Frequently Asked Travel Questions

Below you will find the answers to our most common travel questions. Click on the plus sign icon next to the question to reveal its answer.

If you still can not find the answer you are looking for, please call us at 470-578-6336.

Please remember: if you are renewing your passport or visa, submit a copy to the ISSSO for your file.

  • You should expect to have your request processed in 2 business days. However, your travel request should be submitted at least two weeks before your departure in case you need to resolve issues, such as holds or balances on your account. In addition, most students tend to travel at the end of the semester, and this large number of requests might delay the time travel requests usually take to be processed.
  • First, don’t panic. Contact International Student & Scholar Services to explain the situation. You will be required to pay the mailing fee if your I-20/DS-2019 needs to be express mailed to you.
  • No, it is not a problem. You can use the same travel authorization for a later trip.
  • Yes.
  • Paper I-94 cards are no longer issued. Customs officials will stamp the passport of the traveler indicating the date of admission, visa type and authorized period of stay. Travelers who still have a paper I-94 card are advised to turn it into the airline official when checking into an international flight. To obtain the I-94 information valid for any official use, travelers can find a link to print their I-94 for free at: http://www.cbp.gov/I94.
  • You are responsible for maintaining a current passport at all times. Your passport should always be valid for at least 6 months into the future. Depending on your country, you might be able to extend your passport here in the U.S. or might have to go home to do it. If you get a new passport, make sure you always travel with both the expired passport and the new one. You will not be able to re-enter the US if you have a newly-issued or renewed passport which does not have any US visa stamps; therefore, you should carry both the expired and the new passport.
  • The visa/visa stamp in your passport is for entry purposes only. Once you are in the U.S., your I-20 or DS2019 combined with your I-94 card become the active documents that permit you to remain in the U.S. You are allowed to stay for D/S or "Duration of Status", which means the period of time in which you are maintaining your non-immigrant status even if your visa expires. The completion date on your I-20 or DS-2019 is the expiration date of your status. Your I-20 or DS-2019 can be extended at the ISSS Office if necessary.
  • If your visa expires while you are in the U.S. you will be required to renew it only if you leave the U.S. and before you are allowed re-entry. It is recommended that you renew your visa in your home country.

    • Applying for a visa in your home country:
      We recommend that you apply for a visa at the U.S. Consulate or Embassy in your home country. Most consulates require a personal interview with a consular officer and collect biometric identifiers (e.g. fingerprints and digital photograph). Always check with the consulate or embassy where you will be applying to determine current application and documentation requirements as well as processing times as all are different. You can find a list of consular websites at https://www.usembassy.gov
    • Applying for a visa in another country as a Third Country National (TCN):
      This is not recommended. F and J students who apply for a visa stamp in a third country – including Canada and Mexico – and get denied will not be allowed to re-enter the U.S. on an expired visa stamp. If your application is denied, you would need to depart directly to your home country to apply for a new visa to re-enter the U.S. In addition, if you are subject to a background or security check upon application for a visa renewal in a third country, you will have to remain in that country until the background or security check is completed and the visa is approved before you are allowed to re-enter the U.S. Please talk to an ISSSO before making the decision to apply for a visa in a third country.

    Note about background and security checks:
    Consulates and embassies frequently conduct background checks that can result in possible delays in visa issuance for individuals. Background/security checks can be triggered by, but not limited to, arrests in the United States, certain  courses that appear on your transcript, or by your field of study. Background/security checks can take several months or longer.

  • Contact your local US embassy and ask for specific documents/forms/fees needed at
    www.usembassy.gov.  From this webpage, choose your country. The information they give you should be very similar to the checklist below. Please review the checklist in case you need items from the US before you depart.

    • Current SEVIS I-20 or DS-2019, signed for travel by a Designated School Office in the ISSSO within the last year (or within 6 months if on OPT).
    • Official KSU Transcript in a sealed envelope and/or Letter of Enrollment Verification available from the KSU Registrar’s Office.
    • Proof of financial support: You should be able to verify the amount shown as the total on your I-20 or DS-2019 with a personal bank statement, sponsor's letter and sponsor's bank statement or (for Professors) a Research Assistant Verification Letter stating financial support or salary.
    • Proof of ties to your home country. From the Department of State web site: “Student visa applicants must establish to the satisfaction of the consular officer that they have binding ties to a residence in a foreign country which they have no intention of abandoning, and that they will depart the United States when they have completed their studies. It is impossible to specify the exact form the evidence should take since applicants’ circumstances vary greatly.” Examples of such evidence may include: copies of bank statements from a bank in your home country, evidence of ownership of property or residence in your home country, a job offer letter from home or letters from family.
    • Fees for visa including application fees and, depending on the country of citizenship, an issuance fee (also called a visa reciprocity fee). 
    • A copy of the paid SEVIS I-901 Fee. Generally you do not need to pay the SEVIS fee again for a renewal of a student visa. However, you should take your receipt from your first SEVIS payment with you to the visa interview. If you lost your receipt or need to pay the fee, visit www.fmjfee.com for more information.
    • One passport-size photograph, see the travel.state.gov website for the requirements.
    • (Only if on OPT) a copy of your original signed offer letter, recent paystubs, and a letter verifying travel, along with your EAD card
  • Students can usually travel to these places and come back with an expired visa as long as they have a valid I-20/DS-2019, passport and I-94—there are some restrictions though. This is called Automatic Visa Revalidation If you are interested in this option, come talk to an ISSSO advisor.
  • Yes, but you need to have been maintaining your status in the U.S. and have your I-20/DS-2019 endorsed for travel.
  • Find more information at the State Department's Travel Site.
  • For information from the U.S. Department of State, visit their Consular Offices Site