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.
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 Caribbean Islands
You usually must have a valid visa to return to the U.S. from abroad. However, there is a special provision called Automatic Visa Revalidation that applies to some travel. If you are in J-1 status and your J-1 visa is expired, you may still return to the U.S. from a trip to Canada, Mexico, or the Caribbean Islands even with an expired visa, provided that you meet all of these conditions:
- your passport is valid
- you have a valid DS-2019 with a valid travel signature
- you have an expired J-1 visa
- you only go to Canada, Mexico, and/or the Caribbean islands (except Cuba) and do not stay outside the U.S. for more than 30 days
- you do not apply for a new U.S. visa while abroad (otherwise you have to wait for it to be approved and use it to reenter)
- you keep your I-94 card when you depart the U.S. (i.e., don’t give it up)
- you are not a citizen of Iran, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Sudan, North Korea, or Cuba
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.
