You can arrive in the United States 30 days before your start date.
As an international student, it is important to know when you can arrive in the United States. Your I-2o will have dates for orientation and when classes start. You can enter up to 30 days prior to your program’s start date according to U.S. immigration. You will be turned away at immigration if you arrive more than 30 days before your start date. Your student visa can also be cancelled.
This time allows you time to adjust to the new environment and get settled. What should do you in those 30 days?
- Get moved into your apartment
- Do orientation
- Get to know the area
- Travel around the USA
The 30-day window applies to F-1 and J-1 visa holders. For students on F-1 visas, the 30-day period starts from the start date listed on the I-20 form, which is issued by your school. For J-1 visa holders, the start date listed on the DS-2019 form is used for calculation. It’s essential that you do not arrive earlier than 30 days before the start date; arriving earlier could lead to complications at the border and delay your entry.
If you travel, do your research. The US is large and it can take hours to drive from city to city. No, you cannot drive from New York to Los Angeles in one day. A university in Oregon had a student fly into Las Vegas thinking they could have a fun weekend and drive to class on Monday. The problem though is that it is over 12 hours to drive from Vegas to even the border of Oregon.
The United States is beautiful, and you are encouraged to travel.