How do I bring my spouse/child to the USA using an F2 visa?
Many students wish to bring their husbands, wives, or children to the USA. Usually, the best way to bring them to the USA is by using an F2 visa.
The F2 visa is a “dependent” visa–to bring family members to the USA who will be dependent on the F1 visa holder.
Request an F2 visa for a family member
If you would like to bring your husband, wife, or child to the USA using an F2 visa, please follow these instructions:
1. Complete the Dependent I-20 Request Form
Download the Dependent I-20 Request Form (pdf). Complete this form.
2. Prepare your documents
The following documents should be attached to your Dependent I-20 Request Form:
- A copy of your passport
- A copy of the passport for each dependent
All students will receive a digital version of their I-20. If you need the ELI to send a hard copy of the I-20 form directly to you or to your dependent (to a destination outside of the USA), then you must pay the $65 express mail fee (Pay the fee now with a credit card using our secure online payment system). Print the receipt and attach it to your request form.
Important: If you are currently outside of the USA, then you must return your original I-20 form to us by express mail. We cannot issue a new I-20 form to you and to your dependent until after we receive your old form.
3. Submit the documents to ISSS
Give all documents to International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) at Elliot Hall, 26 East Main Street, Newark, DE 19716.
These requests normally take 1 week to process. If you have any questions, you can contact them at oiss@udel.edu.
Important notes
- If your husband, wife, or child plans to study full-time in the ELI, then this person may not use an F2 visa; instead, this person must use an F1 visa.
- F2 visas are only for spouses and children. They may not be used for other family members (like parents, brothers, sisters, cousins, etc.).