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The University of Oklahoma Human Resources Website

Travel

International visitors and workers traveling outside the U.S. should review the following checklist:

  • Passport - Be sure that your passport is valid at least six months beyond the date you intend to re-enter the United States.
  • Visa - Check your visa to make sure it will be unexpired on your anticipated re-entry date. Also note the number of entries allowed on your visa. Although the visa date may still be valid, you may have used all allowable entries.
  • Immigration Documents
    1. Exchange Visitors (J-1) – You must have with you your original DS-2019 form. Be sure you have a valid signature dated within the last 6 months from IFSS on the section marked "Travel Validation by Responsible Officer" at the bottom right of your form. Note: J-2 dependents must each have their own DS-2019 with a valid travel signature dated within the last 6 months.
    2. International Students (F-1 & M-1)– You will need a new I-20 or an I-20 that has been endorsed on the back by a school official within the past 12 months.
    3. Nonimmigrant Workers (H-1B, TN, O-1, etc.) – If you will need to obtain a new entry visa, you should notify the IFSS office no later than two weeks prior to your departure date. We will provide you with a current employment letter and a petition travel packet. NOTE: The original paper I-797 is no longer accepted for visa issuance. The approved USCIS I-129 petition must now be verified through the Petition Information Management Service, known as PIMS. 
  • Financial Documentation – Certain visa holders (such as, exchange visitors & students) should have financial documentation with them, for example, an appointment letter, an award letter from a funding organization, or personal financial documents.
  • US-VISIT – This program currently applies to all visitors (with limited exemptions) holding non-immigrant visas, regardless of country of origin.  Upon entering the U.S., you will be fingerprinted and photographed at the port-of-entry. It is possible that upon exiting the U.S., you will be directed to a self-service kiosk to scan your travel documents and fingerprints. Read the US-VISIT Brochure.

All consular posts must access the Consular Consolidated Database (CCD) to verify the related record, such as SEVIS or PIMS, before granting the visa.  Visa applicants experiencing emergencies will be handled on a case-by-case basis. 

Travelers are reminded of the new document requirements beginning January 31, 2008.  Read More >>

ALL persons traveling by air, land, or sea should become familiar with the full requirements that will be implemented on June 1, 2009 (FR Doc E8-6725).  Learn more about the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI).

Upon Re-entry to the US

When the immigration inspector stamps and marks your I-94 card upon re-entry into the U.S. be sure to check AT THAT TIME that your card has been noted with the correct immigration status. THIS IS CRITICAL. If you are a J-1 professor and the immigration inspector puts another status on your I-94 card - B-2, for example - you will not be eligible to take up your teaching position.

If you will be visiting a U.S. Consulate abroad to obtain a new entry visa, IFSS recommends that you review that consulate's website for the latest information on visa issuance times and procedures.