Pre-Arrival Information
Things To Do Before You Leave Home
Visa interview
Visa / I-20 / I-94 / Passport
SEVIS & fee collection
What to expect at the airport / port of entry
Documents to bring to the U.S
Download a copy of the new International Students Handbook!
Preparing for an interview with a U.S. consular officer for F-1 visa:
Once you have been admitted to Western Oregon University, an I-20,(documents to obtain an F visa) will be mailed to you. After you receive it, you will need to apply for a visa.
- Applicants who require a visa to enter the United States must pay the SEVIS fee before going to the U.S. embassy or consulate for their visa interview.
- You should expect the interview to be conducted in English and not in your native language. One suggestion is to practice English with a native speaker before the interview. Keep in mind that all consular officers are under considerable time pressure to conduct a quick and efficient interview. They must make a decision, for the most part, on those impressions they form during the first minute or two of the interview. What you say first and the initial impression you create are critical to your success. Keep your answers to the officer's questions short and to the point.
- Do not bring family members with you to the interview. The officer wants to interview you, not your family. A negative impression is created if you are not prepared to speak on your own behalf.
- Maintain a positive attitude. Do not engage the consular officer in an argument.
- If you are denied a student visa, ask the officer for a list of documents he or she would suggest you bring in order to overcome the refusal and try to get the reason you were denied in writing.
- You should make it clear that you do not intend to work in the U.S. after completing your studies. While many students do work off-campus during their studies, this work is incidental to their main purpose of completing their education.
- If your spouse is also applying for an accompanying F-2 visa, be aware that F-2 dependents cannot, under any circumstance, be employed in the U.S. If asked, be prepared to tell what your spouse intends to do with his or her time while in the U.S. Volunteer work is permitted activities. An F-2 spouse or children may ONLY engage in study that is avocational or recreational in nature. An F-2 desiring to engage in full time study in a degree program should apply for F1 visa.
- If your spouse and children are remaining behind in your country, be prepared to explain how they will support themselves in your absence. This can be an especially difficult area if you are the primary source of income for your family. If the consular officer gains the impression that your family will need you to remit money from the United States in order to support itself, your student visa application will almost certainly be denied.
A brief Visa Video explains new visa policies and procedures for visitors to the United States.
An International Student, having been granted a visa in an American Consulate abroad, has three documents that govern her/his stay in the U.S. They are: the entry visa, the I-94 and the I-20.
Visa
For visa related issues please see the Department of State: unitedstatesvisas.gov
SEVIS I-20
All I-20's that are issued for F-1 status are issued through SEVIS. This process requires that the school input I-20 information into SEVIS via the web. SEVIS will enable and authorize the school to print a SEVIS generated I-20 via the web. At this point the information entered by the school becomes part of USCIS records about the student. The SEVIS I-20 contains a barcode and a SEVIS ID number that is personal to the student. The SEVIS I-20 has three pages.
Once again remember, the visa does not govern your stay in America. There are two documents that do govern your F-1 status in the U.S.: the I-94 (the Arrival/Departure document) and the SEVIS I-20. The I-20 is the certificate of eligibility that WOU issues to International Students when they are admitted. It records information that the U.S. government needs to grant a visa to enter the U.S., and for its records.
The barcode on the SEVIS I-20 and the student's personal SEVIS ID number will be very important. Each time a student applies for a visa at a U.S. Embassy, enters the USA through a Port of Entry, meets with an USCIS official at an immigration office in the USA, or applies for any type of benefit in the USA, such as practical training the SEVIS ID number verifies and records the transactions. When you enter the U.S. your I-20 is stamped at the port of entry and it becomes your legal document. If you change majors, need to extend your studies beyond the completion date, or if you finish your degree earlier than indicated on your I-20, item #5, you must update it. Failure to maintain and keep your I-20 updated may result in losing your F-1 status.
For additional information about this program please see SEVP on the web at http://www.ice.gov/sevis/index.htm
I-94 Arrival/Departure Record
An ICE Inspector at the airport completes and gives you the I-94 card when you arrive in the United States. The officer stamps an arrival date and place on the I-94 and writes the letters F-1 and D/S on the I-94. F-1 is your student status. D/S is an abbreviation for "Duration of Status". Duration of Status means that students may stay in the country until the completion of their program, as long as the student always maintains legal F-1 status. This is true even if the visa has expired. The 11-digit number on the I-94 is called your "admission number". This number and the SEVIS number are used by the USCIS to identify you during your stay in the U.S.
Make sure you do not lose your I-94 Arrival/Departure Record. Make copies of it and keep the original I-94 with your passport. You have to submit the original I-94 upon departure from the country.
Check the new updates on SEVIS I-901 fee: http://www.ice.gov/sevis/i901/index.htm
- Applicants who require a visa to enter the United States must pay the SEVIS fee before going to the U.S. embassy or consulate for their visa interview.
- Applicants who are citizens of Canada, Bermuda, Bahamas and residents of certain other islands (see 8 CFR 212.1a) wishing to apply for F-1, F-3, M-1, M-3, or J-1 status at a Port of Entry into the United States must pay and process the SEVIS fee before appearing at the Port of Entry.
- Nonimmigrants currently in the United States who apply for student or exchange visitor status must pay the fee prior to filing their change of status application.
Beginning September 1, 2004 the Department of Homeland Security will collect a congressionally mandated fee to cover the costs for the continued operation of the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP).
International students and exchange visitors are subject to this fee which will be used to administer and maintain the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), support compliance activities, and establish SEVIS Liaison Officers.
SEVIS, the automated system for collecting, maintaining and managing information about foreign student and exchange visitors during their entry to, stay in, and exit from the United States, will be used to record and track the I-901 fee payment.
How much is the fee?
| For students (F-1, F-3, M-1, or M-3) | $200 |
| For spouses and dependent children (F-2, M-2, or J-2) of students or exchange visitors | None |
| For exchange visitors (J-1) unless participating in: |
$180 |
Federally sponsored exchange visitor program (program codes start with G-1, G-2, or G-3) |
None |
Summer work/travel program |
$35 |
Au pair program |
$35 |
Camp counselor program |
$35 |
For additional and detailed information regarding:
- Who pays the fee
- How is the fee paid
- When must the fee be paid
- How will the payment be verified
- When must continuing students (F-1, F-3, M-1, or M-3 nonimmigrants that have begun, but not finished, a program) pay the SEVIS fee
- When must continuing exchange visitors (J-1 nonimmigrants who have begun, but not finished a program) pay the SEVIS fee
Go to: SEVIS I-901 Fee Frequently Asked Questions
What to expect at the airport / port of entry
Plan Your Arrival
You may be refused entry into the United States if you attempt to arrive more than 30 days before the program start date listed on your SEVIS I-20 form.
Please follow the links for up-to-date detailed arrival information specific for each status:
- Arriving at a U.S. Port of Entry … What a Student Can Expect
- Arriving at a U.S. Port of Entry … What an Exchange Visitor Can Expect
Highlights of what to expect upon arrival:
- You should expect to go through both immigration and customs inspections at the U.S. port of entry. U.S. immigration and customs processing are managed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP,) part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. You will see CBP officers at all U.S. ports of entry.
- Due to heightened security concerns since the attacks of September 11, 2001, your carry-on and checked luggage may be thoroughly searched by airport personnel. You may also be required to go through a pre-inspection procedure at certain airports abroad.
- You should expect immigration and customs procedures at the various U.S. ports of entry to take a while to complete. You should present to the CBP Inspector, your passport, SEVIS I-20 or DS-2019 issued by Western Oregon University (WOU), and the completed white, I-94 arrival/departure card that will be distributed by airplane personnel once you are on your flight to the United States.
- Be prepared to state the reason you wish to enter the United States; tell the CBP Inspector that you will be a student (or exchange student if appropriate) at WOU.
- If you have recently attended another U.S. school, your WOU SEVIS I-20 may read "transfer pending from" and the name of your previous school. If you are questioned about the "transfer pending" notation, inform the immigration officer that WOU has advised you that your transfer will be completed once you arrive on campus and register for courses.
- Answer all questions politely and briefly. Do not offer any information that goes beyond the scope of the question asked you.
- The CBP Inspector will return your passport to you, will place an arrival stamp on one of its pages, will stamp and give to you the lower portion of your I-94 arrival/departure card, as well as stamp your SEVIS I-20 or DS-2019.
US Visit program
US-VISIT is part of a continuum of security measures that begins overseas, when a person applies for a visa to travel to the United States, and continues on through entry and exit at U.S. air and seaports and, eventually, at land border crossings. The US-VISIT program enhances the security of U.S. citizens and visitors by verifying the identity of visitors with visas. At the same time, it facilitates legitimate travel and trade by leveraging technology and the evolving use of biometrics to expedite processing at our borders.
US-VISIT is helping us demonstrate that we remain a welcoming nation and that we can keep America's doors open and our nation secure.
Goals of the program are to:
- Enhance the security of U.S. citizens and visitors
- Facilitate legitimate travel and trade
- Ensure the integrity of the immigration system
- Safeguard the personal privacy of visitors
For more information, go to US-VISIT:Main Page
Documents to bring to the U.S.
You should bring copies of a few important documents. The following are some examples:
- Official transcripts from secondary schools, colleges, or universities
- Medical and dental records, including certificates of immunizations and vacinations (especially important for young children)
- Information about medical conditions or treatments, prescriptions for medication (including the generic and brand names) and eyeglasses
- Marriage certificate (certified copy)
- Birth certificates for children (certifed copy)
- International driver's license
- Obtain English translations of these documents. Retain photocopies of all original documents for your records.