Journey to the US | MUSC

Once you have your J-1 visa, you can travel to the United States up to 30 days before the start date of your J-1 program. We strongly recommend that you take advantage of this entire grace period prior to the program. During this period, you can find accommodation, meet all university onboarding requirements, apply for a Social Security number (which you must do in person), and settle in the United States.

Entry into the USA

There are certain documents you should carry with you when you travel – do not leave them in your luggage. If your baggage is lost or delayed, you will not be able to show the documents to Customs and Border Protection and may not be able to enter the United States.

Documents to take with you:

• Passport with J-1 visa
• Form DS-2019
• Program offer letter and proof of financial means

A visa enables a foreign citizen coming from abroad to travel to a port of entry in the United States and apply for permission to enter the United States. You should be aware that a visa does not guarantee entry into the United States. The Department of Homeland Security, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials have the authority to permit or deny entry into the United States.

When you arrive at the port of entry, you will be asked to provide the reason for entering the United States. You will also be asked to provide information about your final destination. Once your inspection is complete, the inspection officer will stamp your passport and send your DS-2019 form back to you.

If you arrive at a US port of entry and you do not have all of your signed required documents, or if you have an issue with SEVIS status, the CBP officer may refuse your entry into the United States. Alternatively, the CBP agent may, at their own discretion, issue you with a Form I-515A. This document entitles you to temporary registration in the USA for 30 days. To maintain your J-1 nonimmigrant status, you must address Form I-515A within the time allotted to you. If you receive a Form I-515A upon entry into the United States, you must notify the Center for Global Health immediately.

I-94 record

Every time you enter the United States, you will be issued an I-94 admissions record (also known as an I-94 arrival record, or simply I-94 record). The I-94 record is important because it serves as evidence of what nonimmigrant status you received when you last entered the United States and how long you can legally reside in the United States.

Most I-94 records are issued electronically. This means you won’t get a paper I-94 log unless you arrive at a country port. You need to access your I-94 record online CBP I-94 website and save / print the I-94 record for your own records. We recommend that you print out every I-94 data record and also save an electronic copy. Remember, you will be issued a new I-94 record every time you enter the United States. Therefore, you must go to the I-94 website and get your I-94 record immediately after each entry into the US.

In your I-94 data set, J-1 should be listed as an approval class. Your I-94 record should include D / S for your admission-to-date, which means “duration of status”. You’ll also need to check your I-94 record to make sure your biographical information (name, date of birth, country, passport number) is correct. It is extremely important that the information in your I-94 record is correct. If you find an error in your I-94 record, contact the Center for Global Health.

Arrival at MUSC

Upon arrival in Charleston, you will be very busy settling in in the US and doing all of the screening, orientation, staffing, and other required tasks before beginning your program at MUSC.

It is extremely important that you complete J-1 check-in at the Center for Global Health upon arrival so that your J-1 SEVIS record can be validated. See the J-1 mandatory check-in Page for more information on this process. Please note that you need to arrange your J-1 check-in appointment in advance. We recommend making this appointment as soon as you know the date of your arrival in the US.

You will need to contact the administrative contact in your sponsoring MUSC department for more information on other required tasks, such as: You will find the name of the administrative contact person in your department in the initial letter of offer you signed for the J-1 program. You will need to contact your sponsoring MUSC department, for example to obtain a MUSC NetID / email address and ID.