Overview
This section applies only to F-1 students who have applied for or have been approved for Optional Practical Training (OPT) by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and want to leave and re-enter the U.S. after the completion of their academic program.
Before the completion of your academic program, the usual procedures for travel still apply. After completion of your academic program, the guidance for travel is related to whether your OPT has been approved yet or not.
Post-Completion OPT is Pending
If your post-completion OPT has not been approved, it is generally permitted (with the appropriate travel documentation) to leave and then re-enter the US, even if you do not yet have a job or job offer.
However, there are specific risks of travel outside the US which are unique to traveling with a pending OPT application. It is your responsibility to understand those risks and decide whether or not you choose to proceed with travel. For more information, please see Module 6 of our online OPT training, particularly the section titled "Understanding the Risks of Travel before Receiving EAD Card."
In order to have the best chance of re-entering the U.S. without problems when your post-completion OPT is pending, you should travel with the following documents:
- Passport (valid for six months after you plan to re-enter the U.S)
- Valid F-1 visa stamp in your passport (this requirement does not apply to Canadian citizens)
- I-20 (with a travel signature no older than six months *)
- I-765 receipt notice (Form I-797)
If you need to apply for a new F-1 visa when your post-completion OPT application is pending, you should also be sure to have your I-765 receipt notice (Form I-797) in addition to the usual documents required for a visa application.
Post-Completion OPT is Approved
If your post-completion OPT has been approved (EAD card has been issued by USCIS) and you have a job or a job offer, you may leave and re-enter the U.S. in order to begin or resume employment.
After USCIS has issued an EAD card for post-completion OPT, in order to have the best chance of re-entering the U.S. without problems, you should be sure you have the following documents:
- Passport (valid for six months after you plan to re-enter the U.S.)
- Valid F-1 visa stamp in your passport (this requirement does not apply to Canadian citizens)
- I-20 (with a valid travel signature no older than six months*)
- EAD card
- Evidence that you already have a job in the U.S. or that you have a job offer.
If you need to apply for a new F-1 visa, you should also be sure to have your EAD card and evidence that you already have a job in the U.S. or that you have a job offer in addition to the usual documents required for a visa application.
* Regulations state that during post-completion OPT, the travel signature should be no older than six months. The International Center recommends while on post-completion OPT that you get a valid travel signature every six months. Source: 8CFR214.2(f)(13)(ii)
Summary of Guidance
Customs and Border Protection officers are authorized to exercise discretion on a case-by-case basis on all nonimmigrant admissions, and traveling with either Pending or Approved OPT is no exception. Re-entry to the U.S. is never guaranteed.
To give yourself the best chance of a smooth re-entry to the US, be sure to possess the documents listed above, depending on if your OPT application is in Pending or Approved status at the time you are requesting re-entry to the US.
For more information about F-1 travel with either pending or approved OPT, please visit our OPT online training (see Module 6) and also see the U.S. Department of Homeland Security FAQ for F-1 Travel.