UTA Student Info Site

In Flight

Sometime before landing of your flight to USA, you will be asked to fill up two documents,

** White Colored I-94 Immigration Arrival/Departure Record Form :
You have to fill up both, the Arrival AND Departure Section of the I-94. (i.e item nos. 1 through 17 on the I-94 form) If you have any doubts regarding filling in that form, do not hesitate to contact the Air-hostess. She will help you fill it out. That's the form which will be honored by the INS and allow you to enter the US. Its not at all complicated, its a pretty simple form.
Immigration Form I-94 is kept herewith for your reference.........Click Here to view it.

** Customs Declaration Form 6059B:
You DO NOT have to pay any customs duty. So, fill up the form accordingly. NOTE that the amount will have to be declared in US Dollars. The form will also ask you to declare if you are carrying any fruits, plants, soil, etc. Say NO to the question. And don't carry any fruits. Eatables will be allowed in, don't worry about it. But pack them properly. All of us bring spices, pickles (athanas), papad, etc...so, DO NOT DECLARE THOSE.
Customs Declaration Form 6059B is kept here for your reference.........Click Here to view it.
Check NO on point numbers 11, 12 and 13 and in point 14 indicate "•O•" which means that you have nothing to declare.
Here too, you can take the help of the Air hostess, in case you have any doubts regarding filling in the Customs Declaration Form.


Immigration

Once you are out of the plane go straight to the immigration counter - rush for them to beat the queue. It might take 0.5-1 hour here. Keep the I-20 (all pages), Passport/Visa, evidence of financial support and admission & aid letters ready. You will require it to present it to INS before you get your two big bags back from the airport. So, don't ever commit the mistake of putting your I-20, evidence of financial support and passport/visa in the luggage that you check in with the airline. BIG TROUBLE, otherwise....
The officer will ask you to show your I-20, passport, visa and the I-94 Arrival/Departure Record card, that you just filled up in the flight. Usually, they won't ask for the evidence of financial support, still it is advisable to keep it handy. Carry only the latest I-20 with you, valid for this Fall. Put all other non-important papers away.
The officer may ask you trivial questions like - is this your first time in the US ? Student ? F-1 visa ? Which Univ you are going to ?? what major ?? etc.
Tell all that is listed on the I-20. Don't speak anything stupid like you might go to UTD, or might do EE or anything which is not required.
YOU ARE GOING TO UTA AND DOING CSE. That's it.
Say as per the I-20. Otherwise, you might just end up spending more time with the officer.

The officer will do the following: (MOST IMPORTANT)
He will stamp the date and city of arrival (e.g. CHICAGO) on Page 3 your I-20
He will detach the lower half (Departure Record) of I-94, stamp the date and city of arrival on the lower half of I-94 and attach it to your passport on the page opposite to your US visa.
The INS will keep one copy of the I-20 and enter your Arrival record into the computer.
The INS officer will then return the other copy (Pages 3 and 4 of the I-20) after writing "D/S" on Page 3 and the lower half of I-94, which he just attached to your passport. (D/S means Duration of Status...which means that you are permitted to stay in the US till you meet the requirements of being a STUDENT in US. In case the officer doesn't staple the I-94 to your passport, take care to preserve it safely, since it is one of the single most important document for you while in US.

Without either, the lower half of I-94 duly stamped and attached to your passport OR your I-20 not stamped as described above, you are virtually not legal in US. And it will create a HELL lot of other problems. Also, if you have any doubts, talk with the INS officer politely.
INS clearance is a very simple and straightforward process. Just be your normal self, cool, calm and composed.
You are now in the USA !
Keep the contact address of International office at UTA with you in case if you face any problem :
International Office (open Monday - Friday 8.00 AM to 5 P.M.)
University Center, University of Texas at Arlington
Arlington, Texas - 76019.
Phone : 817 272 2355
Fax : 817 272 5005

Baggage Claim

Once the INS admits you by completing the above procedure, you will next be walking to the BAGGAGE CLAIM AREA to pick up the two big bags that you had checked. Just before landing, the airline will intimate the BAGGAGE CLAIM AREA no. Remember it so that you can walk straight to the area. You will have other fellow passengers on the flight who will also be walking to the same area. The flight number will be displayed on the TV monitors where your baggage is being unloaded for you to claim it.
You will require a trolley to handle your luggage now. The trolley is FREE at some airports, while at some other airports, they charge about 3 dollars. So, keep the dollars handy, and get the trolley by paying. Usually, you will be handling your own baggage, but if you hire someone to handle it for you, you usually pay a tip of about 1 to 2 dollars.
Just in case, your baggage doesn't arrive. DON'T PANIC. It happens sometimes. Wait until the last piece of baggage has arrived. They will declare it when the entire flight's luggage is out to the claim area. Even after that if you don't get your baggage, instructions will be available on how to lodge a complaint with the airline about your lost baggage. Complete the procedure and then walk out of the customs area along with your handbag. Give them a forwarding address and phone number (which you will get in our mail) where you can be reached. The airlines will take care of the rest. We can later on follow up over phone, and things will be sorted out in due course of time. So, don't panic, or worry that you have to catch the next plane from to Dallas. Take your time, and finish off the procedure properly.
Only then do you walk towards the next step, which is CUSTOMS CLEARANCE.

Customs Clearance

Next, you will walk through the Customs Clearance. Here, you will simply walk through a passage along with your baggage trolley and hand over the Customs Declaration Form 6059B to an Officer. Usually, nobody will ask you anything. Sometimes, they randomly stop a person, and ask a question or two. If asked about the "theplas" tell them that they are "dried Indian spices" to make traditional Indian food like curry. Answer truthfully, whatever they ask. Sometimes, if they find it suspicious, they might throw out something of your luggage. Let them do whatever they want to do, but do try to explain reasonably that whatever is being thrown out is some eatable. You won't have any problems in this area. Its pretty simple, just walk through to get your first breath of air in the US.

Connecting Flights

If you will be continuing your journey by air, check in at the appropriate airline counter as soon as you are through customs. In most airports, you might have to change terminals to board your connecting flight. Please ask the airline representative at the counter about changing terminals. You might have to use the Airport Transport System to do so. These counters are right outside the customs area, usually. In case your flight came in late, or the onward flight is cancelled, it is the responsibility of the airline on which you flew into the country, to make arrangements for another flight and if the delay involves an overnight stay, then the airline has to put you up for the night and also pay for your meals. Do not let the airline representative convince you otherwise.

Note : Please Don't Panic if it so happens that your flight arrives late and the time for the connecting flight is too near (say, within the next 10-15 minutes) for you to make it due to Immigration and Customs delays. Simply follow the same actions outlined above and get your airline to arrange things for you. Don't be rude, but be firm while dealing with the airline representatives.

If a representative from the airline on which you will be traveling is outside the customs area, tell him/her that you are taking the plane to Dallas. (Many times he/she will telephone ahead and the plane will be held for a few minutes for you.)

Note : Don't forget to inform the person who is coming to pick you up to Dallas (DFW) airport regarding the missed flight and information about the next flight. Leave a detailed message in the answering machine if person is not available on the phone. Public telephones are located every where on the airport. A phone call requires 25/35/50 cents so keep some change with you. So sure you get change in American Dollars at port of entry if you have not got it from India. All Port of Entries to United States have a foreign exchange counter where you can get $$$. Five or One Dollar Bills can be changed in a changing machine or you can ask any one for change at the terminal. Even the shopkeepers inside the airport are helpful and don't mind giving you change for the payphone so don't hesitate in asking for change. You can also buy a coffee or soft drink with a dollar bill and get change.