Traveling to Mexico, Canada or the United States’ Adjacent Islands as an F-1 or J-1 Visa Holder

Applicable Rules to International Students in the US with an F-1 or J-1 Visa

Within this post, we will discuss travel to Canada, Mexico and the “Adjacent Islands” as an F-1 or J-1 visa holder. In this context, “adjacent islands” refers to the following: Trinidad and Tobago, St. Pierre and Miquelon, Jamaica, Martinique, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Bermuda, Barbados, the Bahamas, Anguilla, Antigua, Guadeloupe, Nevis, St. Kitts and The British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, as well as other British, French or Dutch territories or possessions in or bordering the Caribbean Sea.

Options for Automatic Visa Revalidation when Reentering the US

If you are a nonimmigrant with F-1 or J-1 status, you and your F-2 or J-2 dependents will be able to reenter the US from Mexico, Canada or the Adjacent Islands with an expired US nonimmigrant visa stamp as long as you were not out of the country for more than 30 days. Keep in mind that this is generally not recommended if you are returning from your home country. If you are traveling to your home country with an expired F-1 or J-1 visa, it is best to apply for a new visa while you are in your home country. If you are returning to the US from your home country, you may face difficulties with an expired F-1 or J-1 visa even if you have your original I-94.

Requirements for Automatic Visa Revalidation

1. You must have possession of the following documents when you reenter the US in order to be eligible for Automatic Visa Revalidation: 

• A valid passport
• A valid I-20 or DS-2019 (formerly called an IAP-66)
• The expired visa stamp or USCIS approval notice (Form I-797) if your I-94 card is from a change of status
• Your most recent I-94 with an expiration of D/S, which stand for “Duration of Status”

2. As mentioned above, you may only have visited the countries identified for a maximum of 30 days.

3. You still qualify for J or J status and have an intention to resume that status upon your return to the US.

4. You have not applied for a new visa while abroad. If you have applied for a new visa abroad, you will not be able to return to the US unless and until that visa is approved. It is even more risky to do this if you may be subjected to an extensive security check. If you face the situation in which your visa request is denied, you will have to return your home country and apply for a new visa there.

Nationalities Ineligible for Automatic Visa Revalidation

Automatic Visa Revalidation is not available to you if you are an Iranian, Syrian, Sudanese, or Cuban national. In this case, you will need to follow the normal procedures for renewing your F-1 or J-1 visa. While nationals of Iraq and Libya were recently removed from this list of those ineligible for automatic visa revalidation, but because automatic revalidation is at the discretion of the border official, it is more likely that you will face difficulties at the border.

All information regarding visa revalidation can be found in the Code of Federal Regulations, 22 CFR Section 41.112 (d), and 8 CFR Section 214.1 (b). These regulations are available online.