F-1 Students Transferring from Other U.S. Schools

If you are currently in F-1 student status and are studying at another U.S institution or are on practical training through another U.S institution’s I-20, you are considered a SEVIS (immigration) transfer.  This also applies to you if you have been outside the United States for less than five (5) months after attending a U.S institution.  It doesn't matter from the immigration point of view whether you are currently in the U.S. or overseas, or whether you are transferring any academic credits or not.

Once you are admitted to Louisiana State University by the admissions office, the admissions office notifies LSU’s International Services, where we will process your SEVIS transfer and issue your LSU I-20.

IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO REQUEST THE “SEVIS TRANSFER” FROM YOUR CURRENT/PREVIOUS SCHOOL TO LSU.

After IS reviews your source of funding and verifies that the funding is sufficient, you will be provided with instructions on how to transfer your SEVIS record to LSU from another U.S. institution. After receiving the SEVIS transfer-in form, you will need to:

1.  Complete the student portion of the transfer-in form and ask the international student advisor at your current/previous school to fill out his/her portion of the form and return it to us by fax 225-578-1413 or e-mail (isodoc@lsu.edu). 

2.  Your current/previous school’s international student advisor also will need to electronically transfer and release your SEVIS record to LSU. 

Please note: Your SEVIS record should NOT be transferred to LSU until after you are admitted to LSU and the previous school receives the transfer-in form.  If the SEVIS record is transferred and released to us before you are admitted, or if for some reason you are not admitted or decide not to come to LSU, you will have a problem as your SEVIS immigration record will be "stuck" at the wrong school.  Also, the previous school needs to receive the transfer-in form to ensure that your SEVIS record is transferred to the correct LSU campus. 

Please emphasize to the advisor that you are transferring to the Baton Rouge campus.  We have had problems with SEVIS records getting transferred to the LSU - Shreveport campus by mistake. If this happens, your SEVIS record will be "stuck" at the wrong school, which may result in future immigration problems for you.  Please make it clear to your adviser that you are NOT transferring to LSU-Shreveport. 

LSU’s International Services cannot process your LSU I-20 until after we receive your completed transfer-in form AND your SEVIS record has been electronically transferred and released to us by your current/previous school's international office.

When your LSU I-20 is ready, we will notify you by e-mail.

This page was last updated , September 1, 2011