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 The
U.S. Visa Stamp In My Passport Is About To Expire Or Has Expired. Do
I Need A New One?
FOREIGN VISA: If you are traveling to a country other than your home
country, you may need a visitor’s visa for that country. Also, if
your flight home requires a stop in a third country, you need to
find out if a transit visa is required by that country and, if so,
if you must obtain it prior to your trip. Embassy information and
telephone numbers are found at
www.state.gov. The most common “transit visa” is for flights
stopping in the United Kingdom. For information on the requirements
for “Visitor in Transit” visas in the UK, go to
http://www.ukvisas.gov.uk/en/howtoapply/infs/inf20transit
If you are not planning to travel outside the
U.S., you DO NOT need a new visa.
The visa that is stamped in your passport is for entry purposes
only. Once you are in the U.S., your SEVIS I-20 or DS-2019 and I-94
become the active documents that permit you to remain in the U.S.
You are allowed to stay for D/S, which means, “Duration of Status”,
the period of time that you are a student in good standing. The
anticipated completion date noted on your I-20 or DS-2019 is the
expiration date of your status. If you will need an extension of
your I-20 or DS-2019, you must make request for extension at the
International Services Office BEFORE the expiration date listed on
your documents.
If the visa stamp in your passport is still valid (not expired and
with available/multiple entries), you may still need to obtain a new
visa. As per US Department of State memorandum from December 2005 to
all US Consulates, "When a student has been out of the country for
more than five months, the student's F-1 ...visa would be considered
to be invalid..." (See
http://travel.state.gov/visa/laws/telegrams/telegrams_2780.html).
If you have been outside of US for more than 5 months, we encourage
you to contact US Consulate in your home country to check on
possible need to apply for a new visa.
What
Will I Need To Apply For A New Visa?
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A valid passport.
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Current SEVIS I-20
or DS-2019- (signed for travel within 6 months by the Foreign
Student Advisor).
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Proof of financial
support-A copy of your bank statement, assistantship letter,
scholarship letter, affidavit of support, or any combination
sufficient to prove full financial support as indicated on your
I-20 or DS-2019.
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Copies of your LSU
transcript to prove you have been a full-time student in good
standing since your enrollment as an F-1 or J-1. THIS TRANSCRIPT
WILL BE YOUR PROOF OF ENROLLMENT FOR ALL PAST SEMESTERS. If you
were enrolled at another U.S. institution as an F-1 or J-1 prior
to enrollment at LSU, you will need a copy of that transcript at
well.
-
If you are
pre-registered for future terms, The Office of the Registrar
(Thomas Boyd) can provide this verification. You can also print
a copy of your next semester’s schedule by logging on to PAWS,
select “Registration Services” and click on “Personal Schedule”.
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One passport-size
photograph- This is a standard passport “facing front”
photograph. It may be wise to take two photographs with you.
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GRADUATE STUDENTS:
A letter from your graduate advisor or department chair
verifying your academic progress toward completion of the
degree(s) noted on your SEVIS I-20 or DS-2019.
Remember that evidence of sufficient ties to your home country is
still necessary. This is important and needs to show that you intend
to return home after your studies. Under US law, all applicants for
non-immigrant visas are viewed as intending immigrants unless they
can convince the consular officer that they are not. You must
therefore be able to show that you have reasons for returning to
your home country that are stronger than those for remaining in the
United States. "Ties" to your home country are the things that bind
you to your hometown, homeland, or current place of residence: job,
family, financial prospects that you own or will inherit,
investments, etc. You may be asked about your specific intentions or
promise of future employment, family or other relationships,
educational objectives, grades, long-range plans, and career
prospects in your home country. Each person’s situation is
different, and there is no magic explanation or single document,
certificate or letter, that can guarantee visa issuance.
For more information:
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Find an
embassy/consulate or see appointment wait times:
http://travel.state.gov/visa/visa_1750.html
http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/wait/wait_4638.html
·
General F & M student
visa application information:
http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/types/types_1268.html
·
General J Exchange
Visitor visa application information:
http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/types/types_1267.html
·
Other Visa type
Information:
http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/types/types_1286.html
·
Find out about special
clearances for certain citizens:
http://travel.state.gov/visa/reciprocity/index.html
·
Visa regulations (www.foia.state.gov):
http://www.state.gov/m/a/dir/regs/fam/09fam/index.htm
·
General information
about student visa status:
http://www.ice.gov/sevis/students/index.htm
Applying
For A Visa In Your Home Country Or Another Country Abroad
You can apply for a U.S. visa at the American Consulate or Embassy
in your home country when you go home for a visit, or in an American
Consulate or Embassy in some other country when you are traveling
abroad. It is important to realize that some consulates may require
an appointment (even in your own country), or may have an extensive
processing time.
For detailed
information, visit the following websites:
Website for Foreign Embassy and Consular Offices in the United
States:
http://www.state.gov/s/cpr/rls/fco/
Application and Issuance Fee charged for visa: there is a standard
$100.00 plus visa application fee. Depending on the country you are
from, there may also be an issuance fee.
Applying
for a Visa in Canada or Mexico
11/2008
Update for Visa Appointment Restrictions in
Mexico
Some students can apply for a renewal of their visa at the border
posts of Mexico or Canada. There are severe restrictions on
scheduling an appointment in Canada or Mexico, so verify your
eligibility BEFORE you travel. To enter a third country, you may
also need an entry visa and should inquire with the consulate either
by phone or through their websites.
The following websites may be helpful:
http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/info/info_5213.html
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/index.asp
http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/id_visa/
Determining Eligibility To
Apply For A New Visa In A Third Country
The International Services Office has been notified of several
updates concerning visa issuance for international students,
scholars, and visitors traveling abroad. The most significant is the
State Department announcement that all men between the ages of 16
and 45 from certain Arab and Muslim countries will be subject to a
waiting period for non-immigrant visa applications that will add an
additional period of up to 20 working days to the application
process.
Applicants subject to the new security screening will also be
required to complete a new background questionnaire form that will
cover previous military service and weapons training, previous
travels and whether the applicant had any other passports.
If you fit any or all of the above-mentioned criteria, you are not
eligible to renew your visa in Canada, Mexico, or any other “third
country” and must make arrangements to renew your visa in your home
country.
AUTOMATIC
VISA REVALIDATION - Short trips to Canada and/or Mexico
NOTE: If an F-1 or J-1 student’s US visa stamp is valid (unexpired),
this provision/benefit is not needed for your travel to
Canada/Mexico. You may re-enter the US, even if your staff is less
than or more than 30 days, with your valid visa and all other
required documents for re-entry (http://www.oip.lsu.edu/iso/travel.htm).
The rule found in the Code of Federal Regulations at 22 CFR
41.112(d) allows non-immigrants to re-enter the U.S. without a
valid (unexpired) U.S. nonimmigrant visa stamp. To be eligible
for this provision, the following conditions must apply:
• Period abroad did not exceed 30 days
• Visit included ONLY Canada or Mexico (contiguous territory); a
special provision for F and J non-immigrants extends this to
adjacent islands (Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Hispaniola (Haiti and
The Dominican Republic), Jamaica, Martinique, St. Pierre and
Miquelon, Trinidad and Tobago, The Leeward Islands (Anguilla,
Antigua, Guadeloupe, Nevis, St. Kitts and the British Virgin
Islands), The Windward Islands (Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia and St.
Vincent), and other British, French or Dutch territories, or
possessions in or bordering on the Caribbean Sea. Cuba is not
included.
• Non- immigrant is otherwise admissible to the U.S.
• Non- immigrant did not apply for a new U.S. visa while
abroad
• Non- immigrant has maintained valid non-immigrant status prior to
departure from the U.S. and will return to the U.S. to resume that
same status.
• Non- immigrant is in possession of appropriate documents to
demonstrate status: valid passport; most recently issued original
I-94 card (the I-94 should be retained, not surrendered upon
departure from the U.S. if automatic visa revalidation is to be
used); valid form DS-2019 signed for re-entry for J-1s and valid
form I-20 for F-1s.
• Non-immigrant is not a national of Cuba, Iraq, Iran, North Korea,
Syria, or Sudan.
If you meet the above conditions you may re-enter the U.S with an
expired F or J (as applicable) visa using automatic visa
revalidation. Also, if you changed status from another visa category
to F or J, and never obtained an F-1 or J-1 visa stamp, you may
re-enter the U.S. without any visa stamp using automatic visa
revalidation if the above conditions are met.
UPON YOUR RETURN TO THE U.S., PLEASE PROVIDE THE IS WITH A COPY OF
YOUR NEW VISA and I-94 card
Click
Here for Information Regarding Passports
This page was last
updated, November 11, 2011 |
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