APPLICATION GUIDE

International Students

STEP 1 STEP 2 STEP 3

Before you Complete and Provide official

start your submit your documents
application application

STEP 4 STEP 5

Finances I-20 and Visa

information

Contact

email: admissions@cfni.org
phone number: 214-302-6438
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STEP 1
BEFORE YOU START YOUR APPLICATION
International Students

THE APPLICATION FORM COLOR PHOTOGRAPH $50 USD APPLICATION FEE

Your application will need to OF YOURSELF You will be asked to pay a $50
include key information such Please attach a current color USD application fee before
as personal details, emergency photograph of yourself. submitting your application. Your
contact and home address. We This can be a portrait style application will not be successfully
will need to know which course headshot or a self-taken submitted until this fee has been
you desire to study with us, your portrait from your mobile paid. You can find it at the bottom
education and work history and device. of the application once you have
details about your Christian life. accepted the Disclaimer and Code
Additionally, you will need to of Conduct.
include information regarding
your medical history and
financial savings.

STEP 2
COMPLETE AND SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION

When applying to study at CFNI, you Once you have completed every section on
must complete the online application the application and paid an application fee
form. You can find the application form of $50 USD prior to pressing submit, you
at www.cfni.org will receive an email from our Admissions
Team within 2-3 business days regarding
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STEP 3
PROVIDE OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS

After you have submitted your application, you will have on-going communication with our Admissions
Team and your personal Academic Advisor. During this communication, you will be asked to provide
specific documentation before your application can be processed.

A. PASTORAL RECOMMENDATION FORM

All of our applicants must provide a Pastoral Recommendation Form completed by a ministry leader
or pastor.

Things to consider:
• Your application has a section for your ministry leader or pastor’s full name and e-mail
address. The Pastoral Recommendation Form will automatically send to your ministry
leader or pastor upon the submission of your application. They will need to click on the
link e-mailed to them in order to complete the form. Once they have completed the form,
we will automatically receive your recommendation to process.
• It is an entry requirement that you serve within your current church for a minimum of 6
months prior to applying to CFNI. Therefore, the Online Pastoral Recommendation Form
will need to reflect this.
• If your pastor is a relative, we ask that a ministry leader outside of your family complete
the Online Pastoral Recommendation Form.

B. PERSONAL RECOMMENDATION FORM

All of our applicants must provide a Personal Recommendation Form completed by a friend.

Things to consider:
• Your personal recommendation cannot be a relative and must have known you for at least
6 months prior to applying to CFNI.
• The Personal Recommendation Form will automatically send to your personal
recommendation upon the submission of your application. They will need to click on the
link e-mailed to them in order to complete the form. Once they have completed the form,
we will automatically receive your recommendation to process.

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PROVIDE OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS

C. HEALTH FORMS
If you have a history of, or are currently experiencing, physical or mental illness, a doctor’s note must be
provided. The doctor’s note must include:
• A detailed explanation of your current condition.
• An outline of all current medication.
• A recommendation of whether the patient will or will not likely be able to complete
their course abroad.
All of our applicants must complete the following forms: Health History 1-3 (PDF)
IMMUNIZATIONS—Please scan and upload your immunization card into your application. You
must provide proof that you have received the following vaccinations:
POLIO (OPV, IPV)
DTaP (Diphtheria, Tetanus, and Pertussis)
MMR (Measles, Mumps, and Rubella)

D. COPY OF PASSPORT
COPY OF PASSPORT—Please scan or upload a clear photo (without flash) of the first page of
your passport (where your photo, official government name, birthdate, and citizenship are found).

E. SCHOOL TRANSCRIPT
HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA—TRANSLATED TO ENGLISH
Please provide a notarized copy of your high school (also called secondary school) transcript. It
must show your grades and include your graduation date.
We work with Bruno Borges from GotLingo (bborges@gotlingo.com) and highly recommend
him—but feel free to find your own translator.
Please e-mail a copy of your document to your advisor BEFORE sending it in the mail. DO NOT
send your document until it has been approved by your advisor.

COLLEGE TRANSCRIPT (IF APPLICABLE)—TRANSLATED TO ENGLISH

Please provide a notarized copy of your college/university transcript. It must show your grades
and include your graduation date. We work with Bruno Borges from GotLingo (bborges@
gotlingo.com) and highly recommend him—but feel free to find your own translator.
Please e-mail a copy of your document to your advisor BEFORE sending it in the mail. DO NOT
send your document until it has been approved by your advisor.

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PROVIDE OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS

Please have all official documents sent to:

Christ for the Nations Institute
Attn: Enrollment Office
444 Fawn Ridge
Dallas, Texas 75224

F. ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTS (IF NEEDED)—YOUR ADVISOR WILL COMMUNICATE WITH YOU ABOUT
THE FOLLOWING DOCUMENTS

BRINGING A SPOUSE OR DEPENDENT CHILDREN

The F visa allows you to bring dependents with you. You may bring your spouse or dependent children if
they are younger than 21 years of age.

Marriage Certificate, Divorce Certificate, Birth Certificate or any other additional required document from
your advisor, must be translated if not originally in English. Our school highly recommends Bruno Borges
from GotLingo Translation (bborges@gotlingo.com)—but feel free to find your own translator.

• CHILDREN’S BIRTH CERTIFICATE—TRANSLATED TO ENGLISH—Please provide the official

translated birth certificates of your children.
• CUSTODY LETTER (IF BRINGING YOUR CHILD WITHOUT YOUR SPOUSE—TRANSLATED TO
ENGLISH) If you are bringing any child with you, and coming without your spouse, you will
need to provide an official custody letter.
• DIVORCE LETTER—TRANSLATED TO ENGLISH—If you are divorced, please provide an official
divorce letter.

If you are MARRIED and intend on coming to CFNI BY YOURSELF, you will need to provide the
following documents:
• SPOUSE SUPPORT LETTER
If you are planning on coming without your spouse, you will need your spouse to write a
notarized a letter stating:
• Your full name and Student ID number.
• That they support you in your decision to attend CFNI unaccompanied.
• Details on how your family will be cared for in your absence. Please scan this and send it to us.
• The completion of the Study Without Spouse Agreement Form. 5 of 9
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Please be informed that if you plan to attend CFNI without your spouse, you are limited to
applying for a 1-year program, and can only reapply to CFNI if your spouse will be joining you.

If you are TRANSFERRING to CFNI (only if in the United States):

After you have completed the application process, please provide the following information:
Current I-20 (including family’s)
• Please scan or upload a clear photo (no flash) of your current I-20 to your online application.
• If your family is also here with you and under your I-20, please upload each family member’s
I-20 as well.
• A copy of visas.

Transfer Clearance Letter

• Please ask your advisor to provide you with a transfer clearance letter.
• Please print out the form, fill in the top portion requiring your personal information, and give
the form to the DSO at your current school.
• Your DSO will fill it out and send it to CFNI.
• We cannot start your transference without this letter.

G. ACCEPTANCE

• Once you have submitted all required documents, your advisor will submit your application to
be reviewed by our Registrar’s office. If there is any further information we require, it will be
requested at this time.
• After being accepted into CFNI, you will need to submit additional required documents to
complete the second phase of your process. You advisor will help you through the whole
process.

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STEP 4
FINANCES

The F-1 students visa requires that the applicant prove adequate funds (liquid assets) to pay for at least
the first year of education. Set aside these funds and reserve them for this purpose.

You may also combine different sources of income to meet the total amount (for example, personal or
sponsor funds). The chart below will explain the various documents the school will accept.

PROOF OF FINANCES

APPROVED TYPES OF LIQUID ASSETS

Present one or more of these documents to equal the needed funds:

Savings/Checking Accounts (bank statement or bank letter)

Bonds, Stocks, or any type of investments funds that can be liquidated)

All proof of funds must show the bank’s stamp or signature.

BANK STATEMENT
Your bank statement must show an available balance of:
$15,000 USD — for student
$10,000 USD — for spouse (if applicable)
$5,500 USD — per child (if applicable)

The bank statement must be dated at most, 6 months before the start of entrance term. Please
provide a Certificate of Financial Responsibility Form (CFR) (PDF here) in addition to your proof
of funds.

The bank statement must have the same name as the person on the CFR. If the bank statement is
from a company or organization they will need proof that the sponsor has access to that account.

These are documents that must first be e-mailed to your advisor for approval. They must then be mailed
through courier service to CFNI.

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I-20 AND VISA INFORMATION

H. ACCEPTANCE LETTER AND I-20

After you are officially accepted and have submitted all financial documents, your advisor will send you
all the necessary documents to apply for your student visa.
• I-20
• Acceptance Letter
• Embassy Letter

It is the responsibility of the student to pay the SEVIS fee and schedule an appointment with the
American Embassy https://www.fmjfee.com/i901fee/

F-1 STUDENT VISA

Students wishing to pursue their studies overseas typically opt for the F-1 Student Visa. There are three
major steps to its procedure, being:

SEVIS Fee & I-20 You will be given an I-20 form from your new
Step 1
Form Collection college or school once the SEVIS fee has been paid.

VISA Fee & You will need to pay the VISA fee at the
Step 2
Form Collection designated bank and collect your VISA form.

You will need to schedule a VISA interview with the U.S.

Embassy in your country. The waiting time may vary
VISA
Step 3 depending on the desired VISA type. Please bring a copy
Interview
of the SEVIS fee payments and all documents sent by
your new college or school to the interview.

PAY I-901 SEVIS FEE: https://fmjfee.com/i901fee/

• Print Receipt (I-901)
The U.S. government requires a fee for all forms. The I-20 Form (F student visa), requires a fee.
This fee is to be paid online. Note: students in, from, or born in Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria,
and Gambia must pay this fee through Western Union.

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I-20 AND VISA INFORMATION

APPLY FOR VISA

Submit the DS-160 application for the VISA.
• Pay the application fees online through https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-
visas.html
Pick the embassy or consulate nearest to you.
• Research the estimated wait time to attain a VISA from the https://travel.state.gov/
content/travel/en/us-visas.html
• Do not travel to another country for a VISA appointment unless you presently live
there or have long term business there.
Go to your biometric appointment and turn in the required documents.
• Each embassy will have a different process, but most will create copies of your
fingerprints and require that you bring your I-20 and passport.
Practice for your VISA appointment.
• You should have knowledge about your program and school.
Go to your VISA appointment.
• Take the following documents with you:
1. All appropriate U.S. Department of State forms are required by the consulate in your
home country. Verify necessary forms on the https://www.usembassy.gov/ website.
2. A passport that is valid for at least six months into the future.
3. A signed I-20 Form from CFNI.
4. A receipt for the paid I-901 VISA Application Fee.
5. A CFNI Acceptance Letter and Embassy Letter.
6. Evidence of Financial Support proving enough funds for your study at CFNI.
7. Documents proving your intent to return to your home country upon completion
of your CFNI program.
• Lines can be long. Arrive early to your appointment.

You will only have one or two minutes with the officers. They may only ask one or two questions.

You will be told at your interview if your VISA is approved, denied, or if they need to send it for
additional processing.

Apply for your VISA as early as possible. This will give you the best shot at getting your passport
and VISA back in time to complete all the steps before departing for the U.S.
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