International Students

Immigration:

Strategies for a Successful Entry Into the United States

What to Expect When You Arrive in the U.S. | SEVIS | US-Visit

National Security Entry-Exit Registration System | Document Problems | Conclusion

What to Expect When You Arrive in the United States

Immigration and customs are managed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. You will see CBP officers at all U.S. ports of entry. You should expect to go through both immigration and customs inspections at the U.S. port of entry. You may also be required to go through a pre-inspection procedure at certain airports abroad.

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.

Whether you will be making your first entry into the United States or have entered the United States before, expect immigration and customs procedures at the various U.S. ports to result in some delays. You should present to the CBP Inspector your passport, SEVIS I-20 issued by California State University Monterey Bay (CSUMB), 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 . It is very important that you tell the CBP Inspector that you will be a student. You should also be prepared to provide information regarding your final destination in the United States , which is Monterey.

If you have recently attended another U.S. school, your CSUMB 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 CSUMB 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.

Special Note: Remember that if you are entering the United States with a brand new F-1 student visa that has never been used for U.S. entry before, the SEVIS I-20 that you present to the Immigration Inspector must be for the school listed on the visa, and you must enroll at that school. The U.S. federal immigration authorities report all arrivals to the school listed on the student's SEVIS document, and "no shows" must be reported by the school to the U.S. federal immigration authorities.

If you have previously attended a U.S. school, and have an unexpired U.S. student visa that has been used at least once to enter the United States so that you could attend the previous school, you may use that visa and the SEVIS I-20 issued by CSUMB to enter the United States for enrollment at CSUMB.

SEVIS

Procedures at the U.S. ports of entry will be different to accommodate SEVIS (Student and Exchange Visitor Information System) requirements as well as U.S.-VISIT and Special Registration requirements (explained below).

CBP officials are required to record your arrival data into the SEVIS database at the time you enter, and return your SEVIS I-20 to you, after they have stamped it. However, not all CBP officials will have access to SEVIS at their booths in the "primary lanes."

Depending upon the port of entry, some students may be directed to a secondary inspection area or separate "student lanes" so that their data can be entered into SEVIS. Do not be anxious or alarmed if you are directed to go to a secondary inspection area. It may well be that at the airport where you have landed, the SEVIS databases can only be accessed from computers in the secondary inspection area.

CBP has advised in the past that processing at land, sea, and air ports may take more time, so travel and connecting flight plans should take this into account.

US-VISIT

US-VISIT stands for "United States Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology." This is a new entry/exit record keeping system for all non-immigrants (tourists, students, workers, etc) traveling to and from the United States . Race, religion, and national origin are not factors in the US-VISIT program.

US-VISIT requires that non-immigrants entering the United States continue to go through the usual inspection procedure with a CBP officer at a U.S. airport or seaport of entry as described above. In addition, each non-immigrant will have their fingerprints taken by placing their index fingers on an inkless fingerprint scanner. Non-immigrants will then be asked to look into a camera for their digital photograph to be taken. The only non-immigrants exempt from this process are citizens of Canada , based on existing agreements with the United States and Canada .

The Department of Homeland Security anticipates that both the fingerprint and photograph will be taken in what are called the "primary" inspection lanes, so lengthy delays are not anticipated.

Currently, US-VISIT is not in operation at land borders with Canada and Mexico . However, it will be phased in during 2005 and 2006.

For more information, visit: http://www.dhs.gov/us-visit

National Security Entry-Exit Registration System (NSEERS)

Individuals subject to NSEERS or "special registration" will be directed to a separate area following their initial immigration inspection where they will be fingerprinted, photographed and questioned under oath. This may add significant delays to the amount of time spent at the airport. If traveling on a connecting flight, allow plenty of time. The current list of countries whose citizens or nationals aged 16 or over are subject to "special registration" are Cuba , Iran , Iraq , Libya , North Korea , Sudan and Syria . Additional countries whose male nationals between the ages of 16 and 45 may be subject to special registration include Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Egypt, Eritrea, Indonesia, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.

You may have heard or read that the "special registration" program was terminated. Not true! On December 2, 2003 , the Department of Homeland Security announced that the required 30 day and annual re-registrations would no longer be required, but special registration at the US port of entry continues.

The list of those subject to "special registration" can be expanded at anytime with the publication of additional countries in the Federal Register.

Additionally, the immigration inspectors at the ports of entry have the discretion to require any foreign national, regardless of nationality, to undergo special registration if the individual is considered a national security risk. The discretionary factors relating to national security risk may include dual citizenship with one of the designated countries, a foreign national's unexplained trips to certain designated countries, other instances of unexplained travel, previous visa violations, people who by their "behavior, demeanor, or answers" demonstrate that they should be monitored while in the United States , and characteristics determined by intelligence profiles. Because of the broad and discretionary nature of the criteria, additional non-immigrants could be subjected to special registration.

In the future, NSEERS will be integrated under US-VISIT.

Document Problems

In certain cases, if there is some problem with your documents, you may be issued a 30-day entry on your I-94 card and issued a form I-515, usually with instructions to see your international student advisor. Examine your I-94 card carefully as you leave the immigration booth. F-1 students should have their I-94s marked "D/S" which means "Duration of Status," along with a stamp indicating the date you entered the United States . If an expiration date is written on the I-94 instead of "D/S," and you are in F status, come to the Office of International Programs as soon as possible.

Anyone who is denied admission at a U.S. port of entry should be very cautious about arguing with the immigration official. You may risk being issued "expedited removal," which now entails a five-year bar on admission to the United States . If you are denied admission, first try to contact the Office of International Programs for assistance, but also make it known to the Immigration Official that you are willing to withdraw your application for admission to the country rather than be subject to expedited removal.

Conclusion

The vast majority of all new CSUMB students will have few if any problems during their U.S. port of entry inspection. The most important thing to remember is to have all of your required visa documents with you. Do not put any visa documents such as your passport or I-20 that you will need for immigration inspection in your check-through luggage! Remember as well to be patient if you encounter long lines or additional inspections.

We wish all of our new students a safe and pleasant journey from their homes to Monterey, and a smooth immigration inspection process. We look forward to meeting you soon and welcoming you to our campus community!