Form DS-158 completed and signed.

Letter of admission from the selected school.

Valid form I-20 for academic studies or I-20M-N for vocational studies issued by the school. Check your I-20 to make sure that: (a) your name, date and place of birth, and country of citizenship are correct and the same as they appear on your passport; (b) all spaces are filled in; and (c) the designated school official has signed it. Any errors or omissions on the I-20 make it invalid and unable to be used for the issuance of a visa. If the reporting date in #5 on the form will have passed before your visa is issued or before you travel to the United States, the I-20 is invalid.

The Embassy must receive electronic verification from the Interim Student and Exchange Authentication System (ISEAS) before the visa can be issued. The school or institution must send this verification via the following website of the U.S. Department of State: http://www.iseas.state.gov
Until the Embassy receives guidance to the contrary, if the information is not yet available in ISEAS, the school can also send a confirmation e-mail to PNG@state.gov.

Evidence of financial resources. Applicants must present evidence that sufficient funds are, or will be, available from a specifically identified and reliable financial source to defray all living and school expenses during the entire period of anticipated study in the United States. Specifically, the applicant must present credible documentary evidence that s/he has enough readily available funds to meet all expenses for the first year of study and that, barring unforeseen circumstances, adequate funds will be available for each subsequent year of study. Applicants must demonstrate that they or their sponsor are willing and able to generate sufficient funds for the entire course of study, and that they would not leave school for financial reasons or take a job illegally. Applicants should present a letter from the sponsor, specifically explaining how they are going to finance the education. They must document all sources of income. They must document that they are earning enough income to cover regular expenses in PNG (or elsewhere), as well as the cost of education in the U.S. Documentation of income might include salary receipts, contracts, financial statements, etc.

Evidence that you are a bona-fide student, that your sole purpose for traveling to the United States is to study and that you are not likely to drop out of school for academic or personal reasons. You must demonstrate that you are qualified to undertake your proposed course of study. You should bring academic records/documents such as: transcripts, degrees, diplomas, and other certificates, test score reports (TOEFL, SAT, GRE, GMAT etc.) and any other academic documentation pertinent to your case. You should be able to demonstrate your reasons for studying in the United States, your reasons for selecting the institution you are going to, your intended field of study, and your career plans. If you have been out of school, be prepared to demonstrate your continuing ties to education. You should have exhausted the educational resources available in PNG.

Demonstration of sufficient knowledge of the English language to allow you to undertake an academic program. Visas usually will only be issued for English language training to those individuals bearing an I-20 form that shows acceptance in an academic program that will result in an internationally recognized degree (BA, MA, Ph.D).

Evidence that you have a home abroad (i.e., in PNG) to which you will return following your stay in the United States: evidence of social, economic, and family ties in PNG, the Solomon Islands or Vanuatu plus evidence of viable career plans that will bring you home. United States visa law requires the Consular Officer to assume that you intend to emigrate to the U.S., unless you prove otherwise.