Immigration Documents Explained
All F-1 students in the U.S. have immigration documents.
The immigration documents you need to know about are the I-20 or DS-2019, visa stamp, I-94 record and passport.
I-20, F-1 students only
Only F-1 students have I-20s. This is the hard copy representation of your immigration record. You can find your name, start date, end date and your program of study listed on this form.
Know when your I-20 expires! If you will not finish at PIE before your I-20 expires, that is OK, you can work with OIA immigration advisors to extend it. This MUST be done before the end date on your I-20.
Learn more about an I-20 extension »
DS-2019, J-1 students only
Only J-1 students have DS-2019s. This is the hard copy representation of your immigration record. You can find your name, start date, end date and your program of study listed on this form.
Know when your DS-2019 expires! If you will not finish at PIE before your DS-2019 expires, that is OK, you can work with OIA immigration advisors to extend it. This MUST be done before the end date on your DS-2019.
Learn more about an DS-2019 extension »
Visa Stamp
This is the colorful stamp in your passport. Think of this like your ticket into the U.S. Things you can learn from your visa stamp:
- What visa class you are eligible to enter the U.S. in
- How many entries times you can enter the U.S. with a single visa stamp
- When your visa stamp expires
Your visa stamp is the ONLY immigration document that is allowed to expire. As long as you remain inside the U.S., this document can be expires. You only need a new visa stamp if you will leave the U.S. and then come back in F-1 status.
Your OIA immigration advisor can help you review your visa stamp as you prepare for travel.
I-94 record
Every time you enter the U.S., you should ALWAYS check your I-94 record. You can find this record online at https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/I94/#/home. Follow these steps:
- Click "Get Most Recent I-94" at the top of the page
- Click “Consent & Continue”
- Enter your information from your passport, then click “Next”
- Your Electronic I-94 record should appear. Take a screen shot of this page to upload on your document check eForm and keep for your records
This document gives us:
- The date you entered the U.S.
- The class you were admitted to the U.S. under (or the set of rules you must follow)
- Your expiration date of your stay (this should always be "D/S")
Entry Stamp
This is from when the immigraiton office used a rubber stamp to mark in your passport. This is usually on the page opposite your visa stamp. This tells us:
- The date you were admitted to the U.S.
- The class you were admitted to the U.S. under (or the set of rules you must follow)
- Your expiration date of your stay (this should always be "D/S")
- The port you went through U.S. customs at
Passport
It is a condition of F-1 and J-1 student status that you keep a valid passport. Know when your passport expires!
OIA immigration advisors can help you figure out how to apply for a new passport if need help.
You should begin working on renewing your passport at least six months before your passport expires.
How to turn in copies of your documents to OIA?
Log into your iStart account
Go to One.iu.edu and find your iStart account. You will need to use your IUPUI username and passphrase along with DUO authentication to enter.
Find the Immigration Document Check eForm
Locate the Immigration Document Check eForm from the F-1 Student Services menu.
Upload your documents
You will need pictures of your documents to complete this eForm. You can take a picture with your smart phone or tablet or you can scan your documents with your computer. Documents you will need:- Passport ID page (only the page of your passport with your picture)
- Visa stamp (only the colorful sticker on 1 page of your passport)
- Port of Entry Stamp (this is the stamp the immigration officer put in your passport)
- I-94 record (you can find this record electronically)
Click 'Submit' when you are finished uploading your documents.
