Welcome International Students
I am writing on behalf of the OMIA to welcome international students who have been admitted to Sarah Lawrence College. I am looking forward to meeting you soon.
Since the implementation of the internet-based system called the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), which requires the College to transmit accurate, and updated, information about our international students to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), we have had to work tightly around deadlines instituted by the U.S. government, and to comply with the constantly changing regulations associated with SEVIS. As we comply with USCIS regulations, it is important for you to assist us by remaining informed of various immigration procedures, and by providing us with your most recently updated documents.
We apologize for this lengthy message, but we wanted to be sure to provide you with the information you will need, as you prepare, and/or continue, to study at Sarah Lawrence College. The following information, which is essential to you before your arrival in the U.S., is included:
- Student Visas
- Document Processing at the Airport
- Getting to Campus
- Mandatory Immigration Registration with the OMIA
- OMIA Listserv
This message is being sent to all international students who received a visa certificate from our office, for study at Sarah Lawrence College. If your plans have changed since receiving your visa certificate, please notify us, via e-mail, at ddumas@sarahlawrence.edu, sbe@sarahlawrence.edu, or acoronel@sarahlawrence.edu so that we may update our records on you.
For those of you who are already enrolled at Sarah Lawrence College, we recommend that you check in with the OMIA within 15 days of your arrival.
Student Visas
All international individuals, (including Canadian and Mexican citizens as of September, 2006), must obtain a student visa as part of your passport, before traveling to the United States to study at Sarah Lawrence College. (If you have studied in the United States previously, and have an unexpired student visa in your passport, you may continue to use it.) If you have not yet obtained a student visa, begin the process immediately! For information on applying for a visa, refer to the U.S. Department of State Web site.
During your interview at the U.S. embassy or consulate, you will be required to present: i) the admission letter from Sarah Lawrence College; ii) financial documents to prove that you have adequate funds to cover all four years (two years for graduate students; iii) proof of intent to return home, iv) a SEVIS I-20 Form provided by the college, v) proof of required proficiency in English; and vi) a valid passport. Some embassies/consulates are not currently granting individual appointments, and are requesting that you call in to request information regarding submission of required data prior to processing of your visa request. For those of you requesting visas for the first time, there is a SEVIS fee requirement, which must be paid to the Consulate. This fee was instituted in September 2004.
You must present your SEVIS-issued I-20 to the Consular Post overseas. For security reasons, consular officers access SEVIS data through the Department of State’s Consolidated Consular Database (CCD), rather than from the Internet. At Sarah Lawrence, we have created a SEVIS record for you, which formed the basis for the I-20 we sent you. The SEVIS System generates a file with SEVIS data and automatically sends that file to the State Department's Bureau of Consular Affairs (CA). Next, the CA updates the SEVIS data into the CCD, which then becomes available to Consular Offices worldwide. If a consular officer informs you, or your dependent(s), that your SEVIS record cannot be found in the CCD, you must make use of the email process, which will help to accelerate locating or retransmitting your record(s). In order to facilitate this, you must send an email to ddumas@sarahlawrence.edu, sbe@sarahlawrence.edu, and dlicht@sarahlawrence.edu, indicating that you are encountering difficulties with the retrieval of your SEVIS data. We will then inform the SEVIS Help Desk, by means of an urgent request stating "SEVIS record not found in Consular System". The SEVIS Help Desk staff has promised to take the appropriate action to correct such a problem. We will email you once we have gotten a response from them.
DO NOT COME TO THE U.S. WITH A B-1/B-2 VISITOR VISA OR ON A 90-DAY VISA WAIVER; If you wish to enroll as a student with F-1 Status, recent changes in U.S. immigration law prohibit those in visitor status from attending full-time courses and from changing to student status after their arrival in the U.S. Arriving as a tourist, rather than as a student, would involve unnecessarily time-consuming and expensive procedures.
BE SURE TO HAVE YOUR ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS ON YOUR PERSON RATHER THAN IN YOUR LUGGAGE. YOU WILL HAVE TO PRESENT THEM TO THE IMMIGRATION INSPECTOR UPON YOUR ARRIVAL.
Document Processing at the Airport
(See below for airport information)
On your international flight to the U.S., the plane's flight attendant will distribute I-94 Arrival/Departure Forms to non-immigrants. You should complete the white form (NOT the green form, for tourists from certain countries eligible for a 90-day visit without a visa—These forms may have been computerized; therefore, the color-coding may have changed). The immigration inspector will need to see your visa page, and the SEVIS I-20 Form, if you are coming to the U.S. on an F-1 student visa, as well as your receipt, indicating payment of the SEVIS fee. She/he should add a notation stating "admitted as F-1 for D/S". D/S signifies "duration of status". If all is in order, you should be admitted for D/S, rather than before a specific date. It is important that the inspector stamp, with blue ink, the top right corner of page 3, which is known as the "student copy".
[The foregoing procedure may have changed, since this information is currently being entered into the database by the inspector.]
Individuals with a J-1 Exchange Visitor student visa should be admitted with a notation, on the white I-94 card, that says "admitted as J-1 for D/S".
Dependent(s): If you are coming with your spouse and/or child(ren), then the same attentiveness applies to how his/her/their admission is processed. (A) dependent(s) of F-1 students should enter as "F-2 for D/S" and (a) dependent(s) of J-1 students as "J-2 for D/S".
** It is to your advantage to know what to expect, and to be mindful of what occurs. Immigration inspectors see many people in the course of any given day, and one must allow for human error. Some inspectors may be less familiar with student documents than others are. Getting your documents processed properly, at the time you arrive, is extremely important. Although it may not appear significant, the I-94 card is the most important immigration document you will possess. It is the only document with a record of the status under which you were admitted to the United States, the date on which you entered, and at which port of entry. It is difficult and expensive to replace, and you are advised to make a photocopy of it and to keep it in a safe place. You may wish to staple it into your passport. Be aware of the fact that if you don't have a red or blue USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Service) stamp on your I-20 or DS-2019, or some other indication of your status record, you will not be able to apply for a Social Security Number (SSN).
On January 23, 2007, citizens of the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Bermuda who arrive in the United States by air will be required to present a passport to enter the U.S. These requirements for the use of passports for those arriving by land or sea will be published at a later date.
Airports
John F. Kennedy (JFK)
718-244-4444
Queens, NY
La Guardia (LGA)
718-533-3400
Queens, NY
Newark Intl (EWR)
973-961-6000
Newark, NJ
White Plains (HPN)
914-813-7711
North White Plains, NY
Getting to Campus
After you have been cleared by customs at the airport, you will need to be transported to the Sarah Lawrence campus. When you follow the signs to Ground Transportation, there will be options for taxis, buses and vans. Additionally, there is now a train from Newark Airport to Penn Station in New York City. The best service is provided by Westchester Express (you may need to make arrangements in advance). Look for service phones at Ground Transportation and dial "21", or use a pay phone or cell phone, and dial 1-800-698-1681 (All 800, 877 and 888 numbers are free call numbers). Let the dispatcher know how much luggage you have, and whether you want to ride in a van or a car.
You may also choose a taxi service or a yellow cab. Dispatchers are available to insure that you get a legitimate taxi service. Tell the dispatcher where your destination is located, and request an estimate of the charge to that location.
Sarah Lawrence College also utilizes the services of a number of cab companies located near the College. You may wish to call, in advance, to book your reservation. You will probably be asked to pay for the tolls (about $9), and sometimes parking (about $5) as well. The cost of gratuities should fall between 15% and 20% of the total fare amount, depending on the company used. Some information on transportation services is listed below:
- Bronxville Depot Taxi
(914) 337-8311
(877) 337-8311
Fax: (914) 337-8327
Services from JFK - $70, from Newark - $81, from La Guardia - $57, plus tolls and gratuities. One fare per trip for up to five people.
Open 5am-2am.
- Break To The Border
(914) 664-4444
(800) 520-0666
Services from JFK - $60, from Newark - $70, from La Guardia - $45, plus tolls and gratuities. Rides to Westchester Airport and Midtown Manhattan are available at $45.
- Bronxville Limousine Service
(914) 423-8020
Services from JFK - $65, from Newark - $75, from La Guardia - $55, plus tolls, parking and gratuities.
- Eastchester Limo
(914) 337-3727
Services from JFK - $78, from Newark - $90, from La Guardia - $62, plus tolls, gratuities and $3 surcharge.
- Excel
(914) 668-7433
Services from JFK - $65, from Newark - $85, from La Guardia - $55, plus tolls, 20% gratuity, 10% service charge and parking.
- Home & Away Car Service
914-964-9300
JFK $40
HPN $65
LGA $30
EWR $90
- Metro Airport and Limo
1-888-235-6387, 914-654-0079, 914-592-3277
www.metrolimoinc.com
JFK $70
HPN $55
LGA $60
EWR $85
- Super Shuttle
(212) 258-3826
Door-to-door van service that picks you up 2.5 hours prior to departure time. Rates range from $13 to $22. Discounts available for additional passengers in the same party. See On-line reservations for exact quotes. http://www.supershuttle.com/htm/cities/nyc.htm
- New York Airport Service
15 Second Ave Brooklyn, NY 11215
718-875-8200
JFK 1 Way $15 JFK Round Trip $27
LGA 1 Way $12 LGA Round Trip $21
Pick up from Grand Central Station. Student discount available if purchased at Grand Central Terminal office, 125 Park Ave b/w 41st and 42nd everyday 9-5.
- Newark Airport Express
www.coachusa.com
349 First Street Elizabeth, NJ 07206
877-863-9275
Service to EWR. Pick up at Grand Central, Penn Station and Port Authority Bus Terminal. Fares are $19 Round Trip, $12 One way. Tickets may be purchased from the driver, from the PATB Airport Bus Center, or reserved online.
When you place a call to the dispatcher, make sure you give ALL of the following information - Flight Number, Time of Arrival, Name of Airline, City of Departure and Name of Airport. Do NOT accept a ride from any unauthorized cab driver who offers you one. Some of these drivers are not properly licensed, and are likely to charge you more money than you should have to pay. Westchester Express will take you to the Westlands Gate at Sarah Lawrence College.
When you arrive at the gate, the Orientation Crew will be waiting there to direct you to your housing (This option is available for Opening Day only; at all other times, you will have to transport your items to your room without the crew's help).
Mandatory Immigration Registration with the OMIA
Immigration law, and other USCIS regulations, require international students to report to the OMIA soon after arrival in New York. This means that we must inspect, and keep a copy of, your documents, and collect information, including your local address. We request that you report to the OMIA, or to the International Student Advisor, with your original documents within 10 days of arrival at Sarah Lawrence College.
OMIA Listserv
After you have arrived at the College, registered for classes, and activated a Sarah Lawrence College e-mail account, you will receive periodic SLC and/or OMIA announcements and reminders. The OMIA Listserv is automatically sent to registered international students at Sarah Lawrence College. The OMIA urges all students to make frequent reference to these e-mails, as they are our primary vehicle for distributing timely, and important, information concerning visa, immigration, and related matters - as well as social activities. If you have not received e-mails from OMIA within a few weeks of your arrival on campus, please contact us, so that we may check to make certain that you are properly included on the list of recipients.
The OMIA Director, and the International Student Advisor(s), are available to assist you with any questions you may have. If you wish to contact us, please do not hesitate to send a message to us at ddumas@slc.eduandsbe@slc.edufor undergraduates; ddumas@slc.edu and acoronel@slc.edu for graduate students. Looking forward to your arrival on campus.
Sincerely,
Daphne Dumas
Associate Dean for Multicultural and International Affairs (OMIA)