Important Documents

I-94

When students arrive in the

United States

, an INS official issues an I-94 form (small, white card containing the arrival/departure record). This is an important document that the student should protect as much as their passport. The I-94 is usually stapled to the passport on the same page as the visa. The card must be surrendered when the student leaves the country and therefore must not be lost. The I-94 contains the following information:

Name, citizenship, date of birth
Admission/departure date
Port and date of entry to the U.S.
Type of visa
Expiration date of authorized stay in the US, usually "D/S"

I-20

This is the Certificate of Eligibility issued by a U.S. school to an alien. The I-20 shows that the international student is eligible to study at the school that issued the I-20. A student is admitted to the United States for the time shown on the I-20. Generally this is the time it takes to pursue a full time study in one degree program plus 60 days following completion of the program. An international student's status is conditional upon the student keeping his/her passport valid for six months into the future. The I-20 is an extremely important document. It should be kept with the student's passport, visa and I-94. The student should never let his/her I-20 expire. Any student wishing to reenter the U.S. after temporary absence for vacations, travel, going home, etc. will need to have the appropriate Center for International Program's staff signature on the card.

The I-20 is the only document the student needs to show within the country if he/she is ever asked about authorization to be in the U.S. Recorded on the I-20 are transfers from one program to another, transfers from one school to another, approved employment and extension or change of status.

Please note: A visa and an I-20 form are different. The Form I-20 says that a student has permission to stay in the U.S. for the duration of his/her status as a student. This is different from the visa. A visa shows that the student has permission to apply to enter the U.S. If the student does not plan to leave the U.S. for a temporary absence, it does not matter if the visa expires; the Form I-94 and the I-20 are more important documents while a student is in the U.S. However, see the paragraph below about travel outside of the United States.