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H-1B Travel and Re-Entry Information

Documents Needed

If you are in H-1B status and plan to travel abroad, you will need the following items to re-enter the United States (unless you are visiting Canada or Mexico for less than 30 days):

  • The Personal Records portion (small left-hand corner) of your original H-1B approval notice from the University of Michigan
  • A current letter of employment from your department on department letterhead verifying employment
  • A valid H-1B visa
    • Canadian citizens are generally not required to obtain visas before entering the U.S. Canadian permanent residents (“landed immigrants”) must have valid visas to enter the U.S.
    • If you have changed employers since you entered the United States and have a valid visa annotated for your previous employer, you may re-enter the U.S. using that visa if you present a valid approval notice for the University of Michigan upon re-entry.

Obtaining an H-1B Visa Stamp

To obtain an H-1B visa stamp, you must make an appointment at a U.S. embassy or consulate. We recommend that you bring the following items with you:

  • The Personal Records portion (small left-hand corner) of your original approval notice from the University of Michigan. Keep the original with you to re-enter the U.S.
  • A copy of your H-1B petition. If the U-M International Center prepared your H-1B petition, please contact the U-M International Center at 734.763.4081 or ICfacultystaff@umich.edu before you leave to obtain a travel pack. Please allow us at least one week to prepare these documents.
  • A letter from your department on department letterhead confirming your H-1B employment with the University to include with your visa application. Keep the original or a copy of the letter with you when you re-enter the U.S.
  • Any other items that the embassy or consulate requires. We recommend that you visit the U.S. Department of State web site before you leave to research these requirements.

Travel While an H-1B Visa Petition is Pending

If you are applying to change to H-1B status from another status, travel outside the United States will abandon your request to change to H-1B status. If the H-1B petition is later approved by USCIS, you will need to apply for an H-1B visa at a U.S. consulate before you can enter the U.S. in H-1B status.

Traveling while an H-1B extension petition is pending does not abandon the extension petition. To reenter the U.S., however, you still need a valid H-1B visa and a valid H-1B approval notice. Travel during the 240 day automatic extension of work authorization after the current H-1B period has expired is not allowed. If you travel during this time, you will need to stay abroad until the extension is approved and apply for a new visa to be readmitted to the U.S. in H-1B status.

Traveling while an H-1B extension petition is pending does not abandon the extension petition. However, please alert the U-M International Center of any travel planned during this period. If the extension is approved while you are outside of the U.S., it will be necessary to send you the new approval notice overseas. The latest approval should always be used when entering the United States. Otherwise, the I-94 will be issued with the end date of the previous approval and it will be necessary to exit and reenter the U.S. to obtain an updated I-94. This is because USCIS considers the last I-94 issued to be the current, active one.

If your extension is pending, you still need a valid H-1B visa and a valid H-1B approval notice to reenter the U.S.

Travel during the 240 day automatic extension of work authorization after the current H-1B period has expired is not allowed. If you travel during this time, you will need to stay abroad until the extension is approved and apply for a new visa to be readmitted to the U.S. in H-1B status.

Travel to Canada or Mexico

The “automatic extension of validity” provision allows most H-1B workers to reenter to the U.S. without a valid H-1B visa stamp after a trip to either Canada or Mexico that lasts no more than 30 days. Citizens of Iraq, Iran, Syria, Libya, Sudan, North Korea, and Cuba cannot take advantage of automatic revalidation and cannot re-enter the U.S. without a valid H-1B visa stamp.

While F and J nonimmigrants can use automatic revalidation to re-enter the United States after trips to the Caribbean, H-1B workers cannot. H-1B travel under this provision is limited to Canada and Mexico.

Employees must have an expired visa stamp from any status, a passport valid at least 6 months into the future, and the original H-1B approval notice (Form I-797). Please be aware that automatic revalidation applies only when re-entering the United States. You may need to obtain a Canadian or Mexican visa stamp to enter Canada or Mexico.

NOTE: Any non-immigrant who applies for a new H-1B visa in Canada or Mexico and is refused a new H-1B visa, or has an application for a new H-1B visa pending, will not be able to re-enter the United States. When applying for a visa stamp in any country, there is always a risk of being delayed for security clearance.

Last reviewed: 5/07