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If you are traveling outside the U.S. you must come to the International Student
Office with the following documents BEFORE you travel
Your I-20 must be endorsed, i.e., signed for travel at least once a year. Depending
upon your travel plans the foreign student advisor may determine to endorse your
I-20 before the one (1) year period has expired. NOTE: ONLY foreign student
advisors may sign your I-20 for travel. Please check the monthly newsletter for
the announcement regarding signature, i.e., endorsement times. If you need a signature,
i.e., endorsement for travel, please email one of the foreign student advisors to
make an appointment.
Please note: If you are traveling through a country to catch a connecting flight,
you may require a transit visa. BEFORE purchasing a ticket you should check
the itinerary to see what countries, if any, you will be transferring through. If
you require a transit visa you should plan to apply to the necessary country’s consulates
in either New York or Washington, D.C. at least one (1) month before your planned
departure. Finally, most consulates require a personal interview. Please check the
consulate’s website before traveling to acquire the transit visa so you have all
the required documents, signatures and acceptable payment method.
Finally, if your visa has expired, i.e., no longer valid, you should make the
necessary arrangements while at home to renew your student visa (F-1). If you do
not renew your expired student visa BEFORE returning to the U.S., you will
be denied reentry to the U.S. at the port of entry. If you are planning to renew
your expired visa you should make an appointment at the International Student Office
one (1) month BEFORE your departure.
Please note:
- US visas may NOT be either renewed or revalidated in the U.S.
NOTE: Students from Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Sudan and Syria should
NOT travel outside the U.S. to any country on an expired visa unless
they intend to return to the country which initially issued the student visa
in order to obtain a renewal.
- Students may travel with an expired U.S. student visa to Canada, Mexico
and certain Caribbean countries. Please note: BEFORE traveling the student
MUST check in with the International Student Office at least one (1)
month BEFORE departing to either one of the countries listed above. The
student MUST bring the following to the International Student Office:
- His or her passport
- His or her I-20.
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Further, the student should note:
- He or she may have to apply for a tourist visa for one of the countries
listed above
- The student may NOT apply for a renewal of his or her student visa to the
U.S. consulate while in one of the countries listed above. If the student does
attempt to apply for a renewal of his or her student visa at a U.S. consulate
in one of the countries listed above and is denied, he or she will not be allowed
to reenter the U.S. and MUST return to his or her home country from which he
or she made the attempt.
Traveling While on Optional Practical Training (OPT)
- On December 12th, 2005 The
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published these responses:
15.2.N Can I reenter
if my request for OPT is pending?
Yes, you may reenter to search for employment.
- 15.2.O Can I reenter if I left while on OPT?
If your OPT has been approved and you depart before you get a job, your OPT ends
and you cannot reenter. If you have a job, you may travel and reenter to resume
work at the same job.
(SEVP Operating Instruction – F Nonimmigrants: Entry and Exit - Dated: 12/15/2004)
What these responses from DHS mean is that students on OPT who have a PENDING OPT may reenter the US to search for an employer. However, if the student has been approved by the US Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) for an OPT period
AND has no employer he should not travel outside the US. It appears now that the DHS rule is that travel should only be considered by the student on OPT if he possesses a position at a company. Further, if he travels, he
MUST return to that company upon his return to the US.
Finally, the student MUST still have:
- His I-20 signed by the International Student Advisor
- A valid Visa
- An Employment Authorization Document (EAD) – further the student should carry:
- Pay slips
- Letter from his employer stating he is going on the trip and is expected to return to his position on a set date.
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