Office of Multicultural & International Student Programs

Arrival in the United States

Before landing, most airlines distribute instructions to their passengers explaining the procedure of entering the United States as an international student. When you arrive, you must have all your immigration papers with you. If you are a dual citizen, or a permanent resident of the United States, you will only need to show your U.S. passport. If you are a citizen of another country, you must show the immigration officer your passport, I-20 (for J-1 students, you must show your DS-2019), visa from the U.S. Consulate, letter of acceptance to Hofstra and documentation proving your financial resources. If everything is in order, the immigration inspector will stamp the date of your arrival on your landing card and will staple a small white card, called the I-94 card, in your passport. The inspector will also return the second page of your I-20 (DS-2019 for J-1 students) form to you. This is known as the I-20 ID, and you will record all immigration transactions which pertain to you while in this country. If you encounter any problems while you are being inspected by Immigration, please contact the Office of International Students at (516) 463-6796.

Your I-94 card, I-20 (or DS-2019), visa and passport are all critical immigration documents, and it is your responsibility to keep them in a safe place. When you arrive at Hofstra, an international student adviser in the Office of Multicultural and International Student Programs will need to make copies of this documentation for your immigration file as well as to review them to ensure that everything is in order.