Travel Information
Form I-94, Arrival/Departure Record
Form I-94 is proof of your legal admission to the United States. Please print your I-94 Arrival/Departure Record and carry it at all times. You are issued a new I-94 each time you enter the country.
Current students need these documents to re-enter the US:
- Valid, unexpired visa (except for Canadian Citizens).
- Valid, unexpired passport. Always be sure your passport is valid for at least six months into the future. Depending on your country, you might be able to extend your passport here in the US. Or you might have to go back home to renew your visa.
- Valid, unexpired I-20 or DS-2019 form.
- I-20 or DS-2019 signed by an authorized Designated School Official from OISS. See Travel Signature video located on the right for more information regarding travel signature.
- Dependent I-20’s or DS-2019’s and passports (if applicable).
F-1 students traveling within Hawaii, Alaska, and the mainland United States is permitted on your student visa without any prior approval or signatures from HPU, OISS, or the U.S. Government. To avoid any issues, it is recommended that students carry the following throughout their travels:
- Passport
- I-20
- Student or State ID or U.S. Driver's License
- Employment Authorization Document (EAD) card (if applicable)
If traveling to a U.S. territory such as the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, or Guam, students should visit the OISS for any additional information that may be applicable to their travel.
Students who have graduated from or completed their studies at HPU and are interested in traveling within the United States immediately following their departure from HPU should speak to the OISS about the timeline for how long they can remain in the United States on their student visa.
International students on an F-1 visa may leave the United States and be readmitted by carrying proper documents. In order to re-enter the U.S, you are required to obtain a travel signature on your I-20 from OISS.
Travel signatures are valid for up to one year or until the end of your program, whichever is sooner.
F-1 students on OPT: Travel signatures are valid for 6 months or until the end of program, whichever is sooner
To obtain a travel signature, bring the original I-20 Form to OISS during business hours.
Travel signature is valid for 12 months from the signing date except Academic Training.
F-1 students on OPT: Travel Signatures are valid for 6 months.
VALID F-1 VISA STAMP
Some students will need to renew their passports during the course of their studies or post-completion training period. If the visa is still valid at this time, there is no need to apply for a visa renewal. Students in this circumstance should travel with both passports: the expired passport containing the valid U.S. visa, and the valid passport, which does not contain a visa stamp.
If the F-1 entry visa stamp in your passport has expired and you plan to travel outside the United States, you must go to a U.S. consulate or embassy abroad to obtain a new F-1 visa. F-1 visas may never be renewed inside the United States. Students engaged in post-completion OPT should be aware that it can be difficult to renew an F-1 visa during OPT. Contact the consulate for an appointment prior to finalizing travel plans.
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Valid Passport (valid for at least 6 months beyond the date of the re-entry to the U.S.)
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Valid F-1 student visa in passport (except students from Canada)
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I-20 with a valid travel signature from OISS
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At the port of entry, the immigration inspector should inspect the I-20 Form and return it to the student.
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The inspector should also inspect the passport with the F-1 visa (if applicable), issue an admission stamp, write "F-1/DS", and return the passport to the student.
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If for any reason the student arrives at a U.S. port of entry without all of their necessary documents, the student may receive a Form I-515A, "Notice to Student or Exchange Visitor." It is important that the student responds in a timely manner to Form I-515A. If the student does not properly respond, the student is at risk for termination. For more information regarding noncompliance to Form I-515A, please click here.
Students should consult the embassies of their country of citizenship regarding visa procedures for any countries to which they intend to travel.
F-1 students on OPT must carry additional documents. For more details on traveling during OPT, please review the OPT section.
*If the student has traveled to Canada, Mexico, or an island adjacent to the United States (excluding Cuba) for less than thirty (30) days, the visa may not be required to be valid or current. For more information, see below.
