CISP

How to Travel while studying in U.S

How to Travel while studying in U.S

We understand that many students have questions about traveling over the breaks. We have prepared the following information to help you to decide what to do when making plans to travel. If you have any questions concerning travel that are not addressed in this information, please make an appointment to speak with one of our international advisors.  Note: At all times, your passport must be valid (unexpired). It must be valid 6 months into the future of the date of your return to the U.S.
 

What to take with you

To be extra cautious you should make several copies of your documents, such as, your passport ID pages, visa stamp,  Form I-20 and I-94. Keep one set of copies in your carry-on baggage and carry one set of copies in your checked baggage. Of course you also need to carry the original documents with you on your person.

If you are a current student and you have a valid visa in your passport and you wish to travel outside the U.S.:

  • Request a travel validation signature on your current Form I-20 
  • Take an unofficial copy of your transcripts or a printout of your previous semester coursework from your CampusNet account and carry it with you. You may never need to show these documents, but it doesn't hurt to have them with you.
  • Ensure your passport is valid.
  • You DO NOT need a letter from our office for travel as everything can be checked by any consular or immigration official in SEVIS itself.
  • If you are traveling outside the USA to somewhere other than your home country (even as a transit passenger), please make sure that you have all documents that you need to enter that country, i.e., a visa for that country. 

If you are a current student and you will need to apply for a new visa when you return home:

  • If anything on your Form I-20 has changed (including a financial change) the CISP will need to make you a new I-20 and you should provide current financial documentation. (You do NOT need a new I-20 if all the information is current). To request a new Form I-20 please visit the CISP Portal.
  • If your financial documentation is more than one year old, you must obtain new financial documents to present to the CISP if there is a change. You will also need these new financials to present at the U. S. embassy when you apply for a visa.
  • If your I-20 requires a change, we will advise you when the new Form I-20 is ready. 
  • Take copies of your transcripts and class registration if possible.
  • Take the I-20, financial documentation and your transcripts to apply for an F-1 visa at the U.S. embassy or consulate in your home country http://usembassy.state.gov
  • Your passport must be valid 6 months in to the future from the date of your return to the U.S.
  • You DO NOT need a letter from our office as any consular or immigration official has access to SEVIS.
  • Plan wisely during high volume periods of visa appointments, such as summer. 

You are currently an F-1 student who is on Optional Practical Training:

Since students who are on OPT continue to be in F-1 status the same criteria, indicated above, for travel applies to you, with the following exceptions:

  • You MUST carry your EAD (work permission) card with you along with your I-20 when you  re-enter the USA.
  • Instead of carrying transcripts and class registrations materials, you should carry a recent pay stub or a letter for the company that you are working for. Regulations require that students on OPT who enter the U.S. must have a job.
  • If you need to apply for an F-1 visa because yours has expired, there is never a guarantee that you will receive a visa. CISP cannot guarantee this and neither can anyone else.

*** Remember that your dependents who now carry their own I-20s must also receive a signature from our office on their I-20 if they travel outside the country and wish to return.
  

If you are traveling to Canada or Mexico or adjacent Caribbean Islands and you are not a citizen of one of those countries:

Before you depart for Canada or Mexico, please determine if you require a Canadian or Mexican visa based on your passport. You may find this information at:
Canadian embassy:www.canadianembassy.org
Mexican embassy: www.embassyofmexico.org

Adjacent Islands are defined as: Saint Pierre, Miquelon, The Dominican Republic, Haiti, Bermuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Jamaica, the Windward and Leeward Islands, Trinidad, Martinique and other British, French and Netherlands territories or possessions in or bordering on the Caribbean Sea.

F-1 students and their dependents who travel to either Canada or Mexico and adjacent Caribbean Islands and do not stay for more than 30 days may return with an expired U.S. visa under The Automatic Extension of Validity Process and still maintain their F-1 status.

Citizens or nationals of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Syria and the Sudan may not exercise The Automatic Extension of Validity Process.

If a non-immigrant F or J applies for a visa in Canada or Mexico and is not a home resident of the country in which he/she applies and he/she is denied, he/she will NOT be allowed to return to the U.S. under The Automatic Extension of Validity Process. Therefore it is not advisable to apply for a visa in Canada or Mexico, as you will most likely be denied and unable to return to the U.S.
 

To return to the U.S. in valid F-1 status you should have with you

  • Your passport
  • A copy of your I-94
  • A signed Form I-20 with recent travel validation signture from a DSO
  • Proof that you have been maintaining valid F-1 status and intend to resume your studies (transcript, verification of enrollment letter, etc)  

 

Enjoy Your Trip!!!!