Traveling Information
While studying in the United States, international students with F-1 visas are allowed to travel outside the U.S. and within the U.S. It is important to know with an F-1 visa you can be out of the U.S. for up to 5 months. If you are out of the U.S. for more than 5 months, your SEVIS record will be terminated. After 5 months of staying outside the U.S., you must be issued a new “initial” I-20 and pay a new SEVIS fee.
A valid visa does not guarantee entry to the United States. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer at the port of entry (airport) has the authority to decide whether you are admissible to the U.S. or not. This decision is based upon facts and circumstances presented at the time you apply to enter.
Students who intend to travel outside of the U.S. need the following documents to re-enter the U.S. after a temporary absence:
1. Valid passport: Your passport should be valid for at least 6 months beyond the date you re-enter the US.
2. Valid F-1 visa: If your visa expired, you will need to renew your F-1 visa at the U.S. Embassy or Consulate in your home country. If you are seeking entry to U.S. after traveling back from a contiguous country such as Canada and Mexico or adjacent islands for less than 30 days, you may be permitted to re-enter with an expired F-1 visa. Refer to the Automatic Visa Revalidation section on our website.
3. I-20 with a travel endorsement by DSO: Form I-20 must be signed by an Indiana Tech DSO for travel. The travel signature on Page 2 of the I-20 is valid for one year from the date of the signature or for six months if you are on OPT (Optional Practical Training).
4. Verification of Enrollment (Recommended): Verification Letter of Enrollment (can be requested here), transcript (unofficial transcript can be downloaded from my.indianatech.edu page), class schedule for upcoming semester (from my.indianatech.edu page), recent tuition receipt, etc.
Automatic Visa Revalidation is a process that is available to F-1 students who have valid I-94 documents but whose F-1 visas are about to expire. Under this option, F-1 students can travel to Canada, Mexico, or any U.S. territory for under 30 days and have their visas automatically renewed when they re-enter the U.S. This can be one of your options for getting your F-1 visa renewed if you were originally granted less than the duration of your academic program without having to return to your home country and going through a renewal application process there.
If you are traveling to Canada and require a visa to enter, it may benefit you to do so before your F-1 visa expires. The Customs and Border Protection officers will verify that you are a student in the U.S. and automatically revalidate your F-1 visa while you are enrolled in the degree program.
This information is for F-1 students who have applied for or have been approved for Optional Practical Training (OPT) by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and want to leave and re-enter the U.S. after the completion of their academic program.
Before the completion of your academic program, the usual procedures for travel still apply. After completion of your academic program, the guidance for travel is related to whether your OPT has been approved yet or not.
1. Post-Completion OPT is pending
If your post-completion OPT has not been approved yet and you do not have a job or a job offer, you may leave and re-enter the U.S. to continue to look for employment.
In order to have the best chance of re-entering the U.S. without problems when your post-completion OPT is pending, you should travel with the following documents:
- Passport (valid for six months after you plan to re-enter the U.S)
- Valid F-1 visa stamp in your passport (this requirement does not apply to Canadian citizens)
- I-20 (with a travel signature no older than six months*)
- I-765 receipt notice (Form I-797)
If you need to apply for a new F-1 visa when your post-completion OPT application is pending, you should also be sure to have your I-765 receipt notice (Form I-797) in addition to the usual documents required for a visa application.
2. Post-Completion OPT is approved
If your post-completion OPT has been approved (EAD card has been issued by USCIS) and you have a job or a job offer, you may leave and re-enter the U.S. in order to begin or resume employment.
After USCIS has issued an EAD card for post-completion OPT, in order to have the best chance of re-entering the U.S. without problems, you should be sure you have the following documents:
- Passport (valid for six months after you plan to re-enter the U.S.)
- Valid F-1 visa stamp in your passport (this requirement does not apply to Canadian citizens)
- I-20 (with a valid travel signature no older than six months)
- EAD card
- Evidence that you already have a job in the U.S. or that you have a job offer.
If you need to apply for a new F-1 visa, you should also be sure to have your EAD card and evidence that you already have a job in the U.S. or that you have a job offer in addition to the usual documents required for a visa application.
Regulations state that during post-completion OPT, the travel signature should be no older than six months. We recommend while on post-completion OPT that you get a valid travel signature every six months.
Summary
Students who have an EAD card for post-completion OPT and evidence of either a job or a job offer are allowed to leave and re-enter the U.S. during their OPT period. Of course, re-entry to the U.S. is never guaranteed.
Students whose EAD card has not yet been issued (OPT application has not yet been approved by USCIS) are allowed to re-enter the U.S. to resume the search for employment. While your OPT application is pending, you are not required to have a job or a job offer for re-entry to the U.S.
If a student who has an EAD card but does not have a job or a job offer leaves the US during the post-completion OPT period, OPT ends. Border officials might not allow someone in this situation to re-enter the U.S. Thus, students who do not have a U.S. job or a U.S. job offer but who plan to leave and re-enter the U.S. after their EAD card has been issued (their OPT has been approved by USCIS) are taking a risk.
Canadian citizens do not require an entry visa to enter the U.S. from Canada, but you are required to have an I-20 from Indiana Tech. All Canadian citizens are required to show a passport to enter the United States. Canadian citizens entering the U.S. to study should request F-1 status at the border and must always show the Form I-20 and supporting financial documentation to the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer at the port of entry. Make sure to check your I-20 before you leave the inspection area to ensure that it was properly annotated with F-1, D/S.