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Visits abroad and re-entry
in F-1 status
Entry into
another country
Entry into
Canada and Mexico
Re-entry to the
United States
FAQ for F-Nonimmigrants:
Entry and Exit
Whenever F-1 students
wish to leave the United States temporarily and return to continue
studies at the institution in which they are enrolled, they must secure
the necessary documents to:
Entry into
another country
Like the United
States, other countries have rules and restrictions on who can enter
their country, and how. F-1 students who wish to visit their
country of citizenship or permanent residence generally will be allowed
to enter that country. For travel into any country other than the
home country, students must check with the Embassy of the country they
would like to visit to inquire about specific entry procedures.
The U.S. State
Department publishes Publication, "Foreign Consular Offices in the
United States," which contains a complete list of foreign consular
offices, their addresses, and telephone numbers.
http://www.state.gov/www/travel/consular_offices/fco_index.html
to see this publication on the web
http://www.embassy.org/ is a
site that provides links to the web sites of many foreign embassies
in the United States
Entry into
Canada and Mexico
Since Mexico and
Canada share land borders with the United States, many students and
advisers may not think of inquiring about entry requirements far in
advance. Mexico and Canada have distinct entry requirements, which
must be investigated by F-1 students and their families just like any
other country.
The Canadian
Embassy home page is at:
http://www.canadianembassy.org/
The Mexican Embassy home page is at:
http://www.embassyofmexico.org/eng/
The lack of a valid
Form I-20 will not prevent the student's departure from the United
States; it may, however, prevent the student from entering Canada or
Mexico. Moreover, even a duplicate Form I-20, which lacks the
expected admission stamps may be insufficient for the student to obtain
entry to Canada or Mexico.
Re-entry to the
United States
Discussion of
Temporary Absence
A "temporary" absence
for the purpose of readmission with an endorsed Form I-20 is defined as
an absence of 5 months or less. A student must be reentering the
United States to resume his or her program of study.
If a student has
completed his or her program of study, he or she has no basis for
reentry to the United States as an F-1 student unless he or she has
either been admitted to a new program of study and has been issued the
corresponding Form I-20 or USCIS has authorized optional
practical training after completion of studies. In the latter
case, a returning student is required to present both an endorsed Form
I-20 and an EAD at the port of entry to qualify for readmission to the
United States. If an EAD has not been issued and the student has
exceeded the "expected date of completion" (Form I-20, item 5), the
student has no basis for being readmitted in F-1 status.
List of documents
for reentry
In order to reenter
the United States after a temporary absence of 5 months or less, an F-1
student must have a following documents:
-
A valid passport
or travel document
-
A valid F-1 visa
(unless exempt from passport and visa requirements)
-
Either a properly
endorsed Form I-20, if there has been no substantive change in the
information contained in items 4,5,7, and 8 other than the date the
student is expected to report to the school (the student has
presumably reported and begun his or her program) OR a new Form
I-20, if there has been such a change.
As a matter of
practice, immigration officials at ports of entry often require that the
Form I-20 bear a DSO certification for reentry executed in the current
term (if a student is re-entering during the academic year) or, if a
student is returning from his or her annual vacation, executed in the
term preceding the vacation. If a student loses the Form I-20, a
DSO may issue a replacement Form I-20.
Discussion of
reentry documents
F-1 students
seeking reentry to the United States must have a valid passport or
travel document.
With the
exception of
Automatic
Extension of Validity of Visa beneficiaries, a student subject
to the visa requirement must have a valid F-1 visa in his or her
passport in order to re-enter the United States. Consequently,
a student who entered the United States in another nonimmigrant
classification and has changed his or her status to that of an F-1
student must obtain an F-1 visa in his or her passport before
reentering the country. It is not possible to obtain an F-1
visa inside the United States. An F-1 student who needs to
obtain a visa in order to enter the United States after a temporary
absence must apply for the visa at a U.S. consulate or embassy
abroad.
Although it is
possible for an alien to obtain an F-1 visa in a country other than
his or her own, the student may face more stringent requirements
than in the home country. In addition to proving eligibility
for an F-1 visa, he or she may have to convince the consular officer
that there is a legitimate reason for making the application outside
the home country. In some instances, the consular officer in
the third country will find it necessary to check with the consular
office in the student's place of residence. This can be
time-consuming and result in a charge to the student if information
is requested by cable rather than diplomatic mail. Returning
student should be advised to make travel plans to allow for such
delays.
If an F-1 student
has lawfully transferred schools while in the United States, the
visa will specify the school for which it was initially issued.
In these instances a student may re-enter with an unexpired F-1 visa
and Form I-20 from the new school without having the new school's
name annotated on the visa.
For reentry, a
student must have Form I-20, endorsed for travel by the DSO within
the preceding twelve months.
Although Form
I-20 indicates a validity period of one year for travel signatures,
a validity period of 6months is set for travel signatures on I-20s
used by students on post-completion OPT. (See
"Travel and reentry while engaging in practical
training" page)
FAQ for F-Nonimmigrants: Entry and Exit
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