As a foreign student, it is important to ensure you have all required documentation when you arrive at a U.S. port of entry. If you do not have all required signed documents, have not paid the I-901 Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) Fee on your current Form I-20, “Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status,” or have a SEVIS status issue, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer may deny your entry into the United States. 

As an alternative, the officer may issue you a Form I-515A, “Notice to Student or Exchange Visitor.” The Form I-515A allows foreign students temporary admission into the United States for 30 days while you and your DSO address your documentation issues. This form tells you what required information you are missing and what you must do to maintain your foreign student status. 

If you receive a Form I-515A, you must: 

1. Alert your DSO as soon as you arrive on campus.
2. Review the two automated notification emails you receive from SEVP after being issued a Form I-515A.
3. Review the reason why the Form I-515A was issued with your DSO.
4. Work with your DSO to gather the following documentation to email to SEVP:
   1. Form I-515A,
   2. Signed Form I-20 or DS-2019,
   3. Form I-94, “Arrival/Departure Record,” with your Admission I-94 Record Number, and
   4. I-901 SEVIS Fee receipt for the SEVIS ID.
5. Email your required documents to the SEVP Form I-515A Processing Team at SEVIS.I-515@ice.dhs.gov within 30 days of your entry date. 

If you fail to complete any of these required actions, your SEVIS status may be terminated. 

SEVP will process your documents and will reply with your next steps. 

Reminder: As of June 26, 2024, students who receive a Form I-515A from a CBP officer will be instructed to email their required documentation instead of mailing the documents to SEVP. SEVP will no longer accept mailed documents to address a Form I-515A.