US Customs and Immigration

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Neo
Major: International Business
Status: Light Keeper

A person with strange ideas in my head and strange feelings in my heart...

US Customs and Immigration
Andy Neo

Customs and Immigration
When you arrive in the US, you will have to go through Customs and Immigration. They will ask you questions about your purpose for visiting the US. Your answer should be "Student". Keep your answers simple and direct. If they want to know the name of the school, tell them the name of the school, without any extraneous information. If they want more information, they will ask additional questions. For more information see the US Customs Service web site which includes Visiting the United States. Immigration laws can also be found at the US State Department web site . Before landing you are given a Port of Entry Form in the flight, which you will have to fill in for faster check out at the airport. It asks for information about self, visa, immigration and other. Fill in all the information that is required. If you have any questions ask the flight attendant or your fellow passengers. Customs and immigration formalities must be cleared at the first point of entry in USA, even if transiting to another city.
You should have your passport ready on the plane and not in your luggage so that the information to complete the various official US forms is handy. An immigration officer at the airport who will see your documents, which include visa (stamped inside your passport), an INS Form I-94 (Arrival-Departure Record), entry papers, such as the IAP-66.
Arrival-Departure Record shows the date you arrived in the United States and the "Admitted Until" date, the date when your authorized period of stay expires. You will receive an INS Form I-94 from an INS inspector when arriving in the US at the port of entry. The form has to be completed and presented to the INS inspector who would ask you questions about the purpose of your trip, your stay duration, and your place of residence in the US. When you leave the country, you must provide the I-94 to your airline. An approved INS Form I-94 can prove that you arrived in the US legally and that you have not stayed beyond the authorized period of stay. More over, submitting INS Form I-94 to the proper authorities when you leave the US can prove that you did not violate US laws by staying too long and offers the proof that you are willing to obey U.S. immigration laws. It is very important if you again want to travel to the US as an immigrant or nonimmigrant in the future to obey US laws. You will need to replace your INS Form I-94 (Arrival Departure Record) if it was lost, stolen, or mutilated. If you need to stay longer, than the specified period then you must contact the INS after arriving and request an Application to Extend Status.

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