International Student Overview

The MTEC San Francisco Bay Area is authorized under federal law to issue the I-20 F-1 Student document to nonimmigrant alien students.

1. Without US Visa Status - Living Outside the US - Initial Status:

  • MTEC-SFBA issues the Initial I-20 document and a Letter of Acceptance to the applicant-student in order to secure an F-1 visa from the United States Embassy in the country of resident.  The F-1 Visa alllows the student to enter the United States and enroll in MTEC-SFBA coursework as a full-time student in the Montessori Early Childhood teacher credential program. 

2. With US Visa Status - Living/Visiting in the US - Change of Status:

  • MTEC-SFBA issues the Change of Status I-20 and the Letter of Acceptance to the prospective student. These two documents, in addition to other documents, are submitted to the US embassy for issuance of the F-1 Visa.

2A. Change of Status: H-4, F-1, E-2, J-1, L-2, H-1B:

  • F-1 Visa: Student enrolled at another school may transfer to MTEC-SFBA. MTEC-SFBA issues the School Transfer Form and the Letter of Acceptance to the applicant-student. These two documents are submitted to the current school for transfer from the current school to MTEC-SFBA.
  • E-2, J-1, L-2 Visas:  Holders of the E-2, J-1 & L-2 Visas are permitted to attend school either part-time or full-time.
  • H-4 Visa: Holders of the H-4 Visa are permitted to attend school either part-time or full-time.  Changing status from the H-4 Visa to a F-1 Visa is advised in the second year in order to add  CPT during the paid Student Teaching /Practicum.     

3. OTHER VISAS:  

  • All other Visa must obtain a Change of Status from the US Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS).  Submit all required documents to the USCIS  addition to the MTEC-SFBA Letter of Acceptance and the MTEC-SFBA  Change of Status I-20.

The Change of Status is currently taking six to eight months for processing by the USCIS. 

MTEC-SFBA takes one to two weeks to review documents and issue the Change of Status I-20 and Letter of Acceptance.

4. Canadian Citizens:

  • Canadian citizens are not required to have a US Visa or Passport. However, all Canadian citizens are required to apply for and abide by all I-20 requirements.

Select a topic below to view additional information and a list of required documents: