Continuing International Students

International Students are allowed to travel to and from their home country and other countries while enrolled at Howard University. There are immigration-related regulations, for which all students must comply in order to travel and maintain their F-1 Student or J-1 Exchange Visitor Status.

The list of documents below are required for travel and re-entry into the United States. F-1 and J-1 students must present these documents to the immigration inspector at the port of entry.

Current Students

• Form I-20 ( F-1 Students) with International Student Advisor travel signature on page 2
• A valid and unexpired passport ( valid six months into the future)
• A valid and unexpired F-1  visa stamp ( the visa must be valid on the date of your planned re-entry)
• Proof of financial support - financial documents ( the original documents that were used to issue the Form I-20 or DS-2019
• Howard University ID Card
• Proof of full-time enrollment: Enrollment verification from registrar or transcript verifying enrollment in a full-time course of study, or letter of good standing from Graduate department.

F-1 Students (Optional Practical Training- OPT)

• Original Form I-20 ( F-1 Students) or Form DS-2019 ( J-1 students) with a valid  International Student Advisor travel signature on page 2
• A valid and unexpired passport ( valid six months into the future)
• A valid and unexpired  F-1 visa stamp ( the visa must be valid on the date of your planned re-entry)
• Proof of financial support - financial documents ( the original documents that were used to issue the Form I-20 or DS-2019
• Academic Transcript
• Employment Authorization Card(EAD) or the receipt notice for our OPT application.
• Job Offer Letter or letter confirming current employment. The job offer letter or letter confirming your current employment should describe the job as temporary (no more than 12 months) because the idea behind Optional Practical Training is that it allow you to gain training in a temporary position in the U.S. An offer of permanent employment may be construed as inconsistent with holding non-immigrant status in the U.S.

Current J-1 Students

• Form DS-2019 ( J-1 students) with International Student Advisor travel signature on page 1
• A valid and unexpired passport ( valid six months into the future)
• A valid and unexpired J-1  visa stamp ( the visa must be valid on the date of your planned re-entry)
• Proof of financial support - financial documents ( the original documents that were used to issue the Form I-20 or DS-2019
• Howard University ID Card
• Proof of full-time enrollment: Enrollment verification from registrar or transcript verifying enrollment in a full-time course of study, or letter of good standing from Graduate department.

F-2 or J-2 spouses and minor children who are not accompanied by the F-1 or J-1 student and visiting scholars must have:

• Valid passport
• Valid U.S. visa stamp (except for Canadian Citizens)
• Valid separate Form I-20 or DS-2019
• Evidence of financial funding

If the dependents have never been given an I-20 or DS-2019, then you need to see an adviser at the ISS.

Form DS-2019 for the J-2 dependents can be obtained from the ISS or your program sponsor.

A Travel Signature is an endorsement  signature from your International Student Advisor , which indicates that an  F-1 or J-1 student is eligible for re-entry into the United States. A travel signature  given by an International Student Advisor on Form I-20 is valid for one year.  For those on OPT, travel signatures are only valid for six months.

Graduate Students: required documents for a travel signature:

• Recent letter of good standing from your department
• Passport
• I-20 (must be the original and most recent version)

Undergraduate Students required documents for a travel signature:

• Enrollment Verification form from the Office of the Registrar
• Passport
• I-20 (must be the original and most recent version)

Automatic Revalidation

If you have an expired non-immigrant visa stamp in your passport (for example F or J) and you have a valid I-94 card stating your current status, your visa will be considered automatically revalidated for that ONE entry when you re-enter the U.S. from Canada or Mexico as long as ALL of the following are true:

Requirements

• you have only been in Canada or Mexico for less than 30 days
• you have with you a current I-94 card stating your valid status
• you do have an expired non-immigrant visa in your passport
• you do not apply for a U.S. visa while in Canada or Mexico
• you are not from one of the countries currently considered by the U.S. federal government to be state sponsors of terrorism (as of 07/16/2008 this includes Iran, Syria, Sudan, North Korea and Cuba)

I-94 Card

For automatic revalidation to apply to you, you must be careful to keep your I-94 card when leaving the U.S. When you re-enter the U.S., present your I-94 card along with your valid passport, expired visa and your valid immigration document (I-20, DS-2019 or I-797 in the case of someone in H1B or O visa status).

Special Registrants

If you are a "special registrant" (you would have been told when you entered the U.S. that you were being "special registered" as part of the "NSEERS" program), then you must leave the U.S. for Canada or Mexico through a designated port of departure. You must register your departure with the port inspectors. At that time, state to the inspectors that you intend to re-enter using automatic revalidation.

Changes of Status and Automatic Revalidation

The automatic revalidation will also work for someone who originally entered the U.S. in one non-immigrant status (such as F1) and has since changed to another non-immigrant status (such as H1B). The expired F1 visa will be considered to be revalidated and changed to H1B for the entry from Canada or Mexico. Those in H1B status should also carry the original I-797 approval notice while traveling which you can borrow from the OISS.

Adjacent Islands excluding Cuba

For those in F or J status (but NOT any other status), the automatic revalidation also works for visits of less than 30 days to the adjacent islands** excluding Cuba.

**Adjacent Islands include: Saint Pierre, Miquelon, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Bermuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Jamaica, the Windward and Leeward Islands, Trinidad, Martinique, and other British, French, and Netherlands territories or possessions in or bordering on the Caribbean Sea.

Check with the Office of Immigration & Visa Services
If you plan to re-enter the U.S. using automatic revalidation, it is a good idea to stop by ISS before you go to be sure your documents are in order.

• The F Form I-94 card gives you immigration status
• The I-94 form is currently electronic and can be printed from the US Customs & Border Protection website

Before traveling to Canada, come to ISS to check visa requirements and to pick up a Canadian visitor visa application if one is required (or on the web at http://cicnet.ci.gc.ca). You can re-enter the U.S. from Canada with an expired U.S. visa stamp if ALL of the following apply to you:

• You have a valid passport with an expired non-immigrant visa stamp, a valid I-20 or DS-2019, and you keep your I-94 card when leaving the U.S. and entering Canada
• Your visit to Canada will be less than 30 days
• You do NOT apply for a U.S. visa stamp while in Canada
• You are NOT a national of one of the following countries: Iran, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Sudan, Cuba, or North Korea.

If you or your dependents need to renew your visa stamps in order to re-enter the U.S., you must apply in person to a U.S. embassy or consulate abroad. Applicants are normally required to submit the following documentation:
valid passport

• current passport-size photographs
• valid Form I-20 (complete three-page form)
• proof of financial support (bank statements and/or scholarship, financial aid or TA/RA letter)
• proof of enrollment (certificate of enrollment or transcript). Information pertaining to enrollment verification can be found at https://howard.edu/registrar/verifications.

Guidelines and requirements related to employment of International Students

The F-1 students’ main purpose for being in the US is to be a student. It is your responsibility to maintain your legal status while in the United States. Upon arrival in the United States it is mandatory that all International students with F-1 and J-1 status check in to the International Student and VISA Immigration Services Office. Immigration regulations may change. Please contact our office if you have any questions. The Office of International Student and VISA Immigration Services is the primary resources for learning about student rights and responsibilities as a student at Howard University.  

            The following are required to maintain your legal status as an international student:

• Report to the Office of International Student & Immigration Services within 30 days of program (I-20 or DS-2019 start date)
• Full-time enrollment in Fall and Spring semesters
• Undergraduate- 12 credits
• Graduate – 9 credits
• Maintain satisfactory academic progress
• Maintain a valid SEVIS Form I-20 or DS2019 issued by Howard University with your current major & level of Study
• Maintain a valid passport – 6 months beyond your program end date
• No unauthorized employment
• Do not exceed 20 hours/week of on-campus employment during the academic year
• Report any changes of address within 10 days of moving
• Monitor the program end date on the Form I-20

Once you have entered the U.S. in a particular visa status, such as F1, your plans may change and you may decide to change your visa status. There are two ways to change your visa status.

• One way is to travel out of the U.S. apply at a U.S. consulate for a new type of visa stamp and then re-enter the U.S. in the new visa classification. [NOTE: Since Canadians do not need visa stamps, a Canadian would simply have to pay the SEVIS fee as explained on the handout attached to your I-20 and then make a new entry in to the U.S. with the new immigration documents. You must receive a new I-94 card with the new status recorded on it.]
• The second way is to send an application to a U.S.C.I.S. service center while remaining within the U.S. If you change your visa status this way, the next time you travel out of the U.S., you would still need to go to a U.S. consulate, apply for and obtain the visa stamp appropriate to your new visa classification. Additionally, you can NOT apply while remaining in the U.S. if either:
  
  1) you are a J-1 visa holder who is subject to the two year home residence requirement or

          2) you came into the U.S. using the visa waiver program.

• If you are subject to this two year rule or you came in to the U.S. using the visa waiver, you must travel out of the U.S. to change your status or get a waiver of the requirement. Come to ISS to discuss this with an advisor.

Below is a list of the different status changes you might be seeking. Click on each item to get more information and application procedures.

• F1 to F2
• F2 to F1
• H1 to F1
• B2 to F1
• to J1 student
• Continuing student (currently in H4, J2, L2, or J1 status requesting I-20 to change of status to F-1

If you are changing degree levels within Howard University, the graduate school or the professional school who admitted you will produce a new I-20 for you once you have been admitted and have provided financial support statements to them.