Travel and Re-entry
Before leaving the United States to travel abroad, you should check your immigration documents.
To reenter the U.S., you will need the following documents to present at
Port of Entry (POE):
- Passport - original and valid through reentry date
- F-1 visa stamp - must be valid beyond your reentry date
(except for travel to certain contiguous countries and adjacent islands
under "Automatic Visa Revalidation"; Refer to ISSS Travel Advisory presentation);
and
- SEVIS I-20 - must bear a valid ISSS Advisor signature on page 3.
Reminders: Signatures are valid for a period of one year, provided you
maintain legal F-1 status through that one year period.
Make sure that your I-20 reflects the academic plan (major/program of study) that you are pursuing. If you officially change your academic plan, you will need to be issued a new I-20 stating the new academic plan.
Always check the program completion date on your I-20 (under item #5). If the completion date is coming up and you will not be completing your program by that date, visit ISSS for information on Program Extension.
Non immigrant visa fees going up!
The Dept. of State has announced that non-immigrant visa fees will be going up. Effective January 1, 2008, the application fee for a U.S. non-immigrant visa will increase from $100 to $131. Applicants who paid the prior $100 application fee before January 1 will be processed only if they are scheduled and appear for a visa interview before January 31. Applicants who paid the prior $100 application fee and appear for visa interviews after January 31, 2008 must pay the difference -- $31 -- before they will be interviewed.
Read the Dept. of State announcement for more information: http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2007/dec/97384.htm
If your F-1 visa stamp has expired and you are traveling to obtain a renewal visa from the U.S. Consulate in your home country, you must request a new I-20 from ISSS.
*On Wednesday Jan 18, 2006, Department of State released a cable to all diplomatic and consular posts entitled "Validity of Student Visas subsequent to a break in studies". A F1 student who has been out of the US in excess of 5 months or has been out of status for more than 5 months and reinstatement has not been granted must apply for a new visa, with a new Initial I-20 and pay the I-901 fee in accordance with INA 222§(g).*
To request a new I-20:
- Request a new I-20 by completing an ISSS Document Request Form.
- Attach proof of current financial funding meeting the annual estimated costs to your completed ISSS Document Request Form.
Acceptable financial documents:
- Official personal or sponsor's bank letter (If using a Sponsor, the sponsorship
and/or relationship with you must be included in the bank letter) OR
- If you are funded by a Graduate Assistantship, an ISSS Graduate
Scholarship & Stipend Form completed and signed by the Dean of the School
or College where your Academic department falls under, OR
- Current scholarship or educational loan certification (from an international
organization or home government)
- If you are requesting an I-20 for a Program Extension, you must also submit a fully
completed ISSS Academic Certification Form.
All REQUIRED forms and financial documents MUST be submitted at time of request. A completed ISSS Document Request Form, without required supporting documents, will not be accepted.
If all documentation is in order, ISSS processing time for I-20 requests is five (5) business days. Please be advised to plan ahead and request your I-20 in a timely manner.
Students traveling abroad to Restart F-1 status
If you are currently out-of-status and plan to travel abroad, you are strongly urged to meet with an ISSS Advisor for appropriate immigration advising.
You are REQUIRED to request a new I-20 issued for "Initial Attendance" under a new SEVIS number (record) even if you may have a valid F-1 visa stamp in your passport. Follow the appropriate procedures detailed earlier in this section to request your new I-20. You will also be subject to payment of the SEVIS (I-901) fee.
For students restarting on a Summer semester (I-20 issued with a Summer term entry date), you are required to enroll full-time for the Summer term. For undergraduate students, this mean enrollment for at least 12 credit hours and for graduate students, this means enrollment for at least 6 graduate-level credit hours.
Upon reentry, you must report to ISSS with your passport, new I-94, and I-20 in order for ISSS to document and confirm restart of your F-1 status.
Students approved a Change of Status (COS) to F-1 in the U.S.
If you have changed your status to F-1 in the U.S. since your initial entry and now wish to travel abroad to apply for an initial F-1 visa stamp, you will need to request a new I-20. You will also be subject to payment of the SEVIS (I-901) fee (implemented in September 2004).
Please be reminded that a COS to F-1 approval does NOT guarantee an approval of a visa application at a U.S. Consulate. Certain factors (ex., length of stay in the U.S. from date of COS approval, ties to your home country, any family members living in the U.S.) will affect your visa application. It is recommended that you meet with an ISSS Advisor before traveling abroad.
Additional important travel and reentry information is available in:
- ISSS Travel Advisory online presentation
- No More Biometric Checkouts. International visitors will no longer be required to use the US-VISIT exit kiosks when they leave the US effective May 6, 2007. The visitors are required to return their I-94 cards to the airline representative responsible to collect them.
ISSS provides you current information to assist you on a smooth travel abroad and reentry into the U.S. We wish you safe travels!
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