Travel Guidance for International Students

International Travel 

F-1 and J-1 students and visiting scholars and their dependents who have plans to leave the United States must have the following documents in order to reenter the United States in F or J status: 

Required Documents

• Valid passport (must be valid for at least six months from date of intended return)

• Valid, unexpired U.S. visa stamp in your passport

  • Exception: Citizens of Canada and Bermuda do not require a visa stamp. 

• F-1/F-2 travelers: A valid, printed Form I-20 with a travel endorsement on page 2 signed by an OISS advisor

  • Signature must be issued within one year of your intended return date

  • Within six months if you are on Post-Completion Optional Practical Training or STEM OPT

• J-1/J-2 travelers: A valid, printed Form DS-2019 with a travel signature in the lower right-hand section issued within one year of your return date

Recommended Documents:

• Proof of financial funding; bring a copy of the funding mentioned on your I-20/DS-2019. 

• For current students: Proof of enrollment, such as an unofficial transcript and/or your course schedule from Self-Service

• OPT/STEM OPT students: Valid Employment Authorization Document (EAD) card 
  
  

Traveling Within the United States 

The Office of International Students and Scholars (OISS) recommends that you always have your valid immigration documents when traveling. For travel inside the United States, you should bring the following documents: 

• Valid, unexpired passport with anexpiration date at least six months into the future 

• Valid, unexpired I-20 or DS-2019

• Most recent I-94 arrival record 

• Your F-1/J-1 visa may be expired if traveling within the U.S.

• Recommended for current students: Proof of enrollment, such as your student ID (QCard) and an unofficial transcript or your course schedule from Self-Service
  
  

Requesting a Travel Signature  

If you will be traveling outside of the U.S., you must have a valid travel signature on your Form I-20 or DS-2019 to reenter the U.S.  A travel signature from the Office of International Students and Scholars (OISS) advisor is valid for 12 months, or six months if on post-completion Optional Practical Training (OPT) or STEM Extension OPT. 

If you need a travel signature: 

1. Log in to the ISS Portal. 
   • If you are having trouble accessing the portal, please email oiss@qu.edu with a detailed description of the issue, including screenshots. 
2. Go to the Control Center on the right side of the page. 
3. Find the Travel Signature Request. 
4. Complete the Form. 
5. Submit Request. 

Within 1-3 business days you should receive an email that your travel signature request has been processed and a newly signed Form I-20 (F-1 Students) or Form DS-2019 (J-1 Students) is available in the ISS portal. The I-20 or DS-2019 must be downloaded, printed, and signed by the student prior to entering the U.S. 

Obtaining your I-94 Arrival Record

The I-94 is the Arrival/Departure Record issued by a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Officer to foreign visitors entering the United States.

Upon entry, a CBP officer will place an admission stamp on your passport and create an electronic I-94 record. The admission stamp will indicate your date of entry, class of admission (F-1, J-1) and admitted until date (D/S). Once you have entered the U.S., you will be able to access your I-94 admission record online by visiting the I-94 website here. You will be required to enter your passport number and entry information in order to obtain your I-94 record.

The Office of International Students & Scholars recommends that you review and print your I-94 document from the CBP website after each entry into the U.S. and retain the I-94 document for your records. The printout will serve as your official record which can be used for I-9 compliance when applying for jobs on campus or for other government agencies such as the Social Security Administration, Connecticut, Department of Motor Vehicles and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

1. Visit the U.S. Customs and Border Protection I-94 Website here.
2. Select "Get Most Recent I-94/I-95" from the top toolbar. 
3. Review the “Terms of Service” and select the “I Acknowledge And Agree” button.
4. Complete the online form, matching the information listed in the passport the student used to enter the U.S.
5. Review the information entered into the form; if everything is correct, select “Continue”.
6. Review the I-94 record for accuracy; if everything is correct, select the “Print” button on the webpage.

If you are unable to retrieve your most recent I-94 record or if the information on the I-94 record is incorrect, contact the Office of International Students & Scholars for assistance.