There are two types of I-94 records. They are both I-94s — they control your "stay" in the USA — but they are obtained in different ways. Please see our explanation of what an I-94 record is here.
To find your travel I-94 record, please read the instructions below under "Air Travel" (if you entered the US by airplane) or "Land Travel" (if you entered the US by land).
If you entered the US on an airplane from another country, you must access the electronic record (I-94) that was created at the moment you physically entered the USA. This moment is called "admission". (By the way, the conversation you had with a Customs and Immigration officer at the airport or land crossing prior to arriving in the USA — the "port of entry" — is called your "inspection").
If you enter the USA at a land crossing, you might receive either a paper I-94 record (hand-written by a government officer), or you might not receive any I-94 record at all. Since I-94 records are extremely important to demonstrate permission to work or research, if you are entering the USA in H-1B, J-1, E-3, TN or O-1 status, we recommend ensuring that you are issued an I-94 record during admission, either electronically or in paper form. You might need to park your car and enter into the Inspection Building to get the record.
The government is staffed by humans, and humans can make mistakes. The flight manifests that provide information to the government system often have data errors, also.
BUT — if an error is made on the I-94 record, the consequence affects you, not the person who made the mistake.
An error on your I-94 record can prevent you from completing necessary onboarding steps (if you are being employed by Purdue), prevent Purdue from paying wages to you, or even place you in unauthorized status so that Purdue needs to stop you from engaging in the activitities you are visiting Purdue to perform.
Therefore, it is incredibly important to access and read the electronic I-94 record every time you re-enter the USA. Every time you re-enter the USA, you should access the electronic I-94 record and verify that it is accurate. If you are traveling with family, you should also check each traveling family member's I-94 record too.
PISA is happy to assist and show you how to access the government's I-94 system, but ultimately, you need to be comfortable with the process of accessing your I-94 record.
Because the I-94 record is your personal admission record, the government expects you to request correction of errors within the record. Fortunately, the government is very responsive to requests for corrections.
If you want to talk with an International Scholar Services counselor before requesting the correction, please check our availability here.
All arriving J-1 Scholars must check-in with International Scholar Services to verify their arrival. This is the law.
The check-in procedure is —
All arriving foreign workers must check-in with International Scholar Services to verify their arrival.
The procedure consists of two parts:
If you are employed by Purdue University, your Department's business office must verify your employment eligibility using a government Form I-9. This is a legal requirement. There are strict deadlines on this task. (Visiting Scholars do NOT complete this task!)
Information about the I-9 Employment Verification process is here.
Usually, there are two parts to this process —
Most visa-holders (people who hold visas such as J-1 Research Scholar, J-1 Professor, J-1 Short-Term Scholar, J-1 Student Intern, J-1 Specialist, H-1B, H-1B1, E-3, TN or O-1) meet the I-9 requirement by providing an unexpired passport and their current I-94 record.
Everyone with Purdue privileges (faculty, staff, postdocs, and visiting scholars) are eligible for a Purdue University Identification Document (PUID). Purdue's Card Operations office is responsible for this.
If you hold J-1 visa status, you MUST check-in with our office before you attempt to obtain a PUID. Employees holding H-1B (H-1B1), E-3, TN or O-1 status do not need to check-in with ISS first.
The Social Security Administration (SSA) is the government agency responsible for administering several social insurance programs and issuing social security numbers (SSNs). An SSN is a unique, 9-digit identification number used for many purposes including employer payroll, tax, and credit history. United States employers are required to report any wages earned by an employee to the SSA using the employee’s SSN; therefore, all United States employees must have an SSN.
If Purdue University employs you, you must obtain an SSN.
For more general information about the SSA, please visit their website at www.ssa.gov. For information about foreign workers and Social Security Numbers, click here.
Typically, you only need an SSN if you will be employed in the United States. Dependents of scholars are not eligible for an SSN unless they obtain work authorization from the government.
However, many US organizations use SSNs to confirm credit history, such as cell phone companies, rental companies, and banks. If you do not have an SSN and you are asked for an SSN in order to check your credit history, explain that you are ineligible for an SSN and ask how you can apply for their services without one.
If an organization asks you to prove that you are ineligible for an SSN, the SSA can provide you with a “Letter of Social Security Number Ineligibility” that you can use as proof of ineligibility. If you plan to apply for an Indiana driver’s license with the Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) without an SSN, you will need this document.
If you are not employed by a US organization in the United States, you cannot obtain an SSN. However, you may obtain a Letter of Social Security Number Ineligibility. This document acts as proof of SSN ineligibility and can be used to apply for an Indiana Driver’s License.
To obtain a Letter of Social Security Number Ineligibility, fill out the application for an SSN (form SS-5) and write the word “WAIVER” at the top of the page. Send this application, along with a photocopy of your passport main page and your DS-2019/I-20/H1-B approval notice, to the Lafayette SSA office. You can either do this via mail or via their drop box located at their office during normal business hours. Their address is 10 S. Second Street, Lafayette, Indiana 47901.
Keep your Social Security Number private and secure. Simply by knowing your SSN, an identity thief might access your bank accounts, take out loans in your name, or take other adverse actions. Tips to keep your SSN and identity safe —
For more information on how to protect your identity, please see the SSA publication “Identity Theft and Your Social Security Number” here: www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10064.pdf
See also this SSA publication: https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10181.pdf
More info from SSA available on www.ssa.gov.
SSA Office Locator: https://secure.ssa.gov/ICON/main.jsp
The Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicle (BMV) is the state government agency responsible for regulating vehicles and licensing drivers. This is the bureau where you can apply for a driver’s license, driver’s permit, or Indiana state ID card.
These cards are often seen as the “standard” form of identification within the US and act as proof of identity in most situations. Exchange visitors are not required to apply for any of these cards, but it is something you might want to do, especially if you plan to drive within the US.
The BMV office located in the greater Lafayette area is at:
Lafayette BMV
2200 Elmwood Ave, Suite A6
Lafayette, IN
47904-2347
Phone: 888-692-6841
For more information about the Indiana BMV, visit their website at https://www.in.gov/bmv/licenses-permits-ids/learners-permits-and-drivers-licenses-overview/drivers-license/
Before arriving in the US, think about whether you intend to drive during your time here. If you wish to drive, you might be interested in an international driving permit. An international driving permit is a document you can obtain in your home country before you arrive in the US. It translates your current driver’s license into 10 different languages.
There are three different paths to driving legally within the US, depending on your situation:
You will first need to obtain a learner’s permit from the BMV. Follow the same instructions listed under “Obtaining your Indiana Driver’s License” below. Instead of receiving a driver’s license, you will receive a learner’s permit. This permit allows you drive when a licensed driver over the age of 25 is in the front seat with you. After holding this permit for 180 days, you can apply for a permanent driver’s license.
If you do not intend to drive while in the US, but would prefer to have an alternate ID that you can use instead of your passport, you can apply for an Indiana State ID through the BMV. To apply, take the same documents listed under the “Obtaining an Indiana Driver’s License” to the BMV and request a state ID. You do not need to take the written knowledge, vision screening, or driving skills tests to apply for this card.
For more information about the Indiana State ID, click https://www.in.gov/bmv/licenses-permits-ids/learners-permits-and-drivers-licenses-overview/identification-cards/.