The following information was provided in a 17 May 1995 telephone interview with an officer with Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) at John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport in New York, and is not specific to a particular country's travellers.

Passengers going through immigration at JFK are asked questions by immigration officers, who have perhaps some 30 different questions which may be asked, depending on the answers provided by the individual passenger. The more common questions refer to the purpose and duration of the stay in the US. The immigration officer also has to ensure that the passenger has legally landed in the US.

At the immigration desk, the passenger arriving from abroad shows his/her passport and visa, if a visa is required. Occasionally the passenger may be asked to show his/her plane ticket if s/he is in transit at JFK. The passenger's documents will be examined to ensure that all relevant documents are held by the passenger. For example, a student must hold a student visa, whereas a tourist must hold a tourist visa. The
I-94 form, which is an arrival/departure record, must also be shown to the immigration officer. A portion of the I-94 form is kept by the INS and a portion is affixed to the passenger's passport. Upon the passenger's departure from the US, the I-94 form portion will be removed from his/her passport and his/her departure noted.

Additional information on INS procedures at JFK can be found in Responses to Information Requests USA18782.E of 31 October 1994, USA14646 of 7 July 1993 and USA12769.E of 28 January 1993, all of which are available at Regional Documentation Centres.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.

Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York. 17 May 1995. Telephone interview with an officer.