Travel Advisory - International Travel

Travel to another country while enrolled in the F-1 or J-1 program at Stony Brook is a personal decision. With the conflict in Middle East and U.S. homeland security issues continuing to be of concern, careful planning is of the utmost importance when considering long-distance travel. Any student who feels uncomfortable or concerned about their travel plans in a time of uncertainty may prefer to reconsider those plans.

If students choose to travel outside of the United States , they will need their passport, immigration documents (I-94 card and Form I-20 or DS-2019), and Stony Brook ID card with them when they travel. Likewise, they must be certain that the Form I-20 or DS-2019 has an authorizing signature no older than one year for continuing students and six months for those on OPT .

Procedures for requesting a Travel Signature :

  • Alternate Responsible Officers (ARO) or Designated School Officials (DSO) are the only authorized Stony Brook staff to sign Forms DS-2019 and I-20.
  • F-1 students and their dependents wishing to travel internationally must receive a signature from a DSO on page three of their Form I-20.
  • J-1 students, scholars and their dependents wishing to travel internationally must receive a signature from an ARO on page one of their Form DS-2019.
  • Students requesting a travel signature should bring their documents to International Services no later than 10 business days before travel
  • Students failing to give IS adequate time to sign documents before they depart will be asked to purchase a prepaid envelope enabling us to send documents to their destination
  • To request a signature, F-1 students are required to submit the following documents:
  • Travel Signature Request
  • Original I-20
  • Letter of Good Standing from department (graduate students only)
  • Enrollment Verification form (undergraduate students only)
  • Photocopy of passport picture page and any updates.
  • Photocopy of I-94 card, front and back.

If you have already been issued or will soon be issued a SEVIS Form I-20 or DS-2019, please notify your adviser that you will be traveling outside of the U.S. , so that your new form will be signed for this purpose, as well.

[Top]

Travel to Canada or Mexico :

For travel to Canada or Mexico , first check to see if a tourist visa will be required to enter either country. Information on Canadian tourist visas is available in the International Services office and on the Canadian government website .

Currently, The U.S. Department of State is following new rules for non-immigrants who use the "automatic revalidation of visa" benefit [22 CFR 41.112(d)] to re-enter the United States after a 30-day or less visit to a "contiguous territory" ( Canada , Mexico , and, in the case of F and J non-immigrants, the "adjacent islands other than Cuba ") without having to obtain a new visa prior to re-entry.

* Citizens of "state sponsors of terrorism" (as designated in the State Department's annual "Patterns of Global Terrorism" report) are no longer eligible for the automatic revalidation of visa benefit. The most recent State Department report was released on June 1, 2004 , and lists the following countries as state sponsors of terrorism: Iraq , Iran , Syria , Libya , Sudan , North Korea , and Cuba . This means that a person who is a citizen of Iraq , Iran , Syria , Libya , Sudan , North Korea , or Cuba in the United States in any non-immigrant classification may enter Canada and return to the United States only IF he or she has an unexpired multiple-entry U.S. visa in the passport for his or her current status.

* ANY non-immigrant (not just someone from the 7 countries listed above) who chooses to apply for a new visa while in Canada or Mexico will no longer be eligible for the "automatic revalidation" benefit during the course of that trip, but will have to wait until the visa is approved in order to re-enter the United States. If the U.S. visa application is denied, that individual will not be permitted to re-enter the United States , and will instead have to return to his or her home country. See Section 8 of this article, "Applying for a New U.S. Visa at a Consulate Abroad" for additional information on the visa application process.

* Non-immigrants traveling to Canada or Mexico for less than thirty days and returning to the United States (other than citizens of Iraq, Iran, Syria, Libya, Sudan, North Korea, and Cuba) who do not intend to apply for a new U.S. visa can still make use of the automatic revalidation benefit, and re-enter on their expired U.S. visas, as long as they have a valid, unexpired passport, their I-94 card, and a valid and signed SEVIS Form I-20 or DS-2019.

[Top]

SPECIAL NOTE ABOUT I-94 CARDS:

F-1 and J-1 students with expired U.S. visas who are traveling to Canada, Mexico or adjacent islands for up to 30 days, who will not be applying for a new U.S. visa while there, AND who will be resuming their studies upon their return should NOT surrender their I-94 card. Canadian or Mexican nationals returning to their home country should surrender their I-94 card as they enter their country, and obtain a new I-94 card the next time they enter the United States . Canadian nationals should be sure to carry with them their financial documentation that verifies the information on their SEVIS Form I-20 when getting ready to return to the United States .

[Top]