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Immigration: Travel
Travel Documents
In order to re-enter the U.S. after a temporary absence such as a vacation, you must have the following documents:
- a passport, valid at least six months into the future
- a valid F-1 visa in your passport
(If your visa has expired, please follow specific instructions.)
- a valid I-20 with a valid re-entry signature
- copies of your financial support documents
- college transcripts
For a detailed description of important immigration documents that you should have with you whenever you travel and their validity requirements, check our Immigration Documents section.
Travel Signature on I-20
Check your I-20 to make sure that it is signed for travel and re-entry on the bottom of page 3 by the international student advisor. The signature for re-entry is valid for no more than six months.
If the I-20 is not signed for travel, or if the signature will be more than 6 months old at the time of your expected return to the US, you must request another signature.
Please stop by the International Student Office to drop off your I-20 for a travel signature.
If Your F-1 Visa is Expired
Make sure to check the F-1 visa stamp in your passport to see if your visa has expired. Also check your visa stamp for the number of entries permitted.
Remember that if your visa is expired or if you change your visa status while in the United States (for example, if you changed your status from F-2 to F-1 since the visa was issued), it is not necessary to apply for a new F-1 visa if you are not planning to travel and re-enter the United States.
If you are planning to travel outside of the United States, immigration regulations state that students cannot re-enter the U.S. to continue their education if their F-1 visa is expired (see exceptions in Automatic Visa Revalidation). This rule applies even if the student has an official acceptance document I-20 that has not expired and has a valid travel signature. In such cases if students depart from the U.S., they must obtain a new visa at a U.S. Embassy outside of the U.S.
Make sure to check out general visa application requirements, such as SEVIS fee, visa interview and financial documentation, posted for students seeking initial attendance at Foothill College. [Prospective students>Visa Application] Additionally, students seeking re-entry to continue their studies at Foothill may need to present their official transcripts at the visa interview. Some consulates may want to see that you have been maintaining valid F-1 status in the U.S. and that you have been making satisfactory progress in your program.
Waiting Period for Students from 24 Countries
Students from 24 specific countries are subject to a waiting period when they apply for a visa to enter the United States. These countries are:
| Afghanistan | Algeria | Bangladesh | Egypt |
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| Eritrea | Indonesia | Iran | Iraq |
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| Jordan | Kuwait | Lebanon | Libya |
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| Morocco | North
Korea | Oman | Pakistan |
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Saudi
Arabia | Qatar | Somalia | Sudan |
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| Syria | Tunisia |
United Arab
Emirates | Yemen |
This new regulation applies if you have never had a visa or if your current visa has expired. If you are from one of these countries, you will have to complete a new form in addition to the usual visa application form. You can find this form on the Web site of the Bureau of Consular Affairs at www.travel.state.gov. The form basically is a check of your background.
It is very important for students from these countries to consider this additional processing time if they plan to travel outside the U.S. with an expired visa. For example, if you have an expired visa and plan to go home for a visit during a one-week break between classes, it is likely that you will not get back to the United States in time to begin classes because it will take a minimum of three weeks or longer to obtain your new F-1 visa.
Additional requirements governing entry and exit from the United States apply to students from these countries. [Special Registration and Reporting below]
Automatic Visa Revalidation: Visits to Canada, Mexico and Islands
As an exception to the regulation requiring a valid visa to re-enter the U.S., the automatic visa revalidation rule states that an F-1 student can re-enter the U.S. from Canada, Mexico and adjacent islands with an expired F-1 visa provided the student:
- has a valid passport, I-94 and an unexpired I-20 signed for travel by the international student advisor at Foothill College
- has not been outside of the U.S. for more than 30 days
- has gone only to contiguous territories (Canada, Mexico and adjacent islands)
- has not applied for and been denied a new visa while in Canada, Mexico or adjacent islands
- is not a citizen or permanent of Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Sudan or Syria
If you are not from any of the seven countries mentioned above, are not planning to obtain a new visa and are traveling to Canada, Mexico and adjacent islands solely for tourist purposes, you will be able to re-enter the United States with an expired F-1 visa.
Please consult with an immigration advisor before leaving the United States.
Exception for Citizens from 7 Countries
The new rule states that nationals and permanent residents of Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Sudan and Syria that travel to Canada, Mexico and adjacent islands for any reason are no longer eligible to reenter the U.S. if their F-1 visa is expired. They must have a new unexpired visa to reenter the U.S.
Please note that nationals of these countries (as explained under Waiting Period) are subject to a waiting period when applying for a visa. If the visa application is denied, or if you don't apply for a new visa in Canada, Mexico and adjacent islands, you will be required to return to your home country to obtain a new visa. Our immigration advisor suggests that that if you are from one of these seven countries, you should not travel to Canada, Mexico and adjacent islands with an expired visa.
Documents to Enter Canada, Mexico and Adjacent Islands
All students traveling to Canada, Mexico and adjacent islands must contact the respective embassy or consulate in the U.S. to find out the documents they need to enter those countries. Entry requirements will depend upon your country of citizenship. You may need a visa to enter a specific country and you may need evidence that you can legally return to the United States, have made arrangements for your return to the U.S. and have sufficient finances for your stay in the country you will be visiting.
Applying for a New Visa in Canada or Mexico
The most significant recent change to revalidation procedures is that any student from any country, who applies for a visa in Canada or Mexico and is denied for whatever reason, cannot use the visa revalidation procedure to re-enter the U.S. with an expired F-1 visa. They will have to return to their home country directly from Canada or Mexico and apply for a new visa there. Of course, if the visa application is approved in Canada or Mexico, students can re-enter the U.S. from Canada or Mexico.
Our immigration advisor suggests that no matter which country is your country of citizenship or permanent residence, if you have an expired F-1 visa you should not apply for a new visa when traveling to Canada or Mexico. Please contact an international student advisor for further information.
Special Registration and Reporting for Students from 24 Countries
Special registration applies to all male students from the ages of 16–45 from any of the following countries: Afghanistan, Algeria, Bangladesh, Egypt, Eritrea, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, North Korea, Oman, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen. This list applies to anyone that is a citizen of or was born in or currently resides in any of these countries.
Special Registration and Reporting is part of the National Security Entry-Exit Registration System often referred to as NSEERS.
If you are subject to NSEERS, it is required that you be interviewed, fingerprinted and photographed at the Port of Entry each time you enter the U.S., and you must report to a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officer at the Port of Departure each time you depart from the U.S.
Students should not confuse the normal entry process with the NSEERS requirement. Currently, all visitors to the U.S. are fingerprinted, photographed and questioned at the Port of Entry. This process is known as "primary inspection." All individuals subject to NSEERS must go through a second interview processed known as "secondary inspection," which is generally completed in a separate location at the airport.
Note! Failure to register under NSEERS when you enter and depart from the U.S. is a violation of immigration regulations and could result in deportation, denial of all immigration benefits and prevent you from being allowed to re-enter the Unites States in the future.
Students subject to NSEERS must depart the U.S. from an officially-designated port of departure only, report to a DHS officer at such airport prior to departure and get some type of record indicating that they reported.
Please consult an international student advisor for further information on NSEERS special registration and reporting requirements.
Transit Visas
If you are planning to transit through certain countries, make sure to check if you are required to obtain an "airport transit visa" in advance based on your country of citizenship.
It is crucial to check the relevant Web site of the embassy for each country that you are traveling through before you depart the United States.
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