July 26, 2023 Update:
The ISS Office has updated the Visa Clearance process to separate items that can be submitted prior to arrival from the I-94 which cannot be submitted until after arrival.
As a result the I-94 document retrieval and submission is moved to a new final step in the Visa Clearance Process.
Overview
After you've arrived in the U.S. you should have access to all the documents needed to complete the Visa Clearance Document Check, which will make sure all your documents are in order and add the documents to your records in our system.
Preparing Your Documents for Submission
The ISS Office requires readable but small sized documents to upload to your files.
Scan or take readable quality digital photos of the following immigration documents with your camera, smartphone, tablet, or scanner:
Please do not use HD, bmp, jpg-large, or HEIC format images.
Total file size for all documents should be under 4MB and still readable at 100% zoom.
For F-1 Students:
- I-20 * must be signed and dated by student on page 1
- Passport biographical page
- F-1 Visa (except Canadian citizens)
- GA offer letter (if applicable)
For J-1 Students:
- DS-2019 *must be signed and dated by student on page 1
- Passport biographical page
- J-1 Visa (except Canadian citizens)
- A completed J-1 Health Insurance Provider Certification Form if you have not submitted it yet. Other documents will not be accepted.
- GA offer letter (if applicable)
Following the provided naming convention makes it easier for the member of our office to check on your documents in a timely manner.
Please name your documents with the following naming convention:
LASTNAME_Item_yyyymmdd.ext
(where ext is the file extension: jpg, png, pdf, etc.)
Examples:
John Smith who is submitting his documents on January 5th, 2022 would submit his passport under the filename:
SMITH_Passport_20220105.jpg
Jane Doe who is submitting her documents on August 1st, 2022 would submit her I-20 under the filename:
DOE_I-20_20220801.pdf
Submitting your Documents via UH FileDrop
UH FileDrop is a University of Hawaii Secure File Transfer site that allows UH member to make files available to download for other users for a limited time before securely deleting them from the site.
We recommend the use of UH FileDrop to transfer files to ISS while also removing the files from the internet after a time.
- Go to the UH FileDrop website.
- Log in as a UH User.
After logging in you will be presented with the Upload Details page. Sender should automatically be filled in with your UH Username.
Please make sure to enter the following information in the fields:
UH FileDrop Recipient Field
1. For Recipient: issstaff@hawaii.edu
Please note: failure to send files to the correct email will create delays in the processing of your files.
2. For Required Authentication: Make sure that Yes is selected.
UH FileDrop Expiration Timer
3. For Expiration Timer: Set this to the maximum number of days, 14 days
After 14 days the files will no longer be available for download ensuring that it cannot be accessed by anyone after they are needed.
UH FileDrop Optional Message Field
4. For Optional message: Please type in
"F-1/J-1 Visa Clearance Documents for [Your Last Name], [Your First Name]"
where F-1 or J-1 is the visa type you are under.
Example: "F-1 Visa Clearance Documents for Doe, John"
5. Click on Proceed to go to the File Upload Page.
After filling out the details page you will proceed to the file upload page.
UH FileDrop Upload Page
Please make sure that the name listed in the red box for the recipient is issstaff@hawaii.edu
Click the Choose File button to select a file on your device to upload to UH FileDrop.
Please include the following items in your upload(s):
For F-1 Students:
- I-20 * must be signed and dated by student on page 1
- Passport biographical page
- F-1 Visa (except Canadian citizens)
- GA offer letter (if applicable)
For J-1 Students:
- DS-2019 *must be signed and dated by student on page 1
- Passport biographical page
- J-1 Visa (except Canadian citizens)
- A completed J-1 Health Insurance Provider Certification Form if you have not submitted it yet. Other documents will not be accepted.
- GA offer letter (if applicable)
UH FileDrop only allows 1 File per field and 5 Files maximum per transaction. If you have more than 5 files please consider using the ZIP archive format (.zip) to compile documents together into one file.
At this time we only accept regular zip format for compiled groups of files. If you cannot compile files into a zip please send any addition files after 5 in another FileDrop submission and add to your optional message that your submission is part 1 of 2, or part 2 of 2, etc.
After all files are selected Click the Start Upload button to upload your files.
Upon completion you will be taken to a page with the link to your FileDrop and you should receive a confirmation email that your FileDrop has been send to the recipient you have chosen.
Remember only you and the recipient can only the FileDrop.
What's Next?
The step after submitting your documents to the designated ISS Manoa email you will need to update your U.S. address and phone number information so that the ISS Office has that information to register your SEVIS record.