F-2 Dependent Visa
General Information
Initial Admission/Bringing Family
Dependent Visa Request - For Enrolled U of MN Students
F-2 Visa Application at U.S. Embassy/Consulate
Short-term Visit of Spouse/Children
Reentry of F-2 Visa Holders
General Information
- Family members eligible for F-2 status are the spouse and the minor children of the F-1 visa holder.
- Health and hospitalization insurance must be effective for each dependent upon their arrival in the U.S.
- F-2 visa holders are not able to work in the U.S.
- F-2 visa holders are not eligible for a Social Security Number but can apply for an ITIN number for income tax purposes.
- Children in F-2 status are able to attend public school in the U.S.
- Spouse in F-2 is not able to attend classes at the University of Minnesota. Regulations allow an F-2 spouse to take a craft/recreational class or one ESL class.
- F-2 visa holders are able to apply to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for a change in visa status to F-1 if they have been admitted into a program of study in the U.S. and have been issued a Form I-20.
- Dependent family members will remain in legal F-2 status as long as the F-1 remains in legal status.
Initial Admission - Bringing Family
Students who plan to begin a program of study at the University of Minnesota and want to travel to Minnesota with their family:
- Complete the dependent information on the Financial Certification Statement. The Financial Certification Statement will be mailed with the admission application or will be mailed after the admission has been approved.
- The information on the Financial Certification Statement will be used by the University to prepare both the student’s initial admit I-20 a well as dependent I-20(s). Initial admit along with dependent I-20’s are issued by the Office of Admissions, the Graduate School and ISSS for the Professional Colleges.
- The Form I-20’s will be used by the student and his/her family members to secure F-1 and F-2 visas from the U.S. embassy or consulate. The U.S. post will minimally require evidence of marriage, birth certificates of children, documentary evidence of funding, and evidence of dependent’s intent to return to home country upon the completion of studies.
- The initial admit student I-20 and the dependent I-20(s) will also be used for entry into the U.S.
Dependent Visa Request – For Enrolled U of MN Students
F-1 students who want their spouse and/or children to join them in the United States should request a SEVIS Dependent I-20 from ISSS during general Walk-In Hours.
- Student must be enrolled full-time at the University of Minnesota.
- Dependent I-20’s must cover a 12-month period.
- ISSS has a limit of three dependent I-20’s it will prepare in a 12-month period per student.
- Dependent expenses will be added to the amounts used in a student’s initial I-20 if the request is made in the first semester of enrollment at the University of Minnesota.
- Dependent I-20 requests made after the first semester of enrollment will be based on a new Financial Certification Statement completed by the student.
- It will take ISSS approximately one week to prepare a dependent I-20.
F-2 Visa Application at US Embassy/Consulate
The applicant should present:
- All pages of the SEVIS Dependent I-20 – signed by the F-1 visa holder
- Documentary evidence of funding resources reflected on the SEVIS Dependent I-20
- Marriage license
- Evidence of intent to return to home country upon the completion of the F-1’s program of study
- Passport
Short-term Visit of Spouse/Children
Family members planning to visit for a short period of time may want to enter the U.S. as a tourist rather than on F-2 status. Be advised, however, that it may be difficult to change the visa status from tourist to F-2 if the individual decides to remain in the U.S. on a long-term basis.
Reentry of F-2 Visa Holders
F-2 dependents who plan to temporarily depart the U.S. and reenter will need appropriate reentry documents. The F-1 visa holder will need to request the dependent travel document during ISSS general Walk-In Hours.
- F-2’s will need a valid reentry signature on Page 3 of the SEVIS Dependent I-20. If the information on the dependent I-20 is no longer accurate (i.e., program of study, financial information), the F-1 visa holder must request a new I-20 for him/herself and the dependent(s) that provides correct information.
- F-2’s who plan to travel to Canada or Mexico for less than 30 days are not required to have a valid entry visa stamp in their passport for reentry into the U.S. but will need a reentry signature on page 3 of their SEVIS Dependent I-20.
- F-2’s traveling to a country other than their home country should determine if they are required to have a tourist visa to enter that country.
- F-2’s reentering the U.S. must be prepared to present to US Inspection evidence of the funding noted on the I-20, an unofficial transcript of the F-1, and a photocopy of the EAD if the F-1 holds Optional Practical Training. This documentation is in addition to the passport, entry visa stamp and the dependent I-20.
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