Steps to follow:
- You book a ticket ~2 months in advance. Ensure you have 6+ months left on your passport expiry.
- Don't enter the US >30 days before the program start date mentioned on your I-20.
- Try to enter the US from the city your college is in. College in Boston, landing in Seattle, makes it suspicious, and additional questions can be asked at the time of immigration.
- Once you land, an immigration officer will ask for your passport, I-20 (physical copy signed in ink by yourself), and reason of visit (mention student), and if they want, they also ask how much cash you are carrying (DO NOT carry more than $10,000 in cash), might ask what's in the luggage - they can ask you to disclose food items you're carrying.
- It is also advised to have the evidence of Financial Ability on hand when entering the country at a U.S. port of entry, in the event a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer asks to review it.
- Evidence of Financial Ability (Here is something I got from the US Homeland Security website):
_A prospective student must have financial evidence showing that they or a sponsor has sufficient funds to cover tuition and living expenses during the period of intended study. Evidence of financial ability includes, but is not limited to:_
Family bank statements.
Documentation from a sponsor.
Financial aid letters.
Scholarship letters.
Letter from an employer showing annual salary.
Certain Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP)-certified schools may have specific requirements for acceptable forms of evidence. To verify if a form of financial evidence is acceptable, contact the school’s international student office.
- Lyft is generally cheaper than Uber (if you want to save some money, they also offer student discounts, and you can create an account from India itself).
- Once the passport is stamped, you can proceed to your university. Within a couple of days, ensure you download your I-94 form from "Get Most Recent I-94/I-95". WHAT'S AN I-94 NOW? It is a U.S. Customs and Border Protection portal that records all your international movements (
https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/home). Your university will ask for it once you are in college. It gets uploaded to the university's portal for their record, signifying that 'you've arrived.'
Pro tip #1: Activate your SIM card BEFORE you land in the US. Mint offers 12-month plans at a lower price than other US SIM card providers. Data in the US is expensive, especially if you don't have an unlimited plan. WiFi is there, but why risk?
Pro tip #2: Make travel plans in groups. Saves A LOT of cost. Most taxi transfers from the airport to the university can cost $70-150 if traveling alone.
Pro tip #3: The day you book your tickets, GO TO A FOREX AND CONVERT INR TO USD. 2/3 months later, you'll have a depreciated INR conversion rate.
Pro tip #4: Always pay me for more info
