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Travel

These guides and checklists will help you travel inside and outside the US. We also offer resources to explore Southern California. As always, contact us if you need assistance at any time.

 

Travel Advisories

All students must carry proof of your legal status or "legal registration" with you at all times in the US. This means carrying a printed version of your I-94 card and your printed and signed I-20 (signed by you); students on OPT must carry their EAD card. We also strongly recommend that you have a copy of your passport easily accessible in a cloud drive, such as Google Drive or iCloud. Change of status students: your I-94 is on your change of status approval notice.

Duration of Status Lawsuit: On September 30, 2026 the government filed an appeal to a preliminary injunction ruling that temporarily stops the Elimination of Duration of Status Rule from taking effect. This means that current F-1 rules remain, and students entering the US will continue to receive an I-94 showing D/S (duration of status). D/S allows you to remain in the US and transfer to other schools until your educational objectives - including any periods of post-completion optional practical training - are completed. However, it should be understood that a decision on the appeal may be issued at any time. As a result, ISP is currently cautioning against international travel until the outcome of the lawsuit  is clear. If the rule is allowed to commence, any student who enters the US after the new effective date would be subject to the new rules. Please be comfortable with these risks before deciding on international travel.

Visa Revocations: Visas can be revoked for any number of reasons. If you have had any interaction with law enforcement that resulted in fingerprinting/an arrest, you should assume your visa has been revoked and not engage in international travel; we encourage you to contact us if this is your case. To see if your visa has been revoked, please visit https://ceac.state.gov. 

Visa appointments: Social media is being used in the vetting of students for visas. The government is sensitive to online activity that shows a "hostile attitude" towards the US or political activism. In July 2026, the US Department of State issued a cable reminding all visa applicants that they should apply for a visa only in their country of nationality or residence. "Third Country National" visa applications are likely to be denied. Contact your DSO if you need to discuss your travel situation.

Visa Reciprocity: Certain countries are now only eligible for single-entry F-1 visas with an expiration date of 3 months after issuance. Please consult the US Visa Reciprocity Chart to check on your country's current issuance limitations. If you currently hold a valid visa that shows a longer duration and/or multiple entries, then this issuance will continue to be honored. A "single-entry" means your visa can only be used once. Any current student with a single-entry notation on the visa who departs the US after entry, will need to apply for a new visa the next time you travel outside of the US. Schedule your visa appointment no earlier than the number of months listed in the visa reciprocity schedule AND enter the US before the limit has been reached (expiration date of the visa). Example: Your country has a 3-month visa reciprocity limit. This means that, once issued, your visa is valid for entry to the US for only 3 months. In this example, you should apply for a new visa no more than 3 months prior to your expected return date.

Travel Ban: Effective January 1, 2026, Presidential Proclamation 10998 “Restricting and Limiting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the Security of the United States” banned entry to the US on tourist and student visas for an additional 19 countries not included in the June 2025 ban, bringing the total affected countries to 39:

  • Original Jun 2025 Country List: Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Burma/Myanmar, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Laos, Libya, Mali, Niger, Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Syria and Yemen and those who hold Palestinian Authority Travel Documents.
  • Countries Added in Jan 2026: Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Burundi, Cote d ‘Ivoire, Cuba, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Venezuela, Zambia, and Zimbabwe

This does not affect your visa or your current F-1 status, and the government has clarified that current students with valid visas issued before 1/1/26 (Jan 2026 countries) or 6/9/25 (June 2025 countries) will continue to be able to reenter. Should you have a valid visa and decide to engage in travel, we encourage you to print and carry the White House Fact Sheet addressing this proclamation in the case that you need to show it to an immigration officer. If your visa has expired, you should not engage in international travel at this time, as student visa issuance is no longer available to citizens of these countries. 

Russian Students: The US Embassy in Moscow has stopped issuing F-1 student visas. The U.S. Department of State has designated the following posts for Russian student processing: Mission Kazakhstan and U.S. embassies Belgrade and Yerevan. Applicants are encouraged to check each post's website for the latest information on services and appointment availability at that specific post.