When you enter and exit the U.S., border officials now record your entry and exit into an electronic system (formerly this was done on a paper form). This record is called Form I-94.

• If you arrived in the U.S. BEFORE May 25, 2013 you received a PAPER form I-94. You should keep this in your passport; replacing this form can cost a lot of money!
• If you arrived in the U.S. AFTER May 25, 2013, you received an “admission stamp” in your passport and an electronic form I-94. You can log in to an on-line system to see your Form I-94.

Form I-94 tells you how long you may stay in the U.S. F-1 and J-1 students should not have a specific date, but rather the I-94 should say “D/S”, or “Duration of Status”. If the I-94 and/or admission stamp do not say “D/S”, or it does not say you arrived in your specific status (F-1 or J-1), you must notify International Student Services immediately.

It is your responsibility to review the form I-94 immediately after each entry into the U.S. to confirm accuracy.

Each time that you enter and exit the U.S., you generate a new form I-94. The most recent I-94 is also the only valid/unexpired I-94 that pertains to you.

Duration of Status
Your I-94 and/or passport should have a stamp that says “D/S” rather than a specific date. “D/S” means “Duration of Status”. “Duration of Status” means that you may remain in the U.S. for as long as you are in “Lawful Status” (as long as you are meeting all of the conditions of your student visa).

Print or Find Your I-94 Number
You can access your most recent I-94 on this US Customs and Border Protection website.

Visa Expiration Date
DO NOT use the U.S. Visa expiration date to determine your permitted length of stay in the U.S. Your visa gives you permission to apply to enter the U.S. at the U.S. port of entry. If your visa expires, you may legally remain in the U.S. but, if you depart the U.S., you must apply for a new visa to re-enter the U.S.

Students with an F-1 student visa must have proper documentation with them when they travel.  Travel outside the U.S. may be for five months or less.

Review this website BEFORE you purchase tickets to travel.

• U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement “Reentry for F-1 Nonimmigrants Traveling Outside the U.S.” and “Arrival Procedures for Students or Exchange Visitors (and click on: “Steps 4-6: Arriving”).

You are REQUIRED to carry the following documents when you travel:

• Form I-20, SIGNED BY A DSO ON PAGE 2 WITHIN 12 MONTHS OF YOUR DATE OF RETURN TO THE U.S. (within 180 days if traveling while approved for Optional Practical Training);
• Unexpired, original passport (generally must be valid at least six months past your planned date of return to the U.S.);
• Unexpired U.S. visa, valid past the planned date of return to the U.S. AND with remaining allowable “entries”. In some cases, a U.S. visa may be issued for two, three, or multiple “entries” into the U.S. Once you have entered the U.S. the total number of times equal to your “entries,” you may no longer use that visa even if it is not expired. F-1 and J-1 visas will typically have multiple entries;
• Financial information showing proof of necessary funds to cover tuition and living expenses; AND

• Your paper Form I-94 (only if your last entry into the U.S. was before May 2013).

Graduated students with an APPROVED or PENDING Application for OPT are REQUIRED to carry:

• • An unexpired Employment Authorization Document (EAD) or Form I-797C “Notice of Action” (a form indicating that your OPT Application is under review);
  • A copy of your employment letter, showing an employment offer AND an employment end date after your return date to the U.S. (no exceptions – you MUST have this);
  • NOTE: your I-20 will be expired (your program end date was your date of graduation).  Therefore, you MUST travel with the I-20 SIGNED ON PAGE 2 (to prove that you originally entered the U.S. to study) AND your EAD or “Notice of Action” (to prove that you are still “in lawful status”).

Travel before receiving both the original EAD and an employment letter is risky and could cause you to be unable to return to the U.S.  Read all details below in relation to travel and OPT before making your travel decisions.

You are RECOMMENDED to carry the following documents when you travel:

• A copy of your electronic Form I-94 (if your last entry into the U.S. was after May 2013);
  • Print your Form I-94 from the internet and carry this with you. If border officials cannot find you in their system when you exit the U.S., present your printed Form I-94.
• An unofficial copy of your UW Oshkosh transcripts showing enrollment in the semester after your return to the U.S. (or showing enrollment during the current semester if traveling during a mid-semester break);

Getting Your Form I-20 Signed for Travel

• If your I-20 has not been signed within the 12 month period prior to your RETURN to the U.S., drop off your I-20 in the International Student Services Office
• A Designated School Official will sign your I-20.
• Return to International Student Services to pick up your I-20.
• NOTE: you do not need an appointment to have your I-20 signed; your I-20 will be ready for pick-up within a day or two, provided ISS staff are in the office and available. Plan ahead for travel and give staff at least one week to sign!

Traveling While an Optional Practical Training Application is Pending

“Pending” means that you have applied for OPT and your official, on-line SEVIS record indicates “pending” as the status of your OPT Application.

• You may travel and re-enter the U.S., for the purpose of “searching for employment,”  while your OPT Application is pending provided you have ALL of the required documents listed above.
• If you travel outside the U.S. while your application is pending and your status changes to “approved” before you re-enter the U.S., you will be subject to rules for travelers in Approved OPT Status (see below).
• Because your status may change while you are outside of the U.S., DO NOT TRAVEL if your OPT Application is pending and you do not yet have an original Employment Letter.  See “re-entry” below for details.

Re-entry into the U.S. and Optional Practical Training

 “Approved” means that your official, on-line SEVIS record indicates “approved” as the status of your OPT Application.  “Approved” is not related to receipt (or not) of the original EAD. 

• After applying for OPT, you may NOT re-enter the U.S. UNLESS you have a written employment offer.  If you depart the U.S. without a written offer, you may secure the offer while outside the U.S. and use the offer to return, provided your Employment Authorization Document is not expired.
• If the status of your OPT Application is “approved,” you must present the original EAD to border officials to re-enter the U.S.  It is not possible to guess the date on which the status of your OPT Application may change from “pending” to “approved.”  Therefore, if your OPT Application is pending, it is not advisable to travel (unless you have enough time to request that a friend or a family member mail your EAD from the U.S. to you if it arrives while you are traveling).
• You should not consider traveling outside the U.S. unless you have both an EAD and a written employment offer.

Third-country Visas

You may also need to apply for a visa to enter countries other than the U.S. Review the U.S.-based website of the embassy or consulate of the country you plan to visit as far in advance as possible. Reviewing the website hosted IN THE U.S. will ensure that you have access to requirements for U.S. F-1 student visa holders who apply for a third-country visa from the U.S.

Students with an F-1 student visa have a Form I-20 which states the final date by which they must graduate. This date is called the “Program End Date”.

A student who will not graduate by the Program End Date must apply for a “Program Extension” at least 30 days before the Program End Date.

Application is possible if the student has:

• Maintained lawful status for the duration of stay in the U.S. AND
• The delay in completion is caused by compelling academic or medical reasons, such as change of major or research topics, unexpected research problems, or documented illnesses.

Complete the “Program Extension” request form and submit this to the International Student Services.

Delays because of academic probation or suspension are not acceptable reasons for program extension.

A student who fails to graduate or complete his/her program by the Program End Date on the I-20 and who is declined a Program Extension is “out of status” if s/he does not depart the U.S. within 60 days of the Program End Date.

Current students who have an F-1 visa may request an I-20 to bring a spouse and/or children under 21 years old to the U.S. to live with them.  Use the “Request for a Dependent I-20” form.  The form will require that you attach each of the documents listed below. You must complete one form for each individual dependent; you may not include all dependents on one form.

• a copy of the dependent’s passport;
• a copy of your marriage certificate (if requesting an I-20 for a spouse);
• a copy of the birth certificate (if requesting an I-20 for a dependent under the age of 21).

When applying for an I-20 from UWO, the financial documentation must show at least the minimum required funding of your program, plus expenses for your dependents. Your documentation may include a recent bank statement, sponsor letter, and/or other financial guarantee.

Once your dependent has arrived, minor dependents are allowed to attend kindergarten through high school. Spouses and older children may study at a post-secondary level up to 11 credits per semester.

In addition to the final date on which you may stay in your on- or off-campus housing, you must also plan for your departure from the U.S.

Students in F-1 status whose program has ended may remain in the U.S. for a maximum of 60 days following the final date listed on the I-20.  The final date listed will be one of the following:

• the final day of the 14-week semester; OR
• the final day of the 3-week interim; OR
• the final day of the summer session (only allowable if you are enrolled in a course during the summer session); OR 

The program end date will not change for students with approved OPT. Instead, students on OPT have 60 days after the expiration of their Employment Authorization Document (EAD) to exit the United States. Students cannot be employed during this 60-day period after the Employment Authorization expires.

The default end date given to students at the beginning of their stay at UW Oshkosh is normally equal to the date at the end of a corresponding interim term. ISS is required to change the end date on your I-20 in the following circumstances:

• When a student is not enrolled in an interim course during the final semester at UW Oshkosh, ISS must change the end date on the I-20 so that it is the same as the last day of classes in the 14-week semester.
• When a student will graduate or depart UW Oshkosh after a different term than originally indicated on the I-20, the ISS must change the end date on the I-20.  See “Graduation and Your I-20 Program End Date” (for information on graduating AFTER your originally-planned program end date) or “Optional Practical Training” for more information.