DS-2019 Request Process

If you have dependent family members (spouse or children) you want to join you in the U.S., your completed DS-2019 Request Packet should include a J-2 Dependent DS-2019 Request, as well as copies of the family member's passport biographical and U.S. visa page(s), and proof of funding for dependent expenses.

Jesuit school of Theology students admitted into the Renewal program should submit completed DS-2019 Request Packets through the admission portal. Contact iss@scu.edu if you have any questions.

Documents that demonstrate proof of funding must be in English and must:

• Be official (i.e. bank statements, official bank letters on bank letterhead with a stamp/seal and bank officer’s signature, certificates of deposit)
• Be issued by the bank that holds the source of funds. *International Student Financial Resource Statement and College Board forms are not acceptable.
• Demonstrate at least the minimum total  for one academic year in your academic program.
• If you have an “all-inclusive” scholarship and the total dollar amount of the scholarship is not equal to, or greater than, the total minimum estimated expenses for your program, you must provide additional financial documentation for the remaining balance.
• Include an issue date that is within three months of when your DS-2019 Request Packet is received by ISS.

The simplest way to demonstrate Proof of Funding is to get a letter from your bank. Here are the requirements for the bank letter:

• Must be in English
• Must have a letter issue date that is no more than 3 months before we get your I-20 request.
• Must include a unique account number (partial numbers, such as XXXXXX123, are acceptable).
• Must include the account holder's name.
• Must confirm the specific amount in the account(s) in dollars (USD) or other currency. Note: If a USD amount is not specified, ISS will determine the currency conversion amount to USD.
• Must confirm the type of account (checking, savings etc) or a confirmation that the funds are unrestricted and can be withdrawn at any time.

We do have international student at SCU who use loans to pay for some or all of their educational expenses. However, we do not accept loan documents, including loan approvals, loan sanction letters, or promissory notes for DS-2019 Proof of Funding, since they are not considered liquid funds.

If the loan has already been granted to you and disbursed into your bank account, we could accept your bank statement but a conditional loan confirmation letter or a confirmed loan letter would not be acceptable to our office for DS-2019 purposes.

We will accept any documentation showing liquid assets including:

• Savings accounts without a maturity/expiry date
• Checking accounts
• Fixed deposit accounts
• Certificates of deposit with a maturity/expiry date prior to the start date of your academic program

We cannot accept any documentation of funds that are not liquid (i.e. are not immediately available). 

Examples we cannot accept include:

• Certificates of deposit with a maturity/expiry date that is after the start date of your academic program or a statement that the funds cannot be withdrawn on a date that is prior to the start date of your program.
• Stock, equity, mutual fund accounts, or cryptocurrency
• Retirement accounts, such as PPF's, IRA's and 401K's
• Official letters stating one’s salary or networth
• Loans
• International Student Financial Resource Statement or College Board Forms

If your funding will be coming from an institutional source, the standard documents of a personal bank statement and Certification of Sponsorship will not be sufficient. Instead, please follow this guidance:

Religious Order / Congregation

Many of our students, especially those studying theology and ministry, are sponsored in whole or in part by religious orders and congregations. If your funding will be coming from a religious order or congregation you will need to submit:

• A bank statement or bank letter from the order or congregation (must meet the proof of funding requirements)
• A letter from the order or congregation confirming that they approve funding being used for your educational expenses. This letter is provided instead of the Certification of Sponsorship. Please use this Template Letter for Funding from a Religious Order / Congregation (link leads to a Word Document)

The amount shown on the funding document will need to be well over the estimated expenses of your education, since the assumption will be that not all of the order or congregation's funds can be used to pay for the educational expenses (as they will need to retain funds for operating expenses). 

Company or Business

We do not recommend using company or business funding as it can create some complexity at the visa interview. To successfully use company or business funding you will need to convince the visa officer that you will not be working for the company while you are in the U.S.  If your funding will be coming from a company or business, you will need to submit:

• A bank statement or bank letter from the company or business (must meet the proof of funding requirements)
• A letter from the owner of the company, or the company's board of directors, confirming that they approve company funding being used for your educational expenses. The letter must be signed, dated, and printed on company letterhead

The amount shown on the funding document will need to be well over the estimated expenses of your education, since the assumption will be that not all of the company's funds can be able to pay for the educational expenses (as they will need to retain funds for operating expenses). 

Government 

If your education will be paid for in whole or in part by a government entity we recommend that you upload whatever documents are available to you and we will review them and let you know if we need anything further to process your DS-2019 Request.

Tuition estimate is based on anticipated units for year one.