I was at home in Bangladesh, and my flight back to Clark was in 6 hours. I had just finished stuffing the last remaining pair of socks into my overflowing suitcase, when I decided to do one final round of checks. I reached into the front pocket of my backpack, which is where I always keep my most important documents – passport, I-20 and DS I-94.
Except this time, instead of the all so familiar pink cover page of my I-20, I only found my passport, which I had put there a couple hours earlier. In a moment, everything was turned upside down. I was turning every paper in my room, shaking up dust bunnies and freaking out my dogs in the process. Everyone in my house searched every available inch of space, but my I-20 did not turn up.
Throughout the entire search, worst-case scenarios kept flashing through my mind. Me, standing at Boston Logan empty-handed, as organized students filed through immigration, carrying their documents in yellow, official-looking envelopes. Me, trying to explain myself to immigration agents but forgetting how to speak English. Me being kept in a hold-up cell overnight until the next flight back to Dubai took off.
Frantically, I tried Googling what would happen if I lost my I-20 at immigration. The internet was devoid of any helpful advise, as at that moment it seemed like I was the only person careless enough to misplace their I-20 last second. Most people, including someone who worked at the US Embassy in Bangladesh, suggested re-booking the flight, or contacting the school for a new I-20, none of which was a viable option for me.
Suddenly, I remembered my friend Arslan, who did not even know about the existence of a document called the I-20 until immigration officials asked him to provide his. He provided the clue to what would happen if you didn’t have your I-20 – you would be given a temporary form called the Form I-515. Some research on the I-515 revealed that according to the Homeland Security, the I-515 is a form given to students who forgot to get their I-20 signed, or the I-20 itself. If you enter with the I-515, you will get thirty days time, within which you will have to mail your updated I-20, I-94 and the Form I-515 back to immigration officials.
That is not to say that it is okay to be careless about the I-20, as I still had to go through considerable stress, and more importantly because immigration officials still have every right to deny entry if they are not convinced. If you are unlucky enough to have to brave immigration without proper documents, make sure you have other proofs of enrollment, such as transcripts, tuition receipts, and the Form I-94. Fortunately for me, my I-20 turned up at the last moment from a mysterious location.
