Steps for New International Student Check-In
You must have your F-1 visa in order to enter the country on F-1 status.
You must enter the USA using your F-1 visa.
You cannot enter the USA more than 30 days prior to the start date listed on your I-20. This is usually 30 days prior to the start of classes. Your I-20 will list the earliest admission date on the first page.
You may be able to enter the USA sooner if you enter on a tourist visa. However, we will not lift the CV hold unless you enter on F-1 status. Please be mindful and make sure you enter using the correct visa.
The I-94 document is an official arrival/departure record used by DHS and ISSS to document nonimmigrant's legal entry into the USA. This is issued by CBP (Customs and Border Protection) when you arrive.
You must have entered the U.S. using your student visa to have the correct version of this document.
Find and print your I-94 within 2 days of the arriving to the U.S. ISSS will register your SEVIS record with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security using your I-94 that shows you entered on F-1 status.
How to retrieve your I-94:
- Go to the CBP website
- Click "Get Most Recent I-94"
- Read the text then click "Consent & Continue"
- Type in your Traveler information
- Click "Next"
- Your I-94 should pop up on the next page. Click "Print"
- Save as PDF
Scan or take pictures of the following three documents:
- Your most recent I-94
- F-1 visa page (in your passport)
- USC I-20 with your signature
Email all 3 documents to internationalcheckin@sc.edu. You will receive confirmation of the submission.
ISSS will review your documents and lift the CV hold in about 3-5 business days. The ISSS office lifts this hold for every international student, so please be patient.
All permanent residents, H-4 or H-1B visa holders, DACA individuals, or any other non-US citizen without an F-1 or J-1 visa: see this section of the ISSS website.
Students must update the current address shown in my.sc.edu within 10 days of moving to their South Carolina residence. Failure to update this information will result in your classes being dropped.
Examples of address and phone formatting:
123 Gamecock Rd.
Columbia, SC 29208
803-555-1234 (no country code)
ONLY .pdf copies will be accepted. Note: there will likely be additionally holds on your my.sc.edu account that must be lifted by other USC offices.