Travel

Traveling in F-1 Visa Status

Form I-94 Arrival/Departure Record

Transportation

Keep all immigration documents on your person while traveling: valid F-1 visa (unless exempt from visa requirements), valid Form I-20 with a valid travel signature on page 3, and your passport (valid six months into the future). If you are planning to travel to a country other than your home country, please visit www.usembassy.gov to get the latest travel guidelines and visa requirements for that country.

Please check with the CISSS prior to traveling to ensure that your Form I-20 is endorsed correctly.

If you do not have some of your immigration documents as noted above or the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers cannot verify your information, you may be directed to a separate interview area known as secondary inspection. The CBP officer will conduct additional research to verify your information. The officer will check the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) and contact the Designated School Official to verify your information. Be sure to keep the contact information for the CISSS with your travel documents. If a CBP officer is unable to verify your information, you may be denied admission into the United Sates or be issued a Form I-515A Notice to Student or Exchange Visitor. The form allows you temporary entry into the United States for thirty days. For additional information: http://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/515a

If you are denied admission into the United States you will immediately be required to go to another country.

Travel to Canada
Canada has distinct requirements for entrance. Please visit http://can-am.gc.ca/new-york/index.aspx?lang=eng for visa requirements and the list of countries whose citizen are exempt from needing a visitor visa to travel to Canada. Allow at least three weeks in advance of your trip to acquire a Canadian visitor visa.

Form I-94 Arrival/Departure Record is issued to non-immigrant aliens upon lawful entry into the United States by the Department of Homeland Security. The electronic form indicates that you have been legally admitted to the United States, the class of admission, and the authorized period of stay. The information on Form I-94 must match what is in SEVIS, specifically when your status needs to be verified.

We strongly recommend that you print a hard copy of your I-94 Arrival/Departure record from the following website: www.cbp.gov/I94 after you have been admitted into the United States. You will have to present this form for such benefits as a Connecticut Driver’s license, a U.S. Social Security Number (if you are employed) and other benefits.

 

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