Incoming Students

The University of Michigan-Flint Center for Global Engagement is responsible for international student orientation sessions, with support provided by the Student Success Center. During orientation, you will learn about the new academic environment and all the support services available, and take the first steps to becoming part of the university community.

Orientation Dates

Pre-Departure Orientation	International Student Orientation
Friday, November 14, 2025, at 9 a.m. EST RSVP for Pre-Departure Orientation Join the Pre-Departure Orientation Zoom	Friday, January 2, 2026, at 8:30 a.m. EST RSVP for the mandatory International Student Orientation

Travel Advisory

In the past few years, several changes may affect international students, scholars, faculty, and staff who plan to leave and re-enter the U.S. The U.S. Department of State and the Customs and Border Protection Bureau of the Department of Homeland Security have increased the review that international visitors face at U.S. embassies and consulates abroad, at airports, and at border crossing posts with Canada and Mexico. The following travel advisory information is intended for F-1 and J-1 status holders and F-2 and J-2 dependents only.

F/J Travel Visa Information

Visa Requirements

The term “visa” refers to the visa stamp in your passport, not your I-20 or DS-2019 form. All non-immigrants (except Canadians) entering the U.S. in F or J status are required to obtain the appropriate entry visa.

When you re-enter the U.S., the visa stamp in your passport must reflect your current visa status (F or J) and must be unexpired. Also, if the visa has a limited number of entries, it must have a remaining valid entry available on the intended date of re-entry to the U.S.

If there are entries left on the visa, the visa should remain valid for re-entry until the date of expiration. However, students and scholars should consider the chance of an unexpected need for a later re-entry — for example, due to a weather delay.

If the visa stamp in your passport has expired and/or does not have a remaining valid entry available, and automatic revalidation of visa is not possible, you must be granted a new visa in order to re-enter the U.S.

Canadian citizens generally are not required to possess a visa stamp to enter the U.S. and may enter with a valid I-20 or DS-2019 and proof of Canadian citizenship.

Automatic Revalidation of Visa

For non-immigrants with expired visas, trips to Canada or Mexico may not require a new visa application. This benefit is called automatic revalidation of visa. Currently, the benefit allows certain non-immigrants with expired visas to re-enter the U.S. after a visit of 30 days or less to “contiguous territory.”

Contiguous territory is considered Canada, Mexico, or adjacent islands including Saint Pierre, Miquelon, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Bermuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Jamaica, the Windward and Leeward Islands, Trinidad, Martinique, and other British, French, and Netherlands territories or possessions in or bordering on the Caribbean Sea.

Citizens of countries currently designated by the U.S. Department of State as State Sponsors of Terrorism are not eligible for the automatic revalidation benefit and would be required to have a valid visa for re-entry from contiguous territory.

Any non-immigrant who applies for a new U.S. visa while traveling in contiguous territory is not eligible for the automatic revalidation benefit. Thus, if you apply for a visa in Canada and are denied, you are not allowed to re-enter the U.S. under the automatic revalidation benefit.

To re-enter the U.S. under the benefit of automatic revalidation of visa, you must:

• Only travel to Canada, Mexico, or adjacent islands for less than 30 days and not travel elsewhere
• Maintain and intend to resume your nonimmigrant status within the authorized period of admission
• Carry your paper or printout of the electronic Form I-94, your currently valid I-20 or DS-2019, and a valid passport with the expired visa
• Not apply for a new visa during this trip
• Not be from a country currently designated by the U.S. as a State Sponsor of Terrorism

For more information, refer to the U.S. Department of State guidance on automatic revalidation. We recommend that if you choose to travel under the automatic revalidation rule, you print and carry with you the U.S. Customs and Border Protection article on automatic revalidation, in case the CBP official is not familiar with the details of the rule.

Applying for a New Visa

If you need to obtain a new visa to re-enter the U.S., you should be prepared for a potentially lengthy wait and complex visa application procedures, which require an in-person interview at a U.S. consulate abroad. Depending on your particular circumstances, you may decide not to travel and avoid the risk of a visa delay or a visa denial.

Students and scholars are recommended to apply for visas at the local U.S. consulate with jurisdiction over their home residence. Although it is possible to apply for visas at U.S. consulates in Canada, Mexico, and other countries worldwide, the risk of denial may be higher in these cases.

If a visa denial is received when a student or scholar applies in another country, the applicant is required to return directly to the home country to reapply at the local U.S. consulate. If a denial or visa delay occurs, the applicant may not return to the U.S. before receiving a new visa.

The most common reason for visa denial is failure to demonstrate ties to the home country. For more information, see Non-Immigrant Intent below.

Resources and Tips

• It is a good idea to read about the procedures at the local consulate where you plan to apply for your new visa before you travel. See the U.S. Department of State’s websites of U.S. embassies, consulates, and diplomatic missions.
• View the estimated U.S. visa wait time to get a visa appointment and the estimated processing time at a specific consulate or embassy. Keep in mind that this time period does not include a security check.
• Apply for your visa as early as possible during your trip and allow ample time for the visa approval process before returning to the U.S. Students and scholars beginning new I-20 or DS-2019 programs may be issued visas up to 120 days before the program start date.
• U.S. Department of State F-1 visa application information
• U.S. Department of State J-1 visa application information

All F and J visa applicants must complete and submit form DS-160 (Online Nonimmigrant Visa Application).

Non-Immigrant Intent

All applicants for an F or J visa are required to demonstrate their intent to return to their home country following the completion of their academic programs. The burden is on the visa applicant to prove ties to the home country and establish non-immigrant intent. There are several ways you can be prepared to support your intent to return home in your visa interview:

• Have a few sentences in mind that express how you intend to use your degree or research at home after you finish your program
• Bring copies of deeds to any property (land, house, apartment) that you or your family owns in your home country
• Bring bank statements of any accounts that you or your family maintains in your home country
• If you have an employer who intends to employ you when you return home, bring a letter from that employer

You can read information from the U.S. Department of State about the requirement to demonstrate ties to your home country.

Security Checks

During any visa application to the U.S., you may be subject to additional security and background clearances due to your citizenship, ties to specific countries, field of study, or other reasons. These additional clearance checks may take several weeks to several months to process. There is no way to circumvent or expedite this process.

Citizens of certain countries may be subject to increased scrutiny and security clearances. Although the U.S. Department of State has declined to release the list of countries on national security grounds, it is thought to include Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Nationals or citizens of Cuba and North Korea are subject to increased scrutiny as well.

In addition, the U.S. Department of State may be required to conduct a security clearance if you work in high technology, engineering, or the sciences. You should be prepared to be questioned closely about the details of your research. If you are working in such fields, we recommend that your department advisor or supervisor write a letter briefly detailing, in simple terms, the nature of your research. If applicable, this letter should note that the technology is not for military use. This letter will not deter a security clearance, but it may expedite the clearance.

You may also use the Visa Reciprocity and Country Documents Finder for country-by-country security procedure information from the U.S. Department of State.

What to Expect When Traveling

Overview

When you re-enter the United States, you should expect more thorough screening procedures at airports and other ports of entry. Your identity and the validity of your visa and immigration document (I-20 or DS-2019) will be checked against U.S. law enforcement databases.

You may also be subject to in-depth questioning about your immigration status, travel history, the purpose of your visit, background, and other issues, and potentially inspection of personal belongings and luggage, photocopying of documents, and more. You may be delayed by a secondary inspection if you do not have proper documents, had some previous immigration problem or error, or if you simply fall under certain criteria or circumstances.

During these entry procedures, it is best to be honest, patient, and courteous with all U.S. government officials, even if they are not so with you. Remain patient and answer all questions clearly. If you do not understand a question, make sure that you ask for clarification before answering. Omission or misrepresentation of information can cause serious problems.

US-VISIT

US-VISIT is a check-in system that collects biographic information and biometric identifiers on all foreign nationals applying for visas and entering the U.S. US-VISIT entry procedures are currently in place at U.S. airports and seaports with international arrivals and in the secondary inspection areas of U.S. land border ports of entry.

Upon arrival at a port of entry where US-VISIT is in place, you are required to comply with the procedures. Procedures involve photographing and digital fingerprinting. Your information will be stored and checked against various national security and law enforcement databases. For more information, refer to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security website.

Traveling Within the U.S.

When you are in the Flint area, we do not advise carrying your passport and I-20/DS-2019 with you. You should, however, keep with you a printout of your electronic Form I-94. Keep your original documents in a safe and secure location. We strongly recommend that you make photocopies of these important documents and store them in a different place from your originals.

When you are traveling elsewhere in the U.S., you should bring the following original documents on your trip:

• Passport
• Paper or printout of your most recent electronic Form I-94
• I-20 or DS-2019

A little-known regulation exists which says that international visitors to the U.S. must carry their registration document with them. The registration document for F-1 students and J-1 students and scholars is the Form I-94. You should always carry a printout of your electronic Form I-94. With increased security precautions, particularly at airports, you should ensure you are in compliance.

Bringing Money into the U.S.

When entering the U.S., some students choose to bring large sums of money with them in cash, money orders, or travelers’ checks. Any amount of money exceeding $10,000 must be declared in advance on the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Declaration Form 6059B. This blue form is given to incoming travelers on the airplane. It must be filled out, one per family, correctly and truthfully.

If you do not declare your money, the penalties for non-compliance can be severe. Your money might be taken away, in which case you will be required to provide a written explanation, your case will be adjudicated, and you might have to pay a fine.

For more information, refer to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection website and its frequently asked questions.