Information on Travel to Canada & Mexico
I wish to travel to Canada, Mexico, or one of the islands (other than Cuba) adjacent to the United States. Can I return if my visa is expired?
Yes, in most cases. You can usually revalidate an expired visa automatically when returning from a visit of less than thirty days to Canada, Mexico, or one of the islands adjacent to the United States (other than Cuba) provided that you have a valid SEVIS Form I-20 and a valid unexpired Form I-94. This process is known as automatic visa revalidation.
However, if you meet any one of the following criteria, you will not be able to automatically revalidate your visa:
1. You applied for a new visa and it has not been issued.
2. You applied for a new visa and were denied
3. You have a terminated SEVIS record indicating you are out of status
4. You have been out of the United States for more than 30 days
5. You are a citizen of one of the following countries:
Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Sudan, Syria
Travel to Canada
With the exception of citizens of the countries listed below, students who wish to travel to Canada must obtain a visa from the Canadian Embassy in Washington, D.C. As requirements vary depending on the country of citizenship, you should contact the Canadian Embassy at (202) 682-1760. Canada also has consulates in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Seattle.
Citizens of the following are exempt from obtaining a Canadian visa: Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Botswana, Brunei, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Denmark, Dominica, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Granada, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kiribati, Korea (South), Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Namibia, Nauru, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Papua New Guinea, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Solomon islands, Spain, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Tuvalu, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Venezuela, Western Samoa, and Zimbabwe.
If your country is NOT listed above, you will need to contact the embassy for visa requirements.