International Travel in J-1 Status

J-1 students and scholars need these documents to re-enter the U.S.:

• valid passport
• valid J-1 visa
• DS-2019 with a current travel signature (i.e., must have been signed within the last 12 months). Travel signatures are only required for return trips to the U.S.
• Current Students are recommended to have an unofficial transcript copy. Unofficial transcripts can be accessed via Banner Self-Service.
• Students on Academic Training (AT) should carry their Academic Training Authorization Letter.
• Scholars employed by W&M or VIMS are recommended to carry a paycheck stub copy.

For more information on travel to the U.S., refer to our Immigration Updates webpage.

Note: This list only applies to return travel to the U.S. Please check and see if you need a visa to enter the country (including transit visas) where you are going. Check the website of the embassy of the country you want to visit.

Getting a Travel Signature

Travel signatures cover all return travel to the U.S. for 12 months from the signature date (i.e. you do not need to get a new signature each time you travel). If you travel outside the U.S., in order to return, you need a travel signature from ISSP signed in the last 12 months. Travel signatures are in the Travel Validation box in the bottom right corner of your DS-2019.

To request a travel signature:

• Complete a Travel Signature Request Form
• A DS-2019 with a travel signature will be emailed to you

If you have a problem at the U.S. border during regular office hours, call ISSP at (757) 221-3590. Outside of regular office hours, contact the W&M Police at (757) 221-4596, and they will contact an International Student Advisor. 

Automatic Visa Re-Validation

Returning from Canada, Mexico, and the "Adjacent Islands"
You usually need a valid visa to return to the U.S. from abroad. However, there is a special provision called Automatic Visa Revalidation that allows entry to the U.S. with an expired J-1 visa. Additional information is provided on the SEVIS Travel FAQ and the Customs and Border Protection's Travel pages. 

If you changed status while in the U.S. (e.g. H-4 to J-1) using Form I-539 and thus never had an J-1 visa, you can use automatic visa revalidation provision, provided the same conditions above apply. You would need to carry the documents listed above and also your previous visa and a Change of Status Approval Notice (Form I-797). You should also request a letter from ISSP that explains your eligibility to re-enter under this provision. 

International Cruise Travel

When you travel on a "closed loop" cruise (beginning and ending the cruise at the same port in the U.S.), your I-94 record will not show your entry date after returning from the cruise. The lack of an entry date in this situation is not an I-94 error. Once you reenter the U.S. after the cruise, your I-94 will be revalidated with no change to your status or previous date of entry.

Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands

These are U.S. territories and thus an J-1 student or scholar does not need a visa to travel to those locations from within the U.S., or to return to the U.S. from those locations.