USA · CHAPTER 12
Your first weeksin the USA.
After arriving, download your I-94 record and check it, report to your international student office so your SEVIS record is activated, enrol full-time, open a bank account and get a US phone number. Apply for a Social Security Number only once you have a job offer.
Published by Althéa Consulting · Adviser: Harshita Kohli
Source review: · How to use our guides
The steps
- 01
Check your I-94
Confirm your class of admission and admit-until date.
- 02
Report to the international office
They register you in SEVIS; missing this risks your status.
- 03
Enrol full-time
Maintain full-time enrolment every term.
- 04
Bank and phone
Student accounts and prepaid plans are easiest.
- 05
SSN when employed
Needed for on-campus or OPT jobs.
IN DEPTH · TAP A TOPIC TO OPEN
First month
- 01
Check-in with the international office
Your SEVIS record must be activated by the start date.
- 02
Phone and bank
A prepaid or postpaid SIM; open a bank account with your passport, I-20 and university letter.
- 03
Social Security number
Apply once you have an on-campus job offer; needed for payroll.
- 04
Build credit
A secured or student credit card used carefully builds a credit score for renting and loans later.
- 05
Get a state ID
Useful so you do not carry your passport daily.
QUICK ANSWERS
Your questions, answered.
Only if you work. Apply after you get an on-campus job or authorised work; you cannot get one just to open a bank account.
WHERE TO GO NEXT
Keep going: the pages that help next.
Each card says what you will find there. Looking for something else? See every page on the site.
USA GUIDE
Housing & student life
On-campus dorms, graduate housing and off-campus shared apartments in the USA: costs, leases, deposits and roommate tips.
USA GUIDE
Health insurance & banking
University health insurance for international students in the USA, waivers, campus clinics, opening a bank account and phone plans.
USA GUIDE
Safety, wellbeing & emergencies
911, the 988 crisis line, campus counselling, the Embassy and consulates of India, and the scams that target F-1 students in the United States.
FRANCE
First 30 days in France
Your first month in France, day by day: permit validation, bank, SIM, CAF and transport.
FROM INDIA
Scams & emergencies abroad
Study abroad fraud warnings for Indian students: fake agents, offer letters and visas, forex and job scams, plus lost passports and emergencies abroad.
TOOL
Compare countries
Compare countries on fees, living costs, visa rules and post-study work, in one table.
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