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I am a student from China. I'm going to attend Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA. I have planned my itinerary, where I will first take a flight from Shanghai to Los Angeles, then I will take another flight from LA to Pittsburgh (layover in Boston). Is there any issue at port of entry with this schedule?

bdl10
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  • Adding the actual time schedule will be helpful. It's very normal to make connecting flights. You'll clear US Customs and Immigrations on arrival in Los Angeles. – Jim MacKenzie Apr 13 '18 at 03:48
  • You may enter at any airport of entry, unless your visa has an annotation to the contrary. – Michael Hampton Apr 13 '18 at 04:05

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Because the USA does immigration at your first port of entry rather than at your destination, the immigration officers in LA (for example) are quite used to processing someone going to school in Louisiana or Nebraska or Pennsylvania.

They also know that airport pricing and hub structures have no rational basis in geography, so one can occasionally get a cheaper flight to San Francisco from Tokyo by flying to New York first.

And as Zach Lipton notes, you’re allowed to enter 30 days before your program begins. Some people use this to find an apartment and settle down but many others do a little sight seeing. This is perfectly allowable.

Don’t overthink it. As long as you have your tickets or a planned itinerary that show you’ll be going to the college city eventually, you’re good.

RoboKaren
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    +1. You're also allowed to enter the US up to 30 days before your program start date, so it's not uncommon for students to visit other parts of the country before making their way to wherever the school is. – Zach Lipton Apr 13 '18 at 03:36