Foreign National Travel

Traveling Abroad: If you are currently in the United States working at Vanderbilt in H-1B, E-3 or O-1 status and are not a Canadian national, you must have a valid visa stamp in your passport to re-enter the US following international travel. (For information about how to obtain J or F visas, visit ISSS).

Each US consulate has specific procedures for the issuance of a visa stamp and it is your responsibility to ensure that you provide the documents that the consulate requests. This information is listed on US consulates websites so please review the requirements of the consulate where you will apply. All US consulates can be found at this link: http://www.usembassy.gov/

You may also view current visa processing times for each US consulate at the following link: http://travel.state.gov/content/visas/en.html

Vanderbilt requires that you provide OIS with a copy of your I-94 record each time you return from travel outside the USA. CBP is no longer issuing paper I-94 cards, so you must print your record from their online database when you return to the US. The website is found at: https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov. Each time you are issued a new I-94 record it supersedes all previous I-94 records. The I-94 determines your visa status and expiration. OIS must maintain a copy of your current I-94 record in your immigration case file to monitor continued lawful presence, appropriate work authorization and timely extensions of your status. Copies of I-94s should be submitted through the travel re-entry form.

Important reminder for former J-1 scholars with H-1B approval: If you obtained a waiver of the two year home residency requirement, you must present the original I-612 waiver approval notice (Form I-797) to the US Consulate in order to receive the H-1B visa.