Unless you are traveling to Canada, Mexico or other contiguous territories for less than 30 days, you will need to get a new visa stamp to re-enter the United States. You will need to stop at the American Embassy/Consulate nearest to where you are going. You will need to bring the following items with you:
For F-1 & J-1 Students Traveling with Expired Visas
- Current Form I-20 or DS-2019 endorsed for travel (carry all I-20's / DS-2019's you have ever been issued)
- Valid passport (unless passport exempt)
- Proof of financial support as listed on the form I-20 or DS-2019
- Evidence of intent to return home following completion of study (such as employment letters, property ownership, immediate family, etc.)
- Copy of your UC transcript
- Students on Optional Practical Training should bring their Employment Authorization Document (EAD) and proof of employment.
- Students on Academic Training should bring proof of employment.
Visa processing times and procedures do vary by country. For example, some Embassies/Consulates may want to see a recent transcript, others won’t. Some Embassies/Consulates require a personal interview, others don’t. It is therefore recommended that you have a friend or relative call the U.S. Embassy/Consulate in your home country to find out processing times and procedures. Or, you may want to call the visa processing office at the Department of State at (202) 663-1225 or visit their website for more information. In addition, if you are studying or conducting research in one of fields listed below on the "Technology Alert List", you may be subject to a security check that could take up to several months to complete. You will want to plan your trip accordingly.
Upon your return you are required to report to UC International Services immediately with your new visa. We have to maintain a copy of it in your student file.
The Technology Alert List
The Technology Alert List consists of a "Critical Fields List" as well as a Department of State list of designated State Sponsors of Terrorism. Studying or conducting research in a critical field or originating from a designated state will make you subject to a Security Clearance Check before your visa is issued.
Critical Fields List
- Conventional Munitions: technologies associated with warhead and large caliber projectiles, fusing and arming systems, electronic counter measures and systems, new or novel explosives and formulation, automated explosive detection methods and equipment.
- Nuclear Technology: technologies associated with the production and use of nuclear material for peaceful and military applications include. This includes materials, equipment or technology associated with nuclear physics or nuclear engineering.
- Rocket Systems: technologies associated Rocket Systems and unmanned Air Vehicles including ballistic missile systems, space launch vehicles and sounding rockets, cruise missiles, target drones and reconnaissance drones.
- Rocket System and Unmanned Air Vehicle Subsystems: technologies associated with propulsion including solid rocket motor stages and liquid propellant engines. Other critical subsystems include re-entry vehicles, guidance sets, thrust vector controls and warhead safing, arming and fusing.
- Navigation, Avionics and Flight Control Usable in Rocket Systems and unmanned Air Vehicles: These capabilities directly determine the delivery accuracy and lethality of both unguided and guided weapons. Associated technologies include: Internal navigation systems, Tracking and terminal homing devices, Accelerometers and gyroscopes, Rockets and UAV and flight control systems, and Global Positioning system (GPS).
- Chemical, Biotechnology and Biomedical Engineering: associated technologies used to produce chemical and biological weapons.
- Remote Sensing, Imaging and Reconnaissance: technologies associated with satellite and aircraft remote sensing including military and intelligence reconnaissance activities, drones and remotely piloted vehicles.
- Advanced Computer/Microelectronic Technology: Advanced computers and software that play a useful role in the development and deployment of missiles and missile systems, and in the development and production of nuclear weapons, over-the-horizon targeting, airborne early warning targeting, and Electronic Countermeasures (ECM) processors.
- Materials Technology: technologies related to the metallic, ceramic and composite materials for structural functions in aircraft, spacecraft missiles, undersea vehicles and propulsion devices.
- Information Security: technologies associated with cryptographical systems to ensure secrecy of communications video, data and related software.
- Laser and Directed Energy Systems: technologies associated with laser guided bombs, ranging devices, and lasers having critical military applications.
- Sensors: technologies associated with marine acoustics, missile launch calibration, night vision devices, high speed photographic equipment and magnetometers.
- Marine Technology: technologies associated with submarines and deep submersible vessels, marine propulsion systems designed for undersea use and navigation, radar, acoustic/non-acoustic detection.
- Robotics: technologies associated with artificial intelligence, automation computer-controlled machine tools, and pattern recognition technologies.
- Urban Planning: technologies associated in the construction or design of systems necessary to sustain modern urban societies including architecture, civil engineering, community development, environmental planning, geography, housing, land use and urban design.
Department of State’s List of State Sponsors of Terrorism:
- Cuba
- Iran
- Iraq
- Libya
- North Korea
- Sudan
- Syria