TRAVEL DOCUMENTS
Passport: Any alien applying for a US visa or seeking admission at a US port of entry must have a passport. Passports should be kept valid for a minimum of six months from the expiration date of the contemplated period of stay. For F-1 students, the contemplated period of stay refers to "Duration of Status" which means the period during which the student is pursuing a full course of study and any periods of authorized practical training, plus sixty days within which to depart from the United States.
An official of your home country consulate in the United States can renew your passport. The International Student Office keeps a list of Consulate offices located in the United States. You should consult your embassy or consulate to determine what procedures are required to renew your passport. If you are required to supply a letter confirming your student status, you will need to request one from the International Student Advisor. Since an extension may take a long time to process, it is wise to apply as far in advance as allowed by the consulate office or government.
US Visa
The visa is stamped in the passport by a United States consular officer abroad, and indicates the period during which a visitor may enter the United States and the number of entries permitted. The visa stamp can only be obtained outside the United States. The date on the visa stamp does NOT govern the length of time the visitor may remain in the United States after entering.
A visa is issued for a specific period of time during which you must enter the United States. Therefore, it cannot be "extended". When it expires, one must apply for a new visa to enter the United States. Because a visa is only a permit to apply for entry into the country, it is not possible to obtain a US visa while you are in the US To apply for a visa, you must go to a US consulate or embassy in a country other than the United States.
A person may have more than one valid visa stamp in the passport. For example, a student or scholar with a valid F-1 or J-1 stamp may also have a valid B-1 or B-2 tourist stamp. The person's status in the United States will be that assigned by the immigration officer at the port of entry and entered on the I-94 "Arrival/Departure Record".To prevent admission to the US in the wrong classification, it is important that the student present proper visa documents (an I-20 or IAP-66) and clearly indicates to the immigration officer the purpose of the intended stay in the United States.
It is necessary to renew your visa only if you plan to leave and reenter the United States after your visa has expired and you are going somewhere other than Canada, Mexico, or any of the islands in the Caribbean Sea (except Cuba). If it is necessary to renew your visa in order to reenter the United States, you may do so by visiting the US Consulate or Embassy in the country to which you are traveling. It is not possible to renew an F1 or J1 visa while you are within the borders of the United States.
FORM I-94
Upon entry to the United States the immigration official issues each person a Form I-94 (Arrival/Departure Record) which is a small white card usually stapled to the passport. The Admission or Departure number on the I94 is your personal identification with INS and is used by INS to monitor your entry and departure from the United States. The Form I-94 is to be surrendered when leaving the United States EXCEPT for visits of less than 30 days to Canada, Mexico, or the Caribbean Islands.
The Form I-94 should be valid for "Duration of Status (D/S)" or as long as student status is maintained. If there is a date on the Form I-94 instead of D/S, you must leave the United States by that date. If you wish to remain longer, you must apply for an extension of stay. You may apply for an extension as early as two months before your stay expires. The Form I-94 shows your immigration classification and endorsements made by immigration officers at the port of entry. It will also show any authorized extension of stay, any change of nonimmigrant classification, and any other actions authorized by INS. If the Form I-94 has been lost or mutilated, a replacement may be obtained by applying to INS on Form I-102, with a required fee of $85 and a photocopy of the lost Form I-94.
NOTE: Students and others often confuse the term "visa", which gives a person permission to apply for entry to the United States, and the terms"Arrival/Departure Record,'; "I-94", "authorized stay", or "permission to stay". The latter terms refer to a person's permission to remain in the United States after having entered. A person's visa need not remain valid once he or she has used it to gain admission to the United States. The "permission to stay", however, must be kept valid.
VISITS OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES
When returning to the United States after temporary visits abroad, a valid passport, visa and I-20 must be presented to border INS officials. A nonimmigrant student may be readmitted after a temporary absence of five months or less from the United States if the International Student Advisor has properly endorsed the I-20 for travel.
IMPORTANT: NEVER leave the US without first having the Multicultural Center Student Advisor sign your Form I-20 for travel.
Students in F-1 status are instructed to keep all I-20 forms in their possession at all times. Do not surrender them upon leaving the United States.
The Form I-94, however, is to be surrendered upon departure EXCEPT in the case of visits of 30 days or less to Canada, Mexico, or adjacent islands other than Cuba. When an F-1 student who surrenders the I-94 upon leaving the United States returns to the US, a new I-94 will be issued; the preprinted admission number will be crossed out and replaced with the student's original admission number. If not in possession of the I-94, the Multicultural Center Student Advisor can issue a letter explaining the absence of the I-94.