Arriving in the U.S

Clearing Immigration and Customs

All J-1 Exchange Visitors complete a white form I-94 prior to arriving in the United States. In most cases you will receive form I-94 from flight attendants en route to the United States. (Canadians should ask for the form at the border if traveling by car.)

Print your name on all forms in block letters exactly as is appears in your passport. Ensure that you write your birth date in the proper format. If you do not, you may have problems applying for your Social Security Number.

When you pass through immigration, present your passport, form DS-2019, form I-94, and customs declaration card. You may also be asked for a copy of your job confirmation form, training plan, camp placement notice, onward flight ticket, and return flight ticket, so keep these documents handy.

Be prepared to tell the immigration inspector the reason you are coming to the United States, where you are going, what you will be doing, and other information about your program.

You will be admitted to the United States as a J-1 Exchange Visitor. Make sure that J-1 is written on your form I-94 before you leave immigration.

After immigration you will claim your luggage and pass through customs. If you will make a connecting flight, re-check your luggage after exiting customs.

SEVIS and Validating Your Program

The Student and Exchange Visitor System (SEVIS) is a web-based system for maintaining information on international students and exchange visitors in the United States. It is administered by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), a division of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the largest investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). For detailed information about SEVIS, frequently asked questions, and what to expect when you arrive in the U.S., look at: http://www.ice.gov/sevis/index.htm

To validate your participation in the program, you must inform the YMCA of your residential address in the U.S. within 5 days of your arrival in the U.S. Validate your arrival on-line at: http://www.internationalymca.org. Enter your name and form DS-2019 number (beginning with N000 and located in the upper right-hand corner of the form) exactly as they appear on your form DS-2019. After receiving your information, the YMCA will validate your record in SEVIS and your status will be changed to “Active.” You will receive an e-mail with a validation confirmation number after submitting on-line. If you do not receive a confirmation number, please contact the YMCA as soon as possible.

Failure to inform the YMCA of your residential address in the U.S. will result in your status changing in SEVIS to “No Show.” If your SEVIS status changes to “No Show,” you will be required to leave the U.S. and may have difficulty being approved for future visas to enter the U.S.

Your status in SEVIS must be “Active” before the Social Security Administration will process your application for a Social Security number.

Applying for a Social Security Number

If you do not already have a Social Security Number, apply in person at the nearest Social Security Office after you arrive. Show your DS-2019 form, your passport with your J-1 visa, I-94 card, and the “Sponsor Letter” you received, or will receive, with your form DS-2019. 

To find the nearest Social Security Administration office, visit: http://www.ssa.gov/

Your supervisor may also be able to assist you in finding the nearest Social Security Administration office and even offer transportation to the office.

When filling out the application form, fill in your name exactly as it is printed in your passport. You will need to know your mother’s maiden name (her family name at birth). Use your employer’s address on you application, not your home address. Mark on the application that you’re a “Legal Alien Allowed to Work” (you’re not a student). Remember that dates at the U.S. are written month, day, and year (mm/dd/yy). Social Security, as well as the YMCA, recommends you wait at least 10 days after submitting your U.S. arrival validation to allow time for your SEVIS status to become “Active.”

Your application for a Social Security number will not be processed until you have reported your U.S. address to the YMCA, you have been in the U.S. for 10 days, and your status in SEVIS “Active.”

Social Security Numbers are issued for your lifetime. If you return to the United States in the future, you will use the same number.

I-9 Authorization for Sites of Activity and Tax Withholding

All employers are required by law to verify that employees, both citizens and non-resident aliens, are eligible to work. Your supervisor will ask to see your passport, J-1 visa, form DS-2019, form I-94, and “Sponsor Letter.” These documents prove your eligibility and identity. You will also be asked to sign a form I-9, which shows that your employer has proven your eligibility to work.