J-1 Travel

International travel conditions can change, so we recommend planning ahead. When traveling abroad, it’s wise to have a backup plan, such as access to emergency funds and key contact information from home, in case your return is delayed.

In order to minimize (but not remove all) risk with international travel, you should make sure to:

• Have all documentation noted above with you in an easily accessible location
• Be sure to follow all regulations for maintaining J-1 visa status
• Be prepared to answer questions posed by Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agents officers honestly
• Keep informed of changes to international travel via RISD Guidance and your RISD email for messages from us

A travel signature confirms to the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer that you have been maintaining valid nonimmigrant status and are eligible to resume your studies or exchange activities after a temporary absence from the US.

Your travel signature is valid for one year while you are an enrolled student. After a year has elapsed, you will need to acquire a new travel signature. To receive a new travel signature, please contact us. 

A travel signature does not apply to newly admitted students or students who have taken a leave of absence and will reenter the United States using a newly issued DS-2019.

Travel signature expirations

As a J-1 visa holder, your travel signature is valid for 12 months or the DS-2019 end date, whichever date comes first. 

Under certain circumstances, nonimmigrants with expired visas who travel only to Canada, Mexico, or designated “adjacent islands” in the Caribbean (excluding Cuba) may be permitted to reenter the United States retaining the same status they held before departure. This permission is known as automatic extension of visa validity, or automatic revalidation of visa. Automatic extension/revalidation allows you to resume your previously authorized activities without obtaining a new visa, as long as you seek readmission within thirty days of leaving the US. 

If you are eligible, you do not need to obtain a new visa at a US consulate before reentering the US, since your visa is considered automatically revalidated. 

For J-1 visa holders to qualify, you must have the following:

• a copy of printed I-94 for an unexpired period of admission or extension of stay
• a valid passport
• a Form DS-2019 with a valid travel signature
• a US visa previously issued by embassy or consulate

Please note that this provision does not apply if:

• you apply for a new US visa in Canada, Mexico or the adjacent islands.
• you have been outside the US for more than 30 days.
• your visas have ever been cancelled under a visa overstay (known as a INA 222(g)).
• you have traveled to a country other than Canada, Mexico, or an adjacent island which is not included in the automatic revalidation provisions.
• you are a citizen or national of a country that has been designated as a “state sponsor of terrorism”.
• you have travelled to Cuba.

If you are a J-1 visa holder in the professor or research categories and need to perform duties related to your work at RISD outside the US, you need to complete the J-1 Professor/Research Scholar Out of Country Activity form so that we may keep your J-1 status active.

In order to complete the required out-of-country activity form, you must obtain a letter from your hiring department, printed on RISD letterhead.

An absence of more than 30 days from the US, without submitting documentation to us stating that you are performing duties connected to your work at RISD, may be considered a break in program activity, which could result in the end of your J-1 status.

Travel durations

If you are a J-1 professor, you must receive pre-approval from your academic department and travel for no more than 30 days. 

If you are a J-1 short-term scholar, you must receive pre-approval from your academic department and travel for no more than 15 days.

When traveling outside the US while on Academic Training, you will need the following in order to reenter the country:

• your passport, which needs to be valid for at least six months after your return
• your valid J-1 visa
• a DS-2019 with approved Academic Training and a valid travel endorsement (valid for one year or until the end of your program, whichever is shorter). If you do not have a valid travel endorsement on your DS-2019, email issa@risd.edu to request one. Please allow for three to five days for processing.
• Academic Training approval letter from Responsible Officer (RO) in ISSA

Immediately after returning to the US, please review your I-94 admission record to make sure all information is correct and accurate, that you were admitted in the appropriate status, and your I-94 reflects Duration of Status (D/S). Be sure to keep a copy for your record.