TRAVELING TIPS FOR RETURNING/CONTINUING STUDENTS

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Dennis Stafford
5 years ago
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1 TRAVELING TIPS FOR RETURNING/CONTINUING STUDENTS

2 DOCUMENTS NEEDED TO ENTER THE UNITED STATES Passport You will need a passport that is valid for a minimum of 6 months beyond the initial period of stay in the U.S. Visa In almost all cases, you will need a valid F-1 or J-1 visa. See notes on the following pages for more visa information. I-20 or DS-2019 F visa holders must have an I-20 with item five showing a completion date that is in the future. Your I-20 should also have a recent travel endorsement. U.S. border officials prefer to see endorsements that are less than six months old so this is what ISS recommends as well. J visa holders must have a DS-2019 with item three showing a completion date that is in the future and with a recent travel endorsement. U.S. border officials prefer to see endorsements that are less than six months old so this is what ISS recommends as well. Travel endorsements can be obtained by bringing your current I-20 or DS to the ISS office. New endorsements take one business day to process. Other Documents If you are a currently enrolled student, ISS recommends that you carry a transcript or a Certificate of Enrollment with you. These can be obtained from the Registrar s office. If you are on post-completion OPT: You must present a valid Form I-766 Employment Authorization Document (the EAD card) in addition to the Form I-20 with a travel endorsement less than six months old. ISS also recommends that you have documented proof of employment in your possession (such as a job offer letter). It can be risky to the leave the U.S. without such documentation. ISS recommends that all students carry proof of financial ability to study in the U.S. 2

3 Visa Stamp You must possess a U.S. entry visa that is valid in each of the following four respects (unless you are Canadian; if so, see notes on page 4): Entries: You must make sure that you have not already used the specified number of entries, unless the letter M appears on your visa, indicating multiple entries. Visa Type or Class (F-1, F-2, J- 1, J-2): This must match the visa status you intend to hold in the U.S. Annotation: F-1 students only; if you have transferred from one school to another within the U.S., the school annotated in your visa may be different from the school which you are attending. Expiry Date: The stamp must not have expired (for exceptions, see information about Automatic Extension on page 4).

4 Automatic Visa Revalidation: If you travel from the U.S. to Canada, Mexico, or any island in the Caribbean (except Cuba) and are there for 30 days or less, you may re-enter the U.S. with an expired visa, provided that: You have a current I-94 card marked for duration of status ( D/S ), which shows your correct visa status You keep that I-94 card when departing the U.S. You present that I-94 card when you return to the U.S. Your purpose in reentering is to resume the status that you held when you left. Doing this does NOT renew your visa. It simply allows re-entry with an expired visa. Exceptions to Automatic Visa Revalidation: You will not be able to automatically revalidate your visa if you meet any one of the following criteria: You applied for a new visa, and it has not been issued You applied for a new visa and were denied You have a terminated SEVIS record indicating that you are out of status You have been out the United States for more than thirty days You are a citizen of one of the following countries: Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, or Syria Note: If you are a citizen of Mexico or an island in the Caribbean except Cuba, and are returning to the U.S. from your country of citizenship, you are not eligible for automatic visa revalidation Please visit for more information. Additional Notes About Visas: If you apply for an F or J visa at a U.S. consulate in North America, you may re-enter only after you receive the visa. If your application is delayed or denied, you will have to return directly from the country you are in to your country of citizenship and apply there for your new U.S. visa. Remember that visa stamps are available only outside the U.S. and their sole purpose is entry; once you are in the country, you only need to renew an expired visa if you leave North America (or the U.S. for more than 30 days, even if within North America) and want to return in the same status. 4

5 Citizens of Canada do not need visa stamps to enter the U.S. in F or J status. However, they do need a valid Canadian passport. A permanent resident/landed immigrant of Canada, however, is subject to the visa requirements as discussed previously. If you are outside the United States for more than five months and have not been enrolled at UW-Madison during this time, you may need a new visa to re -enter the U.S. Please consult with an ISS advisor. OTHER TRAVEL INFORMATION Third Country Visits If you intend to visit a country other than your own, you may need an entry visa for that country. ISS recommends that you contact that country s consulate or embassy well in advance for assistance in determining whether you need a visa to enter that country. For a list of foreign consulates located in the U.S., go to the following website: Immunizations UW-Madison does not require specific immunizations. The U.S. embassy at which you apply for your visa will inform you of any immunizations required for entry into the U.S. However, the University does offer a list of recommended vaccines for college students: id=85&cat_id=98. The University Health Services (UHS) Travel Clinic provides health services to students planning and following return from foreign travel. Call or use MyUHS to make an appointment for a consultation to obtain necessary medications and to determine which immunizations you need. Immunization planning is done with your personal health in mind and may depend on factors including length of stay and your destination's environment. Make sure you have all routine immunization information with you when you come for the consultation. Pre-travel appointments are not needed for travel to Canada, Western Europe, Australia, or New Zealand, but all routine immunizations need to be current. Visit id=108&cat_id=32 for more information.

APPLYING FOR A U.S. VISA CAUTION! If you have to apply at a consulate for a new entry visa, think carefully about the risk of delays before you decide to travel.

6 APPLYING FOR A U.S. VISA CAUTION! If you have to apply at a consulate for a new entry visa, think carefully about the risk of delays before you decide to travel. Consulates frequently initiate security checks for many different reasons. These range from the applicant having a common name to the applicant s field of study or research, etc. These checks usually take six to eight weeks, although occasionally they can take six months to a year. Once the Visa Officer initiates a security check, the consulate must wait for an answer from Washington, DC to issue an entry visa. No matter how long the delay lasts, neither the consulates nor the Department of State in Washington, DC respond to pleas by universities or applicants, even if the delays are causing inconvenience or hardship, or threatening research funded by the U.S. government itself. Security checks are repeated! Even after you have undergone one security check, another will probably be made each subsequent time that you apply for a visa, even after a short visit abroad, and even if you will be returning to continue your study or employment at the same institution in the U.S. Making an Appointment If you will be applying for a visa during your trip abroad, try to make an appointment at a U.S. consulate and read the application forms carefully before you leave. See the State Department site at for general information and for links to consulates and the application forms. Additional or different documents might be required, and the application submission method might differ depending upon the U.S. Embassy at which you apply. Visit to find out more information about requirements at specific embassies. The Department of State also provides information about estimated visa wait times at wait/tempvisitors_wait.php.

7 Documents to Prepare (from Prepare the following documents for visa renewals. Be aware that you might need to prepare some of the documents before departing the U.S. for your home country: An I-20 or DS-2019 with a recent travel signature A completed application Non-immigrant Visa Applicant Form DS-156, together with a Form DS-158. Both forms must be completed and signed. Access the DS-156 online at At certain U.S. Embassies and Consulates abroad, non-immigrant visa applicants are now required to apply for their visa using the new DS- 160 Online Nonimmigrant Visa Electronic Application, instead of the nonimmigrant application forms DS-156, 157, 158, and other related forms. Learn more at forms_1342.html. A passport valid for travel to the United States and with a validity date at least six months beyond the applicant's intended period of stay in the United States One (1) 2x2 photograph A MRV fee receipt to show payment of the visa application fee The SEVIS I-901 fee receipt loadsearchpage.do Transcript or certificate of enrollment (available from the Registrar s Office) Financial evidence that shows you or your financial sponsors have sufficient funds to cover your tuition and living expenses (such as a bank statement, scholarship letter, or graduate assistant appointment letter) Applicants with dependents: Proof of your relationship to your spouse and/or children (i.e. marriage or birth certificates) Things to Remember When Applying for a Non-immigrant Visa Ties to your home country. Under U.S. law, all applicants for nonimmigrant visas, such as student visas, are viewed as intending immigrants until they can convince the consular officer that they are not. You must therefore be able to show that you have reasons for returning to your home country that are stronger than those for remaining in the U.S. Ties to your home country are the things that bind you to your home town, homeland, or cur- 7

8 rent place of residence: job, family, financial prospects that you own or will inherit, investments, etc. If you are a prospective undergraduate, the interviewing officer may ask about your specific intentions or promise of future employment, family or other relationships, educational objectives, grades, long-range plans and career prospects in your home country. Each person s situation is different, of course, and there is no magic explanation or single document, certificate, or letter, which can guarantee visa issuance. English. Anticipate that the interview will be conducted in English and not in your native language. One suggestion is to practice English conversation with a native speaker before the interview. If you are coming to the U.S. solely to study intensive English, be prepared to explain how English will be useful in your home country. Speak for yourself. Do not bring parents or family members with you to the interview (unless applying for dependent visas). The consular officer wants to interview you, not your family. A negative impression is created if you are not prepared to speak on your own behalf. Know the program and how it fits your career plans. If you are not able to explain the reasons you will study in a particular program in the U.S., you may not succeed in convincing the consular officer that you are indeed planning to study, rather than to immigrate. You should also be able to explain how studying in the U.S. relates to your future professional career when you return home. Be Brief. Because of the volumes of applications received, all consular officers are under considerable time pressure to conduct a quick and efficient interview. They must make a decision, for the most part, on the impressions they form during the first minute or two of the interview. Consequently, what you say first and the initial impression you create are critical to your success. Keep your answers to the officer s questions short and to the point. Supplemental documentation. It should be clear at a glance to the consular officer what written documents you are presenting and what they signify. Lengthy written explanations cannot be quickly read or evaluated. Remember that you will have two or three minutes of interview time, if that. Not all countries are equal. Applicants from countries suffering economic problems or from countries where many students have remained in the U.S. as immigrants will have more difficulty getting visas. Statistically, applicants from those countries are more likely to be intending immigrants. They are also more likely to be asked about job opportunities at home after their study in the U.S.

9 Employment. Your main purpose in coming to the U.S. should be to study, not for the chance to work before or after graduation. While many students do work during their studies, such employment is incidental to their main purpose of completing their U.S. education. You must be able to clearly articulate your plan to return home at the end of your program. If your spouse is also applying for an accompanying F-2 visa, be aware that F-2 dependents cannot, under any circumstances, be employed in the U.S. If asked, be prepared to address what your spouse intends to do with his or her time while in the U.S. Volunteer work and attending school (for schoolage dependent children) are permitted activities for F-2s. J-2 dependents, once in the U.S., may apply for work permission and/or study; however, if a consular officer believes a J-1 student may become financially dependent on a J-2 s employment, the visa application may be denied. Dependents remaining at home. If your spouse and children are remaining behind in your country, be prepared to address how they will support themselves in your absence. This can be an especially tricky area if you are the primary source of income for your family. If the consular officer gets the impression that your family members will need you to remit money from the U.S. in order to support them, your student visa application will almost certainly be denied. If your family does decide to join you at a later time, it is helpful to have them apply at the same post where you applied for your visa. Maintain a positive attitude. Do not engage the consular officer in an argument. If you are denied a student visa, ask the officer for a list of documents he or she would suggest you bring in order to overcome the refusal, and try to get the reason you were denied in writing. International Student Services University of Wisconsin-Madison 716 Langdon St., Room 217 Phone Fax iss@odos.wisc.edu Web 9

10 NOTES

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MANHATTAN COLLEGE J-1 PROGRAM HANDBOOK A GUIDE TO IMMIGRATION MATTERS FOR J-1 PROFESSORS AND SCHOLARS This handbook contains information about the rules and regulations which apply to visitors to the United