What changes to their documents should nonimmigrant students expect upon being admitted to the United States? What information do they need to check immediately?
Upon clearing nonimmigrant students for entry, the CBP Officer will stamp the Form I-20 and the Form I-94. On both forms, the officer will handwrite the class of admission. Have your students ensure that they get the stamps and that the class of admission matches the one printed on the visa and Form I-20. It is best to have errors fixed immediately by a CBP officer before you leave the port-of-entry. The visa category and class of admission need to be consistent on all documents. The visa category is printed under Visa Class/Type on the visa stamp. The class of admission/visa category for students is printed at the top of page 1. It is F-1 for academic and language students and M-1 for vocational and technical students. Forms I-20 for spouses and children (F-2/M-2) will have Dependent’s Copy printed above the barcode. Nonimmigrant students should be encouraged to make copies of their visa and Form I-94 and keep them in a safe place. They should also safeguard the originals.
