Applying in the U.S. : LOS ANGELES HARBOR COLLEGE
INTERNATIONAL STUDENT PROGRAM
International Student Applicants in the U.S. (Transfer or Change of Status)
Applying within the U.S. to Los Angeles Harbor College:
Note: Transfer students may submit application packets/documents as late as the week before classes start, assuming classes are still available. Change of Status applicants may apply anytime since it may take several months for DHS USCIS adjudication.
1) Complete and sign the LAHC “ International Application Form”. (Note: All application materials are available at the Application Forms page.)
2) Submit a completed “Affidavit of Support” accompanied by appropriate supporting financial documents. (The appropriate financial documents are documents showing that the sponsor has sufficient funds to cover one year of the student’s educational and living expenses-- currently $16,000). Types of documents that may be submitted are a bank account or investment account statement, a letter from the sponsor’s bank, or even a copy of the sponsor’s income tax statement. If an applicant is sponsoring himself or herself, he or she should write “Self” for the question “Student’s Relationship to You.” If the student’s sponsor is a U.S. citizen, the sponsor will have to complete USCIS form I-134.
3) Sign and submit the “International Student Agreement”
4) TOEFL scores may be waived for students transferring from a college or university in the U.S. if they have successfully completed an English composition course designated for native speakers that is either transferable, such as English 101, or one or two levels below English 101. ESL courses may also be used but need to be reviewed by the International Student Advisor in order for the TOEFL requirement to be waived. Otherwise, students need an appropriate score on one of the following standardized tests: A minimum score of TOEFL score of 450 paper-based, 133 computer-based, or 45 internet-based TOEFL tests; an IELTS score of Band 5.0; a Step Eiken Level 2, pre-1, or 1; or an iTEP score of 3.5. Students in the Los Angeles area who are in an appropriate level in an English language program but do not have a TOEFL or IELTS score may be permitted to take the college's ESL assessment exam. Placement in the college's English 85 level will waive the TOEFL/IELTS requirement.
5) Official transcripts from all the schools attended in the U.S.
6) Two passport size photos taken within the last six months.
7) Copy of passport identification page^
8) Copy of VISA^
9) Copy of I-94 (front and back)^
10) Copy of I-20*^
11) Intent to Transfer to LAHC form completed by current home school*^
12) A non-refundable $35 application fee.
*Does not apply to change of status students
^Note: Transfer students hand carrying their applications to the international Student Office must bring original documents, which include their passports containing their visa and I-94 (the white card stapled in the passport when entering the U.S.) and their I-20s, with them. Office staff will photocopy the original documents and return the originals to the student. The photocopies will be placed in the student's "official" file. Out-of-state or out-of-area transfer students may submit photocopies of the above documents with their mailed-in applications. However, once on campus, students need to bring the original documents to the International Student Office so that office staff can make copies of the original documents for the students official file.
Change of Status. Prospective students in the U.S. on an other than an F-1 non-immigrant visa who are interested in attending Los Angeles Harbor College full time but cannot because they entered the U.S. on a visa that does not permit them to attend college full time may be eligible to apply for a change of status to F-1 (Student) Status. Student "status" is not the sames as a student visa. Student status permits a student to study in the U.S. but it does not permit a student to enter or reenter the U.S. as a student. A student visa permits a student to enter the U.S. for the purposes of study, remain in the U.S. while completing his or her studies, and enter or reenter the U.S. The Change of Status application is essentially a two-stage process: Admission at an authorized college and Application for a Change of Status. Prospective students interested in applying for a Change of Status may wish to contact an attorney for advice..