I-94 When you 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 you should protect as much as your passport. It is usually stapled to your passport on the same page as your visa. You must surrender the card when you leave the United States; therefore, it is important that it 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 United States
- type of visa
- expiration date of authorized stay in the United States, usually “D/S”
I-20 The I-20 is an extremely important document—keep it with your passport, visa, and I-94. Never let your I-20 expire.
The I-20 is the certificate of eligibility issued by a United States school to a nonimmigrant international student. It indicates that the international student is eligible to study at the school that issued the I-20 for the time shown on the I-20, which is generally the time it takes to pursue a full-time study in one degree program plus 60 days following completion of the program.
Your international student status is conditional, depending upon you to keep your passport valid for six months into the future. Any student wishing to reenter the United States after temporary absence for vacations, travel, going home, etc. will need to have the appropriate Rinker Center for International Programs staff person’s signature on the card.
The I-20 is the only document you will need to show within the country if you are ever asked about authorization to be in the United States. Transfers from one program to another, transfers from one school to another, approved employment, and extension or change of status are recorded on the I-20.
Note: A visa and an I-20 form are different. The form I-20 indicates that you have permission to stay in the United States for the duration of your status as a student, whereas a visa indicates that you have permission to apply to enter the United States.
If you do not plan to leave the United States for a temporary absence, it does not matter if your visa expires; the Form I-94 and the I-20 are more important documents while you are in the United States. However, review information about travel outside of the United States before leaving the country.