Port of Entry procedure - submitted by an Indian Student Ass.  member

• Before landing, the flight attendant will distribute Customs Declaration Forms & Immigration Forms as mentioned below. Fill these out on the plane (you will submit them to the appropriate authorities when you land). Do not hesitate to take the flight attendant's help. Before landing, if you dont have the I-94 form, please ask the attendent to provide you one.
   
• On the Customs form, you could indicate that you have nothing to declare & that the total value of all goods you carry is $0.00.
   
• On the Form I-94, the Port of Embarkation is where you had your stopover. [Remember this!]
   
• After seeing your documents, the immigration officer will indicate length of stay, university, etc. This will be attached to your passport. You must retain this I-94 form, else you will face trouble in leaving USA later. The I-94 stays with you all throughout your stay in the US. It's taken back when you leave.
   
• Form I-20 ID copy - all transactions regarding your non-immigrant status will be recorded in this form. This should be retained at all times (not surrendered when you temporarily leave the US). Your admission number will be given - memorize it & note it elsewhere.
   
• Just before you land, the correct local time will be announced. Set your watch.
   
• Once you are out of the plane, go straight to the immigration counter. Rush there to beat the queue. It might take from 30 minutes to an hour to get done.
   
• Keep your I-20, passport, admission & aid letters ready. They might ask few questions like
  • is this your first time in the US ?
  • Are you a student on F-1 visa ?
  • Which University are you joining ?
     
• The immigration officer will attach an I-94 card on one of the pages of your passport usually against the visa page.
   
• Be very relaxed and answer all the questions that the officer will ask. Sometimes the officer may ask you to present financial documents or letters from your sponsors. Thus, it is advisable to carry these along with you in your cabin baggage.
   
• Then go to the conveyor belts to fetch your luggage. Pick up a (free) cart to carry the bags.
   
• Cart your baggage to nearby Customs. If asked, tell the officer that you are a student on an F-1 visa, school, department and coming to USA for the first time. Be confident that you packed everything yourself and that you carry no agricultural produce.
   
• If asked to open the baggage, do so. In most cases you will NOT be asked to open your boxes at all & will be simply waved through.
   
• Some airports have this queer thing about rechecking your baggage. At this point, you'll be asked to haul your luggage onto another conveyor. This is a normal procedure.
   
• Follow the signs to the Baggage Claim area.
   
• The display will show you which carousel carries the baggage from your flight. (Remember that flight numbers are sometimes cross-listed: A Delta-AirFrance flight might have it's Air-France number displayed, not the Delta flight number.)
   
• If you've requested an airport pickup, look around for Desi faces. They're us. Hi !
   
• Please realize that ISA volunteers are also students who're spending their valuable time to pick you up. If you have asked a relative or a friend to receive you, then please do not keep us as a backup.
   
• In the unfortunate case that nobody came to pick you up, call up the guy/girl who was supposed to come. There might be a traffic jam  (Happens often during rush hour.)
   
• If nothing works, proceed towards ground transportation and take a cab. Ask the cabbie to take you to the university, and then give him the directions. (It is always a good idea to lookup directions from Mappoint or MapQuest for the place that you're staying at. Keep a printout handy.
   
• If you have doubts about the person who has come to receive you, you can ask him/her for identification. (Highly unlikely that you'll need to.)
   
• Once you reach your house (or other destination) call home & inform them that you reached safely. You know you're safe and that nothing can happen to you. But your parents still would worry. :)

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