to activate their student visa, to be allowed to enroll

Confidential Financial Statement (CFS) - general information 

• A CFS proving the availability of enough resources to cover the first year of the MBA program (plus any other pre-MBA programs chosen) is required to get a student visa
• Admits should only submit the CFS directly to UCLA's Dashew Center (the Dashew Center for International Students and Scholars), after receiving instructions directly from Dashew Center, which will be sent by email after the SIR form is submitted on-line
• Incoming students should expect to show enough liquid resources on the CFS to cover the first-year student budget shown on the MBA admit portal website at www.anderson.ucla.edu/x34389.xml(subject to change at any time)
• Visas for a spouse require an additional $5,000 in resources, plus $2,500 for each child, and information on these dependents must be included with the CFS in order for them to get visas
• Visas for early arrival (to attend IPO in August and/or UCLA Summer Sessions in June) require additional resources on the CFS to cover the costs of those programs plus living expenses for the student and dependents, as determined by UCLA visa advisors
• UCLA may change the minimum resources required at any time, and visa requests not processed before then must show the new minimum total (so adding extra funds to the initial total is wise)

Visa Compliance

• Students must remain in compliance with all visa requirements in order to keep their visa and stay enrolled at UCLA. Compliance violations will be recorded on the student's permanent lifetime record with the U.S. Government.
• UCLA is required to inform the U.S. Government of student status on an ongoing basis, and terminating enrollment will result in termination of the student visa (or vice versa)
• Registrants for pre-MBA programs such as IPO or Summer Sessions must attend those programs as scheduled, or their early-arrival visas will be revoked and replaced by a regular MBA student visa allowing entry to the USA only in mid-August
• Incoming international students with a visa must attend both iSTART @ UCLA as well as Anderson's International Student Orientation Day (ISOD) in order to have legal student visa status. Failure to attend will result in cancellation of your visa and a violation notice to the U.S. Government, and you will be unable to register for courses or use any campus resources. Mandatory registration information will be sent to incoming students during the summer.
• Other compliance guidelines and workshops are provided to all international students upon arrival, and UCLA's Dashew Center for International Students and Scholars is always available to answer visa questions