Leaving the USA during your Grad Visa

Modified on Mon, 12 May at 7:56 PM

Your visa is multiple entry which means you are able to leave the USA and re-enter during your 12-month visa duration (dates on DS-2019).

You are NOT able to leave the USA during either grace period, the 30 days at the start or the 30 days at the end. If you do then your visa will automatically be terminated.

Your visa sponsor and USIT do not recommend traveling outside the USA without having an approved internship secured as you may experience issues coming back through immigration.

In the event that you do need to leave the US at any point, contact your visa sponsor to have your DS2019 stamped and signed for travel validation. We recommend doing this at least 3 weeks prior to travelling.

Check your insurance for any travel restrictions when travelling to your home country. Some policies only allow 2 trips home for a maximum of 21 days. Visa regulations allow for a maximum of 30 days outside the USA at a time however your insurance may only allow for 21 – be sure to check your cover!

You must travel with your visa and DS2019 each and every time you are travelling back through immigration.

If you are travelling to another country other than your home country be sure to check the latest travel advice and visa requirements for that country. EG for Canada you need an ETA to enter.

If you changed your dates after your Visa was issued by the US Embassy and your new DS End date is later than the expiry date on the visa sticker issued by the US Embassy, it is not recommended you leave the USA during that period. Eg. If your new DS ends on November 10^th however your visa sticker ends August 10^th, it is not recommended to leave the USA from August 10^th until November 10^th as you will have to visit the US Embassy in your home country to have a new visa sticker issued into your passport before you can re-enter.