Remaining in good status throughout your stay should assist in successfully traveling in and out of the U.S. You will need to have your immigration document (Form I-20 or DS-2019) signed before you leave the U.S. by one of the ISSS advisors. You will also need a valid, unexpired visa to re-enter the U.S. unless you are traveling to Canada, Mexico, or the adjacent islands for less than 30 days. Also keep in mind that a valid visa for entry into other foreign countries may be necessary.

December 16, 2025: A Presidential Proclamation announced the expansion of current travel bans to further restrict entry into the U.S., effective January 1, 2026. 

Presidential Proclamation published on whitehouse.gov  

White House Fact Sheet on Proclamation

• Full ban countries: Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.
• Eight more added to full ban include: Burkina Faso, Laos, Mali, Niger, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Syria, and any individuals seeking to travel to the U.S. with travel documents issued or endorsed by the Palestinian Authority.

Partial Ban Countries
19 countries are subject to a partial ban that suspends "entry into the United States" as immigrants and of nonimmigrants on "B-1, B‑2, B-1/B-2, F, M, and J visas." Turkmenistan is the sole exception to this general partial ban rule. Entry by nationals of Turkmenistan is suspended only for immigrants, but not for any class of nonimmigrants. For each of the partial ban countries listed, the proclamation also directs consular officers to "reduce the validity for any other nonimmigrant visa ... to the extent permitted by law."

Exceptions: the ban provisions are applicable only to nationals of the subject country who are outside the U.S. without a valid visa on or after January 1, 2026. There are also a number of exceptions, such as for lawful permanent residents, dual nationals of a designated country when the individual is traveling on a passport issued by a non-designated country, asylees, refugees, diplomatic and international organization visas, athletes coming to participate in the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Olympics, and some other categories.

• Countries included in partial ban: Burundi, Cuba, Togo, Venezuala, Turkmenistan (amended, ban applies to immigrants only. Nonimmigrants (i.e. F/J, etc. are exempted).
• Fifteen additional countries added to partial-ban list: Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Cote d'Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

See NAFSA’s analysis for more detailed information.

Students from any of the countries on these lists should not travel outside the U.S. if at all possible.

If you need to renew your F-1 or J-1 visa while abroad, you may experience difficulties obtaining a new visa in time to return to the U.S. There may be significant delays in visa processing and fewer opportunities to waive visa interviews. It’s recommended to schedule the visa interview before leaving the U.S. for travel.

Most F-1 and J-1 students with proper documentation can travel without issue.  However, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has the authority to deny entry to any traveler. Additionally, CBP officers are permitted to search electronic devices upon entry. See: Border Search of Electronic Devices at Ports of Entry | U.S. Customs

The following are documents needed to re-enter the U.S. following breaks:

• A valid passport (at least 6 months into the future). If you don't have a valid passport, check out the passport renewal process.
• A valid visa to re-enter the U.S. If you need a valid visa, check out the visa renewal process.   
• Your most recent immigration document (Form I-20 or DS-2019) with travel signature from an ISSS staff member. Travel signatures are valid for one year.

Once you re-enter the U.S., check your I-94 record to ensure that you were admitted in the correct status. Email ISSS if you have any questions.

Attention all visa holders who travel to Canada and re-enter the U.S. from a Canadian land border crossing or sea port:

When re-entering the U.S., you must ask the border officer to provide you with an official I-94 entry record. You will need to provide the border officer with your passport and I-20 or DS-2019 form. The I-94 record will contain the following information:

• Date of entry into the U.S.
• Status of entry into the U.S. (should be the same as your visa type).
• Duration of entry status (for F-1 and J-1 students, this should say D/S).

You will need to pay a small fee to have the border officer create your official entry record (I-94).

NOTE: When traveling on an airline, the small I-94 fee is incorporated into your ticket price.

What is an I-94?

Before departing the U.S. it is strongly recommended that you contact one of the ISSS advisors about your particular travel situation, as every situation is unique. Here are general re-entry guidelines to consider before departing the U.S. while on OPT. 

In addition to the three items list above ("Items Needed for Re-entry to the U.S."), you will need both of the following:

• Your valid Employment Authorization Document (EAD)
• Proof of employment. Below are two options that you can utilize for this:
  • Your original offer letter plus a recent pay stub
  • A letter from your employer/supervisor. This letter should be on company letterhead and indicate that you are a current employee at the company. Some employers will also include language acknowledging that they know you are traveling outside of the US and that they expect you back at work on a specific date.

The following two questions are of particular interest while traveling on OPT. The answers are from the ICE website on Travel. Again, it’s best to consult the ISSS staff before traveling. 

1. Can I re-enter if my request for Post-Completion OPT is pending?

• "Yes, but traveling during this time should be undertaken with caution. United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) may send you a request for evidence while you are away, however, so you would want to make sure you have provided a correct U.S. address both to your DSO and on the application and would be able to send in requested documents. Also, if USCIS approves your OPT application, you will be expected to have your EAD in hand to re-enter the United States. Like a request for further information, USCIS can only send the EAD to your U.S. address."

2. Can I re-enter if I left while on Post-Completion OPT?

• "If USCIS has approved your OPT you will be expected to have your EAD in hand to re-enter the United States, in addition to your Form I-20, valid passport and visa and a letter of employment. If you exceed the limits of unemployment while outside the United States, you will not be eligible to re-enter the United States in F-1 status."