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Cooper Union

Travel with I-20 or OPT/STEM OPT

 Travel Documents

If you plan to travel outside of the United States and reenter, you need a travel signature on your I-20.

To request an I-20 with updated travel signature please fill out this form.
Due to COVID-19, designated school officials (DSOs) can electronically send signed Forms I-20, "Certificate of Eligibility for Non-immigrant Student Status," to students via email addresses listed in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) instead of physically mailing forms.

 Student

 Validity/Length

Enrolled F-1 Student (I-20)

 A travel signature on page 2 of your I-20 is valid for 12 months or until the program end date on the I-20, whichever comes first.

F-1 Post-Completion and STEM/OPT Student (I-20)

 A travel signature on page 2 of your I-20 is valid for 6 months or until the expiration date of the EAD, whichever comes first.

In order to reenter the U.S., the following documents are required: 

  • Passport, valid at least six months after your date of entry into the U.S.
     
  • Valid visa (some exceptions exist for travel to Canada, Mexico, and adjacent islands. See information about Automatic Visa Revalidation or renewing F-1 visa info here.

  • I-20 signed for travel in the past 12 months

  • If you are currently on OPT, your EAD card

  • If you are currently on OPT, proof of employment is required if you are able to provide it (this can be a letter from your employer stating that you are currently employed, an offer letter if you have not yet started the employment, and/or pay stubs)

  • Travel Tips for F-1 Students while on OPT

Do not pack the above documents in your luggage.
Carry them with you at all times. The following documents are also helpful in verifying your activities as an F-1 entering the U.S. if an immigration official questions your student visa status, and therefore are also recommended for travel but not required.

  • Transcript of coursework (See your Self Service account to print an unofficial transcript)
     

  • Financial certification (bank statement, assistantship letter, etc.)

  • I-901 SEVIS Fee Payment Receipt

  • Printout of current and future enrollment (your class schedule)

  • If you are on OPT or CPT, a letter from an employer acknowledging the travel and your salary amount.

  • Founded by inventor, industrialist and philanthropist Peter Cooper in 1859, The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art offers education in art, architecture and engineering, as well as courses in the humanities and social sciences.

  • “My feelings, my desires, my hopes, embrace humanity throughout the world,” Peter Cooper proclaimed in a speech in 1853. He looked forward to a time when, “knowledge shall cover the earth as waters cover the great deep.”

  • From its beginnings, Cooper Union was a unique institution, dedicated to founder Peter Cooper's proposition that education is the key not only to personal prosperity but to civic virtue and harmony.

  • Peter Cooper wanted his graduates to acquire the technical mastery and entrepreneurial skills, enrich their intellects and spark their creativity, and develop a sense of social justice that would translate into action.