International students make up approximately 55% of the student population each year in ICP’s Full-Time Programs. Students come from a range of cultural and social backgrounds—our alumni represent 60 different countries. This diversity makes our community a unique and enriching experience for all participants.

ICP welcomes applications from international students and is authorized by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) run by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to enroll non-immigrants as full-time students with F-1 Student status.

International students who study at ICP’s school will need an F-1 Student Visa to study in the U.S. International students who matriculate in ICP’s One-Year Certificate Programs entirely online, from their home country, do not need to acquire an F-1 student visa.

Resources

It is your responsibility to comply with all of the requirements and responsibilities of your non-immigrant status. Any information within ICP’s websites or documents should be considered advisory only, please make sure to look at the websites below for the most up to date information.

Are You an International Student?

An international student is defined as a student who is enrolled or intends to enroll in a full-time program of study in the U.S. and is not:

A citizen of the U.S.
An immigrant (permanent resident with an I-51 or Green Card)
In the process of applying or waiting for a pending application for U.S. permanent residence
An approved refugee and has not been granted political asylum
An undocumented immigrant

What is an F-1 Visa?

The F-1 Student Visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows foreigners to pursue education in the U.S. on a full-time basis. F-1 Visas are only issued by the U.S. embassies or consulates outside the U.S. We recommend that you obtain your F-1 Visa in your home country.

Prospective F-1 international students must apply for and receive a Form I-20 in order to apply for an F-1 Visa.

What is a Form I-20?

The Form I-20 is defined by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) as the Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status for Academic or Language Students.

A Form I-20 tells the U.S. government that you are eligible for F-1 Student status. It certifies that: 1) you meet our admissions requirements; 2) you will pursue a full course of study; 3) you proved to us that you have enough money to study and live in the U.S. without working illegally or suffering from poverty.

International students will use their ICP-issued Form I-20 to apply for an F-1 Student Visa. ICP will provide detailed instructions on how to apply for your F-1 Student Visa and on how successfully enter the country.

You should apply for your Form I-20 as soon as possible following the accepted admission of your academic application for one of the Full-Time Programs.

Please download the complete Form I-20 application. You will need to complete the application and send it along with all required supporting documents to international@icp.edu.

Transfer-In Students

If you are already in the U.S. as an F-1 student at another institution, you must complete a transfer-in form after the successful completion of your Form I-20 application. You are advised to discuss the transfer process with your current institution.

Based upon your travel intentions you may or may not need to apply for a new F-1 Student Visa.

English Language Proficiency Requirements

All international applicants whose primary/native language is not English must demonstrate proficiency in written and spoken English. International applicants must submit valid English language proficiency test results taken within the past two years. We permit applicants to submit one of the following tests: TOEFL, IELTS and Duolingo English Test.

Minimum required scores are:

TOEFL iBT – 68 *MyBest® scores accepted
IELTS – 6
Duolingo – 95

Applicants will have an opportunity to upload a copy of their test result in the application form in Slideroom. For admissions decisions to be finalized, the official test result must be sent directly to the Admissions office electronically from your testing center. The TOEFL code for ICP is 8475.

Applicants may qualify for an exemption from English Language Proficiency Requirement if you:

Earned a high school diploma, associate’s degree, bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited U.S. high school, college, or university. Please note that completion of a GED does not waive the English Language Requirement.

Completed the equivalent of a high school education, a U.S. bachelor's degree or higher in countries where English is the official national language and the sole language of instruction. ICP does NOT waive the test requirement for students who have attended an English-speaking school in a non-English speaking country unless the school is US accredited.

To check eligibility for an English Test Waiver, applicants can email admissions@icp.edu. Admission office will evaluate the exemption on a case by case basis.

Maintaining Status

International Students that hold an F-1 nonimmigrant status are solely responsible for maintaining their student status. As an F-1 student you must:

Register for and complete a full course of study.
Only work as authorized. You cannot work off campus.
Make sure your program completion date on your Form I-20 must always be correct.
Make sure that your immigration documents are valid and unexpired.
Report any address or name change to the International Student Advisor within 10 days of making the change.
Get an updated Form I-20 when any of its information changes, such as name, citizenship, degree level, major, or funding.
To travel outside the U.S. you must follow the instructions given by the International Student Advisor.
File a federal income tax form for every year you are in the U.S. even if you did not receive any income.
Depart the U.S. within 60 days of your program completion date or Optional Practical Training end date.

Post-completion Optional Practical Training

Optional Practical Training (OPT) is off-campus employment authorization that lets F-1 students get work experience in their major field of study. The amount of work you are permitted is a maximum of 12 months of full-time employment for each higher educational level you pursue in the U.S. You can work for any employer, anywhere in the country. ICP encourages all of its graduates to apply for Optional Practical Training. Your F-1 Student Record will continue to be sponsored by ICP during your time on OPT, and ICP will assist you through the application process.

Students taking single courses and workshops do not qualify for an F-1 student visa

We are not able to issue Form I-20 for Continuing Education students, because they are not enrolling in a full-time course of study.

Typically international students will attend ICP while here on a B Visitor Visa. On the B Visitor Visa one is allowed to take courses as long as the courses are incidental to their visit, recreational, short-term, and part-time (less than 18 hours per week). *This is advice only and should not be considered government regulation or policy.

Please go to www.travel.state.gov for complete and full information. It is the visa holder's responsibility to make sure they do not violate the terms of their status.