Congratulations on your decision to study in the United States! A very rewarding and life-changing experience awaits you! If you need more information about the types of American education that are available to you, please see EducationUSA.

If you already know what you want to do, the first step is to apply to a school in the United States. The school must be an SEVP-certified school.

• Search SEVP-certified schools on the DHS Study in the States website.

Once you are formally accepted for admission to an SEVP-certified school and you submit any required documents, your school will give you a document called a Form I-20. The Form I-20 is a paper record of your information in a US government database called SEVIS. Each school that accepts you will mail you a Form I-20.  Before you apply for your visa, you must select one school’s Form I-20 to use.

Check your Form I-20 against your passport information to make sure that your name and date of birth (DOB) are correctly listed and spelled.  If it is not correct, contact the school official who sent you the Form 1-20.

Once you have your Form I-20, you are ready for the next step – paying your SEVIS I-901 fee.

Before you leave for the United States, it is a good idea to familiarize yourself with the different kinds of documents you might need. It is always a good idea to carry your original documents at all times. Do not put them in your checked baggage.

It is also a good idea to make at least two sets of copies of these documents: one copy to leave with your family or friends before you depart and one copy to give to your school officials on their request. Here is a list of the important immigration documents for your entry:

Required documents

• Passports
• Visas
• Form I-20 / Form DS-2019

Strongly advised to also bring a copy of your:

• I-901 Fee Receipt
• Proof of financial ability
• Your Lamar University acceptance letter

Obtain these documents after your successful US entry:

• Most Recent Form I-94 (Will be available only after your port of entry admission)
• Border Crossing Cards (for qualifying citizens of Mexico)

If your school official has not given you a pre-arrival packet that explains the Form I-94, please consider reviewing the following: Form I-94 fact sheet and retrieval instructions

Arriving in the United States is a very important step which you should to prepare for. If you have everything ready, it should be a very smooth experience. The following documents give a good outline of the arrival processes and exceptions:

• How do I become an F or M student?
• What is Secondary Inspection?

If the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer at the port of entry cannot initially verify your information, or if you do not have all of the required documentation, you may be directed to an interview area known as “secondary inspection.” Secondary inspection allows inspectors to conduct additional research in order to verify information without causing delays for other arriving passengers.

The inspector will first attempt to verify your status by using the Student and Exchange and Visitor Information System (SEVIS). Failure to comply with U.S. government entry-exit procedures may result in your being denied entry to the United States. It is always the final decision of the CBP officer at your port of entry to allow entry to any visitor requesting admission into the US.

The port of entry gave me a Form I-515A. What does that mean?

Under certain circumstances, the CBP officer may issue a “Notice to Student or Exchange Visitor” Form (I-515A), which authorizes temporary admission into the United States. Work with your school without delay to submit the proper documentation required by the Form I-515A.

Form I-515A Tool Kit will help to ensure a smooth travel experience for International Students and Exchange Visitors.

You are permitted to enter the US no more than 30 days before the Program Start Date printed on your I-20, which is registered in SEVIS by an official at your school. The earliest date you will be allowed to enter the US is also printed directly on your I-20 as the “Earliest Admission Date,” which is only left blank on very select circumstances.

You must report to your school by your Program Start Date or you are not maintaining your status. We suggest that you contact your school immediately once you enter the country so that there is no question of your arrival.

To best prepare in maintaining your F-1 visa status on entry, we advise you to review our guidance on our webpage here.

If you cannot enter the United States for the term listed on your Form I-20 or if you will be late by a few days, immediately contact your school officials so that they can accurately reflect this information in your SEVIS record.

F-1 Students are eligible for a range of benefits while they study within the US. Some of these benefits are working during study, getting a Social Security number, training after your program is completed (OPT – optional practical training), and getting a driver’s license.


Social Security Number (SSN)

• F/M Nonimmigrants: Getting a Social Security Number

• Texas DPS – How to apply for a Texas Driver License
• Guidance on documents required for international students to obtain a Driver License

If you are an F student, you have the option of working in the United States by doing practical training during your program or after it ends. Click on one of the links below for more information.

• Practical Training – CPT, OPT and STEM
• OPT Guidance (PDF)
• STEM List

Working in the United States

• Pursuing Employment In The United States

Travel and Re-entry to the United States

• The F and M Visas: Official FAQ for Travel and Re-entry

Students and scholars who will be in the U.S. for longer than 30 days and plan to drive a car should obtain a Texas Driver's License at the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS). Access to a car, knowledge of Texas driving regulations, as well as testable driving skills are basic requirements for a driver's license. You must provide your own vehicle when taking the driving test.

Information from the DPS about applying for the driver license is located at https://www.dps.texas.gov

/DriverLicense/ApplyforLicense.htm and https://www.dps.texas.gov/Internetforms/Forms/DL-100E.pdf 

The Texas Driver Handbook is available at https://www.dps.texas.gov/internetforms/Forms/DL-7.pdf   

The driver license fees are located at https://www.dps.texas.gov/DriverLicense/fees.htm

U.S. Executive Order
Concerning the U.S. Executive Order: "Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States" (revised and reissued March 6).

The revised order was scheduled to take effect March 16, 2017, but the U.S. District Court of Hawaii on March 29 issued a preliminary injunction that effectively blocks the implementation of certain sections of the Executive Order for the present time. The injunction is under appeal.
Page updated March 30, 2017

Among its directives, the new, revised order issued on March 6, 2017, suspends for a period of 90 days from the order's effective date (March 16, 2017), the entry into the United States by foreign nationals from six designated countries--Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen (Iraq was one of the countries names in the original order, but was excluded from the newest order) who:

• are outside the United States on the effective date of the order;
• did not have a valid visa at 5:00 p.m., eastern standard time on January 27, 2017; and
• do not have a valid visa on March 16, 2017

Several exceptions and waivers are described in the order--see below.

Am I subject to the suspension?
If you are a student from one of the designated six countries already in the United States and studying at Lamar University, you are not affected by the order so long as you maintain a valid visa.

What are the exceptions?

• any lawful permanent resident of the United States;
• any foreign national who is admitted to or paroled into the United States on or after March 16, 2017
• any foreign national who has a document other than a visa, valid on March 16, 2017 or issued on any date thereafter, that permits him or her to travel to the United States and seek entry or admission, such as an advance parole document;
• any dual national of a country designated under section 2 of this order when the individual is traveling on a passport issued by a non-designated country;
• any foreign national traveling on a diplomatic or diplomatic-type visa, North Atlantic Treaty Organization visa, C-2 visa for travel to the United Nations, or G-1, G-2, G-3, or G-4 visa; or
• any foreign national who has been granted asylum; any refugee who has already been admitted to the United States; or any individual who has been granted withholding of removal, advance parole, or protection under the Convention Against Torture.

What are the "waivers"?
The order described certain situations in which the consular officers can use case-by-case discretionary powers to determine whether to allow entry to individuals otherwise banned from entry. To be granted a waiver, individual must prove three criteria: 1) that denial of entry would cause undue hardship; 2) that they do not pose a threat to national security; and 3) that their entry would be in the national interest. The Order provided examples under which a waiver could be granted; several of which may be relevant to our international student population:

• The foreign national has previously been admitted to the United States for a continuous period of work, study, or other long-term activity, is outside the United States on the effective date or this order, seeks to reenter the United States to resume that activity, and the denial of reentry during the suspension period would impair that activity;
• The foreign national has previously established significant contacts with the United States but is outside the United States on the effective date of this order for work, study, or other lawful activity;
• The foreign national seeks to enter the United States to visit or reside with a close family member (e.g., a spouse, child, or parent) who is a United States citizen, lawful permanent resident, or alien lawfully admitted on a valid nonimmigrant visa, and the denial of entry during the suspension period would cause undue hardship;
• The foreign national has been employed by, or on behalf of, the United States Government (or is an eligible dependent of such an employee) and the employee can document that he or she has provided faithful and valuable service to the United States Government;
• The foreign national is traveling as a United States Government-sponsored exchange visitor.

I am a Lamar student or scholar from one of the named countries and currently attending or working at Lamar. What should I do?
As you are already in the United States, we suggest that you do not travel outside the United States for the time being as the possibility exists that you would not be allowed re-entry to the United States or experience difficulties during you re-entry. At this time, the best thing you can do is to remain at Lamar and continue your studies or work.

Will the suspension end?
As stated at the beginning of this FAQ, a nationwide ban is currently in effect with regard to the implementation of this Order. However, in the event that a Federal court determines that the Order is permitted to move forward, a possible end date would be June 14, 2017 (90 days from the original effective date of the Order).

Could the suspension be extended?
There is always the possibility that the suspension for entry of the selected foreign nationals could be extended. In addition, the order compels DHS to seek additional information from other foreign countries necessary for the consideration of U.S. visas or immigrant processes abroad. In the event DHS determines that a country failed to submit such information within 50 days of the request to the country by DHS, entry by nationals from that country may also be suspended as well upon an order by the president.

I am an international student or scholar attending or working at Lamar who is NOT from one of the seven countries named in the order. Am I affected by the order in any way?
It remains to be seen because among its many directives, the newest order requires Department of Homeland Security and Department of State to analyze and scrutinize current immigration procedures to determine whether adjustments are necessary. As a result, delays in visa interviews or changes to other similar immigration processes related to your current status could occur based on that analysis.

What happens now?
We encourage you to stay updated on any direct changes to your status by monitoring the Department of Homeland Security website at www.dhs.gov and the Department of State’s U.S. Visa website at https://travel.state.gov/content/visas/en.html. As with the original order, a number of legal challenges are also being pursue with regard to this Order, so stay tuned to reliable media sources such as NPR.

I am currently a Lamar student from one of the named countries. A friend from my home country is considering attending Lamar. What should I tell them?
We strongly encourage you to tell your friend to apply to Lamar for the fall 2018 semester. In theory, the suspension under the current order might be over at some point in the future. The faculty and staff of Lamar University as well as your fellow students affirm our longstanding commitment to be a welcoming, inclusive environment where diversity is celebrated and everyone feels at home. 

• Change program levels – For example, you can apply to a graduate program after you finish your bachelor’s.
• Transfers – You can transfer to a different program at the same school or another school.
• OPT – You may participate in optional practical training (OPT) which allows you to work in the United States after your program end date.
• OPT STEM – optional practical training for science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM).
• Change to a B or other visa classification. Please visit U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services for more information.
• Leave the country.

Please contact the Office of International Student Programs & Services to speak with an OISPS advisor.

409-880-7635
international@lamar.edu

If you have questions about International Undergraduate and Graduate Admissions that you did not review from our guidance, then you may contact international.recruitment@lamar.edu.