International Student Information

Please review the important information below to ensure a smooth departure and return to the United States. If you plan to travel internationally, you are responsible for carrying the correct immigration documents and verifying that all signatures and documents are valid before leaving the country. 

Required Documents for Re-Entry to the United States

F-1 Students (Enrolled / In-Program) 

• Valid passport (recommended to have at least six months remaining) 
• Valid F-1 visa stamp (except Canadian citizens) 
• Current Form I-20 with a travel signature not older than 12 months 
• Enrollment verification or class schedule 
• Proof of financial support 
• Printout of your most recent I-94 record 
• DSO contact information 

F-1 Students on OPT or STEM OPT 

Please carry all items above plus: 

• Valid EAD card 
• Job offers, employment letter, or a recent pay stub 
• I-20 with travel signature not older than 6 months 
• If STEM extension is pending I-797 receipt notice 

Travel while OPT or STEM OPT is pending can carry risk. Consult your DSO before booking travel. 

J-1 Students & Scholars

Please carry:

• Valid passport 
• Valid J-1 visa stamp (except Canadian citizens) 
• DS-2019 with valid travel signature (typically valid for 12 months; six months for short-term scholars) 
• Letter confirming program participation (department, sponsor, or host unit) 
• Printout of your I-94 record 
• RO/sponsor contact information 

Fulbright or external-sponsor J-1s must also follow sponsor-specific instructions.

Additional Recommendations 

• Keep scans of all documents available in cloud storage. 
• Carry health insurance card and emergency contact information. 
• If your visa has expired, you may need to apply for a new visa before returning. 
• Notify your DSO/RO immediately if you face difficulties at the port of entry. 

Need a Travel Signature? 

Please request your travel signature at least 1–2 weeks before you depart. 
Include your full name, student ID, and expected travel dates. 

Emergency Contact While Traveling

If you experience issues at the U.S. port of entry or lose your documents while abroad, contact: 

Please travel carefully and let us know how we can support you. 

Remember that your I-20 will need to be signed on page 2 to be able to travel overseas. That signature is valid for travel for one year.

• Digital Form I-20s for Travel: Digital Form I-20s are accepted for re-entry into the United States. If you need to apply for a new visa, it would still be best to receive a physical copy of your I-20 for the visa office.
• Expiring I-20s: If your I-20 is set to expire and you are not graduating, you will need to extend your I-20 to maintain your F-1 status. It is your personal responsibility to ensure that your I-20 does not expire.

To check whether your I-20 is due to expire, check the “Program of Study” section on Page 1 of your Form I-20.

Note: If you have already applied for OPT, then you need not worry about the expiration.

To extend your I-20, you will need:

• Program Extension Form – attached to email.
• Financial Affidavit of Support – attached to email.
• Bank Statement – provided by you.

These documents must be submitted to us in their entirety before your I-20 expires for us to extend your record. If you allow your I-20 to expire, there is nothing we can do at that point, and you will be forced to apply for reinstatement.

Reinstatment

If your I-20 has already expired, then you will have to apply for reinstatement. The average processing time for reinstatement is 12-18 months. During this process, you cannot do any of the following:

• Travel outside the U.S.
• Pursue any employment, either on or off-campus employment

You can only register for courses and attend classes full-time.

Alternative to Reinstatement

A faster alternative to applying for reinstatement is to leave the country and return the following semester with a new Form I-20. Keep in mind that if you do so and plan to apply for OPT, you will need to be enrolled for an additional two semesters to meet the federal requirement for OPT.

Note: An absence from the U.S. or more than five months constitutes a break in F-1 status and requires a student to request a new Form I-20.

To re-enter the U.S. after a temporary absence of 5 months or less, an F-1 student must have the following documents:

SEVIS Form I-20

• Must be valid and unexpired
• Travel signature on your I-20 or DS-2019. Your signature must be less than 12 months old on the day of your reentry, six months for students on Optional Practical Training (OPT).
• Digital Form I-20s are accepted for re-entry into the United States. If you need to apply for a new visa, it would still be best to receive a physical copy of your I-20 for the visa office.

Valid Passport

• Passport must be valid for at least 6 months at the time of reentry.
• Canadian citizens do not need a U.S. entry visa, but should NOT use NEXUS or Global Entry.
• Automatic Visa Revalidation. If you are an F or J visa holder, you may re-enter the U.S. from Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean islands, except Cuba, with an expired visa if your visit abroad is less than 30 days (you must have an I-94 and a valid passport, and an I-20 or DS-2019).

F-1/J1 Visa

• Your visa stamp in your passport must be unexpired and valid for future entries.
• F-1 and J-1 students’ visa stamps should say D/S, which means “duration of status.”
• If your visa expired, you would need to apply for a new entry visa abroad – it cannot be renewed in the United States. Interview Waiver Request

Current Financial Documentation

Immigration inspectors at the port of entry may want to verify your ability to fund your stay.

Registration Copy

Additional proof of registration for the current or upcoming semester may be required, depending upon the port official you may encounter. This can include the official transcript, New York Tech ID card, and/or Health Insurance card.

The regulations for students on Optional Practical Training allow for re-entry “to resume employment after a temporary absence.” The Department of Homeland Security has issued the following guidelines:

• Before your Employment Authorization Document (EAD) card is issued, you may re-enter the United States to resume searching for employment. You must carry evidence of a PENDING OPT application.
• This is NOT advised, though, as once you leave the country, USCIS may consider your OPT application as abandoned and complete your F-1 status.
• After an EAD card is issued, you may only re-enter the U.S. to resume employment that has already commenced, or to return to begin a job that has already been offered.
• This means that you must carry a letter from your employer, in addition to the EAD, and a Form I-20 with a travel signature.

Full-time Status is as follows:

• Graduate Students:  9 credits
• Undergraduate: 12 credits
• English Language: 18 clock hours

Note: New students must be enrolled full-time, no exceptions.

• All F-1 students, new and current, must be enrolled primarily in in-person courses.
• Undergraduates and grad students are only allowed one online course within their required full-time threshold (grad students must register for 6 credits in-person out of 9 credits; undergrads must register for 9 credits in-person out of 12 credits). 
• Additional online courses beyond full-time registration are allowed. For example, a graduate student taking more than 9 credits can have additional online courses. An undergraduate taking more than 12 credits can have additional online courses. If a student needs to drop a course, it must be the online courses before any in-person courses.
• Best practice is to keep a maximum of 3 online credits per semester for a student registering for the required minimum full-time study.

The “In-person” requirement, meaning courses require a student’s physical presence in the classroom, can include:

• Complete in-person instructions for courses.
• Hybrid courses require partial presence in the classroom.
• In-person class requirements must be noted in course syllabi.
• In-person classes must have a set time and location for courses.
• The instructor does not have to be physically present in the classroom, but an in-person assistant/instructor, in the form of the Teaching or Research Assistant, would be required to take attendance and be present to assist the students and professor as needed.

If you are planning to enroll in part-time courses, prior authorization is required to do so. Failure to do so will result in the termination of your F-1 status.

USCIS states that an F-1 student can only be part-time under these circumstances:

• Illness or medical condition (doctor’s letter and medical withdrawal from the Registrar required)
• Academic difficulties (can only be done once and only in the first semester)
• Final semester of study

Should you have to register part-time for any of these reasons, you must complete the Part-time Authorization Form. It must be completed by you and your academic advisor and submitted to our office.

Students graduating in December 2025 may submit applications for Optional Practical Training from 90 days before their program end date until 60 days after. Be sure to apply for graduation with your academic advisor prior to applying for Optional Practical Training so that your advisor can review your credits and ensure that you are on track to graduate.