PLAN YOUR TRAVEL
Recently, the United States government issued a requirement that all incoming/returning international students must provide proof of vaccination prior to entering the U.S. The vaccination must be approved by the World Health Organization.
Students who are planning to attend Augsburg must comply with this requirement. It is your responsibility to understand and follow the country-specific information regarding vaccinations, exemptions, and travel regulations prior to booking your travel arrangements.
The new requirements will affect how you plan your travel: BEFORE your travel day, the DAY OF travel, and what you need to do UPON arrival (including quarantining for 7 full days if unvaccinated).
To understand what requirements pertain to YOU, please follow the CDC Guidelines for International Travels.
The FAQ’s on the Covid-19 vaccination, testing, and international travel includes information for all international travelers and is a helpful tool as you plan to start at Augsburg next semester.
We strongly encourage you to review all of this information and have a plan before booking your travel to campus in January.
Please navigate to our COVID-19 Response site for more information on quarantine & isolation.
We encourage you to get travel insurance while you are traveling in a country that is not your home country. Please follow Student Travel Insurance information to learn more.
To avoid unnecessary inconvenience for your reentry, we strongly recommend you obtain a travel signature prior to your travel from your advisor. All the international student advisors at Augsburg University are Designated School Officials (DSO) who can sign these documents.
What documents does an F-1 student need to reenter the U.S.?
According to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the basic documents for an F-1 student’s re-entry to the U.S. after traveling abroad for less than 5 months are listed below:
- A current Form I-20 is endorsed for travel and signed by a DSO.
- A current passport valid for at least six months after the date of the reentry or, if you are from a country on this list, a passport that is current through the date of entry.
- A valid, current visa unless you traveled to the contiguous country or adjacent island for less than thirty days.
- Financial information showing proof of necessary funds to cover tuition and living expenses.
- Recommended – evidence of student status.
Besides, bringing your most recent I-94 will facilitate your reentry (get a copy of your electronic I-94 record), if reentering through a land port of entry (POE). If you are flying, the airline will collect your I-94 prior to departure and you will complete a new one upon reentry. In addition, students are recommended to present evidence of student status (recent tuition receipts, transcripts), and the name and contact information of a school’s DSO as needed. Please note: If the student is from a visa-exempt country (e.g. Canada), the student does not need a visa to reenter the United States from the western hemisphere.
If an F-1 student who is not from a visa-exempt country travels abroad for more than 5 months, it means that the student will have to enter an initial status, which requires a new SEVIS record, a new I-20, a new payment of the SEVIS I-901 fee, and a new F-1 visa.
Travel and reentry while on OPT
An F-1 student engaged in pre-completion OPT should follow the same procedure to travel abroad and re-enter as all F-1 students. At the port of entry, be prepared to present your EAD card upon request by U.S. border officials.
If you have post-completion OPT after completion of studies and wish to travel outside the U.S., upon reentering you must present to the U.S. border officials an unexpired EAD, and a valid Form I-20 endorsed by the DSO within 6 months of the reentry date. We also recommend that you have a job offer (as evidence of returning to resume employment) and a valid, unexpired F-1 visa in your passport. If you have not yet received your EAD and are still in the pending stage, this is riskier. Please consult with your advisor. Please note: if your F-1 visa expires upon the time you plan to reenter, you will have to apply for a new F-1 visa. However, there is a risk that consulates may be unwilling to issue new F-1 visas to students who have completed their studies and are simply reentering the United States.
Students who are approved for post-completion OPT continue to be in F-1 status. They are therefore subject not only to the requirements that they have an I-20 endorsed for travel and an EAD, but to the requirement that they have a valid F-1 visa to re-enter the United States unless they are exempt from the visa requirement. In other words, these students will have to present a Form I-20 endorsed by the DSO within the preceding 6 months, an unexpired EAD, and evidence of returning to resume employment.
Please consult with your advisor if you plan to travel on OPT.
Travel to Canada and Mexico
Although Canada and Mexico share the border with the United States, an international student will still need to apply for a visa to enter each of the countries unless the student is from a visa-exempt country to Canada or Mexico. In fact, Mexico and Canada have distinct entry requirements. For more details, please visit the Canadian Visa Information and the Mexican Visa Information.
If F-1 students and their dependents travel for less than 30 days solely to Canada, Mexico, or adjacent islands in the Caribbean (except Cuba), their expired F visas are considered to be “extended” to the date of re-entry, eliminating the need to obtain a new visa at a U.S. consulate before that particular re-entry. This is known as automatic visa revalidation. However, the automatic re-validation is available only when the following conditions are met:
- The F non-immigrant is not a national of one of the countries Iran, Syria, Sudan, and North Korea.
- The F non-immigrant satisfies each of these conditions:
- Is applying for readmission to the United States after an absence not exceeding 30 days solely in the contiguous territory (Canada or Mexico) or adjacent islands in the Caribbean (other than Cuba).
- Has maintained and intends to resume his or her F status and is reentering the United States prior to the expiration of the previously authorized stay.
- Presents a currently valid Form I-20 issued by the school he or she is authorized to attend and endorsed by the DSO for travel.
- Is in possession of a valid passport.
- Presents an unexpired Form I-94.
- Does not require the authorization of temporary admission to the United States under a provision for waiver of inadmissibility.
- Has not applied for a visa while abroad.