F1 Student Travel Rules

International Student Travel Rules

​Detailed information about travel for F1 students is available here.

You must travel outside the U.S. for less than five months. If you are planning to take an academic leave of absence for one or more semesters, please contact the International Office for assistance.

You must have a valid F-1 visa to return to the U.S. If you changed your status to F-1 while inside the U.S., you will need to apply for an F-1 visa in your home country the first time you depart the U.S.

Students who have an expired visa but a valid I20 and I94 can travel to Canada, Mexico, or an adjacent island and re-enter the US through Automatic Revalidation. However, you MUST obtain a new visa to re-enter the US if you travel to all other countries.

See this page for more information on Automatic Revalidation.

I94

Students should print their I94 form, which is an record of your entry in to the United States. You can find your I94 HERE . Print a new I94 every time you re-enter the US.

Travel to Canada and Mexico

Citizens of certain countries must have a visa to enter Canada or Mexico. To find out if you need a visa and to obtain visa application instructions, please refer to Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC). You may also visit the page for the Canadian Consulate in NYC and the Mexican Consulate in NYC.

Even if you do not need a Canadian visa, you may need an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) to enter Canada. Information on the eTA is HERE

Students are advised to carry a copy of their SEVIS fee receipt with them to show to immigration upon re-entry. If you do not have your SEVIS fee receipt, you can get a copy here