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Immigration Documents

PASSPORT

You must keep your passport valid at all times while you are in the U.S.. (unless you are exempt from passport requirements). If your passport will expire while you are still in the U.S., you must contact the embassy of your home country to make arrangements to have it extended. You will not be permitted to re-enter the U.S.. with an expired passport.


If you lose your passport, you should immediately take steps to have it replaced. You must contact the International Center if your passport has been lost, stolen, damaged, or expired. 

FORM I-94 ARRIVAL/DEPARTURE RECORD


The I-94 Arrival/Departure record is created at the time of your entry to the US. This electronically created document indicates your visa category and contains an 11-digit identifying number called the "admission number," which is used to keep track of your arrival to and departure from the US. This form determines how long you can stay in the US. You will need this form if you wish to apply for a Social Security Number, a Connecticut driver’s license or Connecticut state ID card or open a bank account.  You can access your I-94 from the US Customs and Border Patrol Website.  

FORM I-20/DS 2019


This form is issued by the International Center and used to obtain an F or J student visa from a U.S. Embassy or Consulate abroad. You should read and clearly understand all the information printed on your I-20/DS 2019. You are required to keep the information on your I-20/DS 2019 accurate. If you lose your I-20/DS 2019, you should immediately request a new one from the International Center.

You should update your I-20/DS 2019 Form if:
  • You change your academic program from one degree level to another (e.g., from bachelor’s to master’s level), or one major or field of study to another (e.g., from chemical engineering to physics).
  • Your source of funding changes (e.g. from parents to scholarship).
  • You add dependents
  • You need to extend your program of study beyond the original program completion date on your I-20/DS 2019 Form

Expiration Date on I-20/DS 2019: The expiration date on your form is the date that your program in the US is expected to end. If you are on an F-1 visa, you will have 60 days from that date before you are required to leave the U.S. If you are on a J-1 visa you will have 30 days. This period of time is considered a "grace period."   During the grace period you are not permitted to engage in employment of any kind. You will not be permitted to re-enter the US if you travel outside its borders after the date listed on your I-20/DS 2019, even if it falls within this 30- or 60-day period.

VISA


The F-1 or J-1 visa stamp in your passport permits you to enter the US for a specific purpose and within a specific period of time.  If the visa is authorized for multiple entries, you may come and go as many times as you wish, provided that your Form I-20/DS 2019 remains valid and travel occurs within the dates specified on the visa.

WHAT DO I DO IF MY VISA EXPIRES?

Please note the date of your visa’s expiration. If your visa expires while you are in the U.S. but your I-20/DS 2019 is valid, your legal immigration status in the US remains valid. Your visa is used for entry or re-entry to the U.S. only and does not dictate the length of your authorized stay (Authorized stay is determined by your I-20/DS 2019 program start and end dates.) If your visa has expired and you depart the US, you will be required to obtain a new visa while outside the US before attempting to re-enter the US.