For international students and their families
Students come to America for an opportunity. We help them build a stable life around it.
Housing, arrival, banking, phones, food, school deadlines, healthcare and family updates — organized into one personal plan, with a real person to help you move it forward.
Starting with international student-athletes. Built for every international student.
Example plan
Student-athlete arriving in Florida
Before arrival
Confirm your travel document checklist with your school
Owner: Your school
Plan your airport arrival
Owner: You
Confirm what athletics needs before your first practice
Owner: Your school
First 72 hours
Let your family know you've arrived
Owner: You
Get your phone working in the US
Owner: You
Plan your first grocery run
Owner: You
Why we exist
You got the opportunity. Then came everything else.
A bank account. A grocery run. A ride to an appointment. Knowing who to call when the school says “you'll need to figure that out.” We bring those loose ends together.
Housing and move-in
Know where you'll sleep, how to get your keys, and what to bring.
Airport arrival
A plan from the gate to your front door, with a backup.
Transportation
Getting to class, practice, groceries and appointments.
Banking and documents
Organized checklists, and the right office for official answers.
Phone and internet
Comparing plans and getting connected in your first days.
Food and groceries
Meal plans, grocery runs, and food that fits your needs.
School calendars
Deadlines, payment dates and breaks, all in one place.
Healthcare navigation
Knowing where to go before you need it.
Family communication
Updates your family can see, only when you choose to share.
Breaks and travel
Where to stay, eat and fly when campus closes.
Transfers and surprises
A steady hand when plans change or something goes wrong.
Belonging
Finding your people and the right person to ask.
How it works
Support for every stage of your first year.
Arrive with a plan, not a pile of questions.
- Housing and move-in details
- Airport arrival and a backup ride
- Document checklist confirmed with your school
- Athletics requirements, if you're a student-athlete
Get the basics working, fast.
- Phone, groceries and room essentials
- Bank appointment preparation
- A plan for getting around
- Key contacts and school dates saved
Someone in your corner when life changes.
- School breaks and travel plans
- Healthcare navigation and injuries
- Transfers and unexpected problems
- Belonging, routines and next year
Step 1
Tell us about your move
School, city, arrival date, housing, transport, food and what worries you most.
Step 2
Get your America Care Plan
Practical tasks with dates, owners and checklists — each one explains why it's there.
Step 3
Ask for help when you need it
Send a Help Me request from any task. Your coordinator replies in your portal.
For students
Your life. Your plan.
Build independence without carrying every unfamiliar problem alone. Your plan turns a big move into manageable next steps.
What students getFor families
Close, even from far away.
Know the important things are coming together — through updates your student chooses to share, without tracking their every move.
How family updates workThe America Care Plan
More than a checklist.
Your plan is built from your answers using clear, written rules. Every task has a due date, an owner, a checklist and an “Ask for help” button.
Organized by timeline
Before arrival, first 72 hours, first 30 days, first semester and first year.
Clear ownership
Each task says who's responsible: you, your coordinator, your school or a provider.
Transparent reasons
“You told us your housing isn't confirmed yet” — so you always know why a task is there.
Changes with you
Update your arrival date and open tasks move with it. Your coordinator can add tasks too.
Example plan
Student-athlete arriving in Florida
Before arrival
Confirm your travel document checklist with your school
Owner: Your school
Plan your airport arrival
Owner: You
Confirm what athletics needs before your first practice
Owner: Your school
First 72 hours
Let your family know you've arrived
Owner: You
Get your phone working in the US
Owner: You
Plan your first grocery run
Owner: You
First 30 days
Make a plan for getting around
Owner: You
Prepare to open a US bank account
Owner: You
30-day check-in
Owner: Your coordinator
Built from lived experience
Our founder, Dennis Rocha, is a Canadian student-athlete at Southeastern University in Florida. Junior college, a transfer, banking and document confusion, car trouble, injuries far from home — he's lived the first year.
Read our storyHonest boundaries
Knowing where our help ends matters.
What we do
- Organize the practical side of your move into one plan
- Coordinate, remind and follow up during service hours
- Point you to the right official office or qualified professional
- Keep your family informed — only with your permission
What we don't do
- Give immigration, legal, tax, medical or financial advice
- Promise visa approval, housing, scholarships or roster spots
- Provide emergency response — in an emergency, call 911
- Track your location or share anything you haven't approved
Questions
Good questions. Clear answers.
Who is First Year America for?+
International students starting life in the United States, and the families supporting them. We're starting with international student-athletes, but our support is for international students of every kind.
Do you help with visas or immigration?+
No. Immigration questions belong with your school's international student office and qualified immigration professionals. We help you stay organized and know which office to ask — we never promise visa outcomes.
Can you guarantee housing, scholarships or a roster spot?+
No. We help you plan and coordinate, but we can't guarantee housing availability, scholarships, roster spots or any decision made by a school or third party.
What can my family see?+
Only what the student chooses to share, one category at a time — for example arrival confirmation or selected school dates. Everything is private by default. Support conversations, internal notes, documents and location are never shared.
Is this an emergency service?+
No. We respond during service hours. In an emergency in the US, call 911, and for campus emergencies call campus police or security.
How is my care plan created?+
From your onboarding answers, using clear written rules — for example, if your housing isn't confirmed, your plan includes securing housing. Each task tells you why it's there. We don't use AI to decide official requirements.
Are third-party costs included in the price?+
Some are. The Arrival Bundle includes your airport ride, a bedding and toiletries starter kit, your first month of phone service and two weeks of getting around. Rent, meal plans, groceries, insurance and other costs are paid directly to those providers, and we give you a written estimate before arrival.
Start with a plan you can actually follow.
Answer a few questions and see your personalized America Care Plan, organized by timeline, in about ten minutes.