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Procedures at the U.S. ports of entry will be different to accommodate new SEVIS requirements as well as Special Registration requirements. Immigration and customs are now managed by the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (BICE) of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. You will see BICE officers at all U.S. ports of entry. You may also be required to go through a pre-inspection procedure at certain airports abroad.

The IS office encourages students to have their current Stony Brook ID card with them as an additional form of identification. However, when you give your documents to the BICE inspector at your U.S. port of entry or pre-boarding checkpoint, you should initially present only your passport, I-94 card (which was distributed on the airplane), and signed SEVIS Form I-20 or DS-2019. Your Stony Brook ID card and other materials should be presented only when asked for.

SEVIS :

BICE officials are required to record your arrival data into SEVIS at the time you enter, and return your SEVIS Form I-20 or DS-2019 to you, after they have stamped it. However, not all BICE officials will have access to SEVIS at their booths in the "primary lanes." Depending upon the port of entry, some students may be directed to a secondary inspection area or "student lanes" so that their data can be entered into the SEVIS system. BICE is advising that processing may take several hours, so this should be taken into account when making travel plans.

Special Registration :

Individuals subject to Special Registration will be directed to a separate area following their initial immigration inspection where they will be fingerprinted, photographed and questioned under oath. This may add significant time spent at the airport. If traveling on a connecting flight, allow plenty of time.

Additionally, USCIS has the discretion to require any foreign national, regardless of nationality, to undergo special registration if they are considered a national security risk. The discretionary factors relating to national security risk may include dual citizenship with one of the designated countries, a foreign national's unexplained trips to certain designated countries, other instances of unexplained travel, previous visa violations, people who by their "behavior, demeanor, or answers" demonstrate that they should be monitored while in the United States , and characteristics determined by intelligence profiles. Because of the broad and discretionary nature of the criteria, many non-immigrants could be subjected to special registration.

Document Problems :

In certain cases, if there is some problem with your documents, you may be issued a 30-day entry on your I-94 card and issued a Form I-515, usually with instructions to see your international student adviser. Examine your I-94 card carefully as you leave the immigration booth. F-1 students and J-1 students should have their I-94s marked "D/S" by an inspector which means “Duration of Status”, along with a stamp indicating the date you entered the United States . If you notice, while still at the port of entry, that an expiration date is written on the I-94 instead of "D/S", bring it to the attention of the inspector. Otherwise, come to the International Services office as soon as possible.