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22-Jul-2002 07:29 PM
  Travel outside the us on OPT
Jay
 I am a recent grad and am still looking for a job. I have an interview outside the US but am not sure whether or not I will be allowed to reenter the coutry on my return. My travel docs. include EAD (Valid till May 2003), I-20 (signed by my student advisor valid till the end of the year) and F1 visa valid till June 2003. Any help would be highly appreciated.
22-Jul-2002 09:12 PM
 Re: Travel outside the us on OPT
Juno
 1. The EAD is not an authorization to enter the US. And it is written clearly somewhere on it. So forget about that helping you get back. You might as well even not mention it at the entry point.

2. The other documents are what you need the most: the signed I-20 and the valid visa (which i guess should specify "multiple entries"). You I-20 has to be signed (in the back) before you leave the country and that is the most important step that you took --so, you are cleared there. Last thing is to check with you advisor on how long you are legally allowed to be outside of the US, as an F1 student. I have never dared more than a full semester, but you might want to inquire personally. Once confirmed, you can go free; they will let you back in.

On a broader note, i can testify to the fact that the INS' database is so messed up, even they can't keep good records sometimes. For exple, if you travel right after a change of status, boy, you better have all the documents (from the lawyer's filling, all the way down to the approval notice... and i am not joking). Sometimes, it just takes them A COUPLE OF YEARS to synchronize their databases. Meanwhile, you could be on the next plane back home before they shed light on your case.

Juno
23-Jul-2002 08:33 PM
 Re: Travel outside the us on OPT
RK
 I understand that on getting your degree and EAD you can remain in status if you are in the US, however if you leave the US on return you will need to provide documentation that proves that you have a job in the US and that you are returning to resume your OPT. You will not be allowed to re-enter the country to look for a job.
01-Aug-2002 09:27 PM
 Re: Travel outside the us on OPT
Lin
 You NEED:

1. Valid Visa in your valid passport
2. I-20 w/ recent travel signature
3 EAD card-- they won't let you in without it
4. A letter from your employer stating that you have a job.

Really this is a question that you should be asking your FSA/DSO and not here because the first reply to your posting is dead wrong.
02-Aug-2002 03:45 PM
 Re: Travel outside the us on OPT
Drifter
 What is the difference between your posting and Junoˇ¦s? The only thing he did not mention was the necessity of carrying an employment verification which was supplied by RK later.

The main reason why students frequent this message board is because they do get enough help from their DSO/Foreign Student Advisor. Many of them doesnˇ¦t know shxt and are lazy to research.
02-Aug-2002 04:31 PM
 Re: Travel outside the us on OPT
Lin
 This is a very basic question that is learned the first time a DSO gives his/her approval for OPT. RK mentions the requirement of a letter from the employer, however he does not explicitly say that the student should carry his EAD card with him. Juno, on the other hand states: "The EAD is not an authorization to enter the US. And it is written clearly somewhere on it. So forget about that helping you get back. You might as well even not mention it at the entry point." While he is correct that the EAD card is not authorization to enter the US, it is a supporting document required for a student on OPT to enter the US.

I appologize Juno if this was taken to be offensive however, this kind of information will get a student into trouble. The biggest problem I had as a FSA/DSO was distilling the myths or half-truths that student's friends have told them. The problem is that there is not always one remedy for a problems. That is, just because your friend had to get certian documents or precudures done, does not mean that they will be the same for you.

I think having such a website for F1 students to share their experiences is an excellent idea. However when students begin to advise students on complicated nuances that differ not only from one individual to the next but also from one school to the next, and one region to the next, people can get into trouble. The biggest problem with this? a person requesting advice on this site could not be providing all the information that would be needed to make a proper determination of what they need (regs are boring, cold, and vague, but certianly not out of the average persons ability to understand) simply because they didn't 1) that the info was important 2) they didn't know the info was even available. Simple example: my first month as a DSO I signed a students I-20 for travel. He asked me if that was all that he needed ( I had checked everything that was required for the signature) I told him yes that he was all ready to go. Unfortunately I didn't check if his visa was still valid and he ended up in a bigger mess than he needed.

Share your expereinces with procedures give basic advice if you can actually go to a source and cite it; but please remember that the FSA in 90% of the cases will know better (they afterall have more info on the student than we do) and should be consulted.
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