Visiting Canada, Mexico or the Adjacent Islands

For those who are interested in visiting Canada, please check the following  links to see if you need a Canadian visa and how to apply for one..

• Countries whose citizens require visas in order to enter Canada and Visa exempt countries
  
• Information on applying Canadian visitor visas in New York City

Visiting Mexico

Visiting the Adjacent Islands  

Automatic Revalidation of Visa

The U.S. Department of State provision for "automatic revalidation of visa" allows certain non-immigrants to re-enter the U.S. after a visit of less than 30 days to "contiguous territory" (Canada, Mexico, and, in the case of F and J non-immigrants, the "adjacent islands other than Cuba" ) without having to obtain a new visa prior to re-entry.  Persons in F and J who were maintaining their nonimmigrant status in the United States, and who traveled to Canada, Mexico or the contiguous islands, for 30 days or less, can re-enter with their Form I-94, a valid passport, and a current copy of the form I-20 or DS-2019, plus a previously-issued visa (which could be expired, or even in a different category than the I-94). Persons in H-1 or O-1 status were also eligible to use the automatic revalidation after trips of 30 days or less to Canada or Mexico, as long as they had a valid I-94, passport and an USCIS issued I-797 Approval Notice.

Automatic revalidation of visa does not apply if:

• You applied for a new U.S. visa in Canada, Mexico or the adjacent islands.  This means if you applied for a new visa you must wait until that visa is issued to return to the U.S. 

• You travel to any other country before returning to the U.S. from Canada or Mexico

• Citizens of Iran, Syria, Libya, Sudan, North Korea, and Cuba are no longer be eligible for the automatic revalidation of visa benefit.

You will need to carry the visa documents mentioned here as well as your I-94 card.  For more information go to http://www.oiss.yale.edu/visa/vrevl.htm.  As this is a rather complicated provision, it is best to talk with an OISS adviser before you travel to see if you can use this benefit. 

For citizens of some countries, you may need a visa to travel to Canada, Mexico or some of those islands.  Please check their web sites for the information.  If your stay is over 30 days, you must have a valid US visa to return to the U.S.

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