F-1 Visa, I-94 and I-20
- F-1 visa
- I-94
- Completing I-94 for F-1 Students
- Procedures to Replace a Lost I-94
- Duration of Status (D/S)
- I-20
- Procedures to Replace a Lost I-20
F-1 visa
A visa represents permission from the U.S. State Department for you to enter the United States for a particular purpose (i.e. study, work, visit, etc.). In the past, visas were rubber-stamped on the passport page with multi-colored ink. Presently, a machine-readable, label-type of visa, with your photograph is issued by the U.S. embassy or consulate overseas. You used the visa to enter the U.S. Your visa is numbered, and shows your name, the visa category (for example, F-1), the date and place of issue, the expiration date, and the name of the consular official who issued it.A visa permits you to request entry into the U.S. at a port of entry (for example at the San Francisco International Airport). Once you are in the U.S., your visa may expire without any penalty (as long as you maintain your full-time student status), since it governs only your entry and not your stay.
However, if you travel outside of the U.S. and then wish to return to continue your studies after your visa has expired, you need to get a new visa stamp in your passport (at a U.S. embassy/consulate preferably in your home country) before you can return to the U.S.
Furthermore, visas are not renewed; a new visa is issued to replace an expired one. And visas are not generally issued from within the U.S. You need to return to your home country (or go to another country) and apply for a new visa at the nearest U.S. embassy/consulate.
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I-94
The 1-94 (Arrival and Departure record), is your permission to remain in the U.S. It is a small white card,
part of a longer form that you completed on the plane during your flight to the U.S. When you arrived in the U.S.,
the USCIS inspector removed the bottom section and stapled the I-94 card into your passport (usually to the page
next to your visa stamp). The I-94 card indicates the date and port of entry, the inspector鈥檚 identification
number and the status in which you were admitted to the U.S. (i.e. F-1 student). All F-1 visa international
students should have the notation 鈥淒/S鈥 stamped in the upper right-hand corner of their I-94 cards. D/S status
for 鈥淒uration of Status鈥 and means that you can stay in the U.S. (with a few exceptions) for as long as you are
a full-time student pursuing your academic program
Courtesy of 2008 NAFSA Advisor's Manual
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Completing I-94 for F-1 Students
Use all CAPITAL letters. Use English. Use standard United States characters and print clearly. Letters like 帽, 茅, 眉, 莽 are not recognized by U.S. data systems. (Instead, use n, e, u or c.)
鈥淣ame鈥 (Blocks 1, 2, 14, and 15)
The 鈥淔amily Name鈥 (Blocks 1 and 14) is also referred to as surname or last name.
If you have only one name, enter it in the 鈥淔amily Name鈥 block.
Spacing is as important as spelling and must be consistent. For instance, systems will not read 鈥淢c Millan鈥 and 鈥淢cMillan鈥 as the same name.
Hyphens must also be used consistently.
Print your name exactly as it appears on your Form I-20.
鈥 Date of Birth鈥 (Blocks 3 and 16) and 鈥 Date Issued鈥 (Block 11)
Your date of birth must be given in Day/Month/Year order. This is not the same order that appears on your Form I-20. For example, if you were born on the 9th day of January in the year 1986, you should write 090186 in the birth date block (Block 3 and 16). The same date format is used in block 11 for Date Issued.
Country of Citizenship (Blocks 4 and 17)
Country of citizenship is the country that issued your passport. You can find the U.S. spelling in block 1 of the Form I-20 under the "Country of citizenship."
Be sure you complete all required blocks (Blocks1 to 17).
Upon being granted entry into the United States, the CBP Inspector will stamp the bottom section of the Form I-94 (the departure record) with your class of admission and the length of time that you can stay in the United States. This section is generally stapled into your passport. This is a critical document. Make a copy and put it in a safe place. Safeguard the original.
Source: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement:
http://www.ice.gov/sevis/faqs/data_integrity.htm
Procedures to replace a lost I-94
Mail the following documents to USCIS:
- Completed I-102 form "Application by Non-immigrant Alien Replacement of Arrival Document". Complete the entire form: Check Box 1A for a lost I-94.
- A money order or check in the amount of $320.00 payable to the U.S Department of Homeland Security.
- Photocopy (front and back) of the I-94. If a copy is not available, submit a copy of your most recent visa stamp and entry data into the U.S. The entry data indicating your date of entry, visa type and occasionally the expiration date of your stay are normally found in your passport next to the visa page or on the reverse side of the visa page.
- Photocopy of current I-20
Address for USPS Certified mail/Return Receipt:
USCIS
PO Box 21281
Phoenix, AZ 85036
Address for private courier (non USPS) deliveries:
USCIS
Attn: AOS
1820 E. Skyharbor Circle S
Suite 100
Phoenix, AZ 85034
Obtaining the replacement document(s) could take several months. If you have not heard from the USCIS by 90 days from the date indicated on the USCIS Notice of Action, it is strongly recommended that you contact an International Student Advisor at OIP.
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Duration of Status (D/S)
Duration of Status (D/S) is defined as:- The time during which you are pursuing a full course of study (12 units for undergraduates/ 8 units for graduates per semester) and making normal progress toward completing that course, plus
- The time you may be working in authorized "practical training" after you complete studies (if you qualify and are so authorized), plus
- 60 days to depart the country.
- If you terminate your course of study before you complete all degree program requirements, you must notify an International Student Advisor at OIP. At that time you will only have a 15-day grace period. Students who fail to notify an International Student Advisor at OIP before terminating their studies prior to the completion of their program of study do not have a grace period!
The USCIS grants duration of status to F-1 students by entering the notation "D/S" in the upper right corners of both the "Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant (F-1) Student Status" (I-20) and the "Departure Record" (I-94).
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I-20 (See a sample I-20)
You must notify the OIP before traveling outside the U.S. so that your I-20 can be signed for travel purposes, or a new form can be issued, if required.
To obtain a signature, you must complete and submit an OIP 鈥淔-1 Document Request Form鈥 with the most current I-20 at least 2 weeks before your anticipated travel date, although you are strongly encouraged to submit the form even earlier.
Only an International Student Advisor at OIP is authorized to sign your I-20 for travel purposes. Each travel signature is good for 6 months (not one year).
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Procedures to Replace a Lost I-20
To apply for an I-20 that has been lost, stolen or destroyed, complete a "F-1 Document Request Form鈥 and submit it to the OIP front desk. The new I-20 will ready for you to pick up within 5 business days.Back to top
