TRAVELING INTERNATIONALLY

Before you board your flight or prepare to enter the U.S, familiarize yourself with the documents you might need. Carry your original documents with you during travel; do not put them in your checked baggage. It is also a good idea to take photos of your documents using your mobile device in order to secure digital copies in case you lose anything. Ensure you have with you:

• Valid Passport;
• Valid F-1 or J-1 Visa; 
• Form I-20 or Form DS-2019 (Hard copy, signed by you and an ISPO Advisor/DSO) with valid travel signature

Also see Recommended Documents for travel. 

To travel outside the U.S. to a country other than your home country, remember that a new set of laws will be in effect, and you may need a visa to enter that country. To learn more about visa requirements, contact that country's closest embassy or consulate in the U.S. or visit their website.

You can search for information about foreign countries' embassies and consulates in the U.S. on the U.S. Department of State (DOS) website.

ISPO cannot advise on other countries' entry-visa requirements.

Automatic Visa Revalidation (AVR)

Automatic Visa Revalidation (AVR) happens when you are reentering the U.S. after a temporary leave from the U.S., and your current expired F-1 visa gets automatically extended to the date of reentry, provided that your current visa has not been canceled, and that you have not applied for a new visa.

To take advantage of AVR your travel must be to contiguous/adjacent entities for less than 30 days. Current rules governing eligibility for AVR can be found on the U.S. State Department's Travel Information website. An overview of these eligibility rules can be found below:

• Contiguous countries are: Canada, Mexico, and the adjacent islands: Saint Pierre, Miquelon, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Bermuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Jamaica, the Windward and Lee Islands, Trinidad, Martinique, and the British, French and Netherlands territories or possessions in or bordering the Caribbean Sea. Cuba is excluded.
• AVR is not available to individuals from Cuba, Syria, Sudan or Iran.
• Do not surrender your I-94 card when departing the U.S.
• If the flight attendant or officer asks for your I-94, politely inform them that you are taking advantage of the AVR provision.
• AVR is only for business/leisure travel for fewer than 30 days.
• AVR is not valid for people who travel from a contiguous/adjacent entity, such as Canada, to a non-contiguous country, such as Germany, and then return to the U.S. via a contiguous/adjacent entity.
• If you have changed your status while in the U.S. and hold a visa for the previous status, you may still take advantage of AVR, as long as you bring the supporting documents for your new status. For example, if you changed your status from E-2 to F-1, but still only have an expired E-2 visa, you may still use AVR.

Traveling to Mexico, Canada, or Caribbean

For short trips to Mexico or Canada, contact the Canadian or Mexican consulates to find out about their entry requirements and restrictions. Requirements and restrictions are determined by your country of citizenship and by how far you will travel from the U.S. border.

Despite Automatic Visa Revalidation, you may require a visa to enter Canada, Mexico or Caribbean countries. For more information consult the following sources:

• Canada: Citizenship and Immigration Canada
• Mexico: San Diego Mexican Consulate General (visa application)
• Other countries: https://www.embassy.org/embassies/ 

Upon arrival, you will be required to present your immigration documents to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer at the port of entry. If they are unable to verify your information, or if you do not have all of the required documentation, a CBP officer may direct you to an interview area known as “secondary inspection.” Secondary inspection allows inspectors to conduct additional research in order to verify information without causing delays for other arriving passengers.

In the event that the CBP officer needs to verify information, provide them with the following contact information to reach an ISPO Advisor: 

• Name of Advisor: Designated School Official (DSO) who signed your most recently issued Form I-20 
• Contact Phone: 858-534-3730 (Note, travelers calling outside of normal business hours will be routed to UC San Diego Police Department who will relay any travel emergencies to ISPO)
• Addition Ways to Contact ISPO

• If you arrive at the U.S. port of entry without all of your required documents or with unsigned or missing documents, the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer has the discretion deny your entry into the U.S.
• Alternatively, CBP may  send you to Secondary Inspection and ultimately issue you a Form I-515A, which will allow you to temporarily enter the U.S. for 30 days.
• If you are issued a Form I-515A, then you must request a replacement I-20/DS-2019 from ISPO upon arrival to UC San Diego, and submit this new document to USCIS based on the instructions on the Form I-515A.
• Request a new I-20/DS-2019 by following instructions on our Replacement I-20/DS-2019 page.

Failure to take action and resolve the I515A request within 30 days will result in problems with your immigration status. Contact ISPO if you have further questions. 

Having a valid F-1 or J-1 Visa does not guarantee entry to the U.S. The Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer has the discretion to asses if your intentions to enter the U.S. are in alignment with the visa classification which you are seeking admission in. Although visa holders have already been found by the Department of State  to be admissible at the time they received their visa, a CBP officer must also independently find you admissible at the port of entry.

Upon entry, if you receive notice from the CBP Officer that you are facing a visa revocation, are required to voluntarily depart the U.S., or are inadmissible to the U.S., take the following steps: 

1. Contact ISPO as soon as possible
2. Retain Documentation provided to you 
3. Despite the frustration you may be experiencing, take mental note of the questions you were asked by the CBP Officer, your responses, and any other information provided to you during this experience; it will assist ISPO in determining how to best assess your situation. 

While the majority of our students have a safe and pleasant travel experience, we urge students who may experience these challenges to remain calm and respectful in order to properly assess the current situation.