University of Massachusetts Amherst

Certificate of Eligibility Request (CERF) Information

GENERAL INFORMATION

  • Please type and use lower and upper case letters.
  • You are required to sign the CERF on page 3
  • We will be contacting you at the email address you provide on page 1 for any questions.
  • If your financial documentation, CERF, and other required documents are in order, we will process your visa document.

 

VISA INFORMATION (Section 2 of CERF)

You will be issued an I-20 for an F-1 visa, unless YOU specify that you prefer a DS-2019 for a J-1 visa. Complete section 2a: Visa Types to indicate that you would like to obtain a DS-2019.

  • IMPORTANT! For students on a J-1 visa, the Skills List applies: When you agree to participate in an Exchange Visitor Program, if your field of knowledge or skill is on your country’s Skills List, you are subject to the two-year home residency requirement. This requires you to return to your home country for two years at the end of your program. This requirement under immigration law is based on Section 212(e) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, as amended. To determine if your field (what you will be studying at UMass) is on the U.S. Department of State’s Skills List, please visit and follow the instructions.
  • If you are subject to the Skills List, you can apply for a waiver. If you have received government funding in the past, you are subject to 212(e).

 

 

CONGRATULATIONS!

You may now complete the CERF.

REMEMBER

  1. Type into form
  2. Print
  3. Sign page 3
  4. Submit with all other required documents

 

HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR CERF AND OTHER DOCUMENTS

CHOOSE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING:

  • By email: cerfs@ipo.umass.edu ; Use subject line: CERF (preferred submission method)
  • By fax: 413-545-1201
  • By mail:

ATTN: CERF

467 Hills South, IPO

University of Massachusetts

111 Thatcher Road

Amherst, MA 01003