Travel Plans Abroad

According to U.S. law, a non-immigrant visa student may be readmitted to the United States after an absence of five months or less, provided that they have maintained lawful full-time F-1 status during their stay in the United States.

There may be visa regulations that limit the amount of time you can travel abroad, and you may have trouble re-entering the United States. Consult your international student advisor who serves as DSO before you make a decision to leave the United States for vacation. A DSO is required to work with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service Office to maintain records of every international student at KSU.

Please be advised that international students will not be given preferential treatment during the scheduling of midterm and/or final examinations. In order to re-enter the United States after traveling abroad as an international student, consult your advisor prior to taking a term off. If your visa stamp is expired, you need to renew it in your home country. You must present the following documents to the U.S. immigration inspector upon arriving at a U.S. airport or other Port of Entry (POE), similar to your first entry:

• Valid passport with valid visa stamp
• Evidence of full time enrollment for two semesters
• Transcripts
• Record of registration for the following semester
• DSO signed travel page of your current I-20. Check to make sure that the travel signature on your document is not older than six months
• I-94
• Proof of adequate financial support. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has recently stated that returning, as well as first time students, may be required to provide financial documentation in order to enter the United States.
• Your KSU student ID