Important Message
for Visa Holders
Latest Update: Please read this
letter from the International Student Office.
According to the International Student Services, All visa
holders are required to report address changes to INS directly, first
when they enter the United States, then any time that their address
changes.
To read the newsletter , please click here.
To directly download the form required by INS, click here.
You will need to mail the form yourself and keep a copy of it for your
records. Then, when you change your address in the future, complete
the form again and resubmit it to the INS. Instructions on how
to fill out the form is in the newsletter.
Important Information
Regarding the Visa Automatic Revalidation Policy
You may be interested in this information from: http://www.visalaw.com/,
an immigration website that discusses student issues. It tells us that
there are changes in the Automatic Revalidation of visa rule. This
is the rule that allows certain people to go to Mexico and Canada, then
return without a valid visa. There have been changes for people from
Iraq, Iran, Syria, Libya, Sudan, North Korea, and Cuba. As always, if
you will be travelling outside of the US and have questions, your International
Student Advisor in the ISS Office would be glad to talk with you about
these issues.
Cristen
For more information, visit International
Student Services.
STATE DEPARTMENT AMENDS VISA REVALIDATION RULES
As an increased security measure, the State Department recently amended
its regulation on automatic nonimmigrant visa revalidation of those
returning to the US from a contiguous territory to make the rule
inapplicable to people from certain countries.
Under current regulations, nonimmigrants who have been outside the US
in a contiguous territory for less than 30 days will have their visa
automatically revalidated upon application for entry to the US if they
are in possession of an unexpired I-94. They can also obtain a visa
for a new nonimmigrant classification if the I-94 is for a different
status than the visa stamp already in the passport. Applicants can also,
rather
than obtain automatic revalidation, apply for a new visa stamp at a
US Consulate in Canada or Mexico. Even if the application for a new
visa is denied, they can still reenter the US using the I-94.
Under the new regulation, applicants for automatic visa revalidation
or a new visa stamp who present passports from countries designated
as sponsors of terrorism will not be allows to reenter the US until
a
number of background checks are completed. The new regulation will apply
to nationals of Iraq, Iran, Syria, Libya, Sudan, North Korea, and Cuba.
The new regulation also ends the ability of people from other countries
who applied for and were denied a new visa from being able to reenter
the US with automatic revalidation. This means that only those
who are certain of receiving a visa should apply in Canada or Mexico,
as they could end up being denied entry to the US.
The new rule goes into effect on April 1, 2002. The notice says the
change may not be permanent, but that it will be in place for the foreseeable
future.
How to Renew your Visa back in China
According to the U.S. Embassy in China, students who have previously
obtained an F1 visa only need to submit the necessary materials to apply
for a new F1 visa. No interview is needed. You can go to the their website
for more information.
Please note: You are NOT qualified for this policy
if you have transferred to another program/school other than the one
you attended when you first entered the US. People who are studying
majors that the US government considers "sensitive", e.g.,
Nuclear Science, Biochemistry are subjected to scrutiny in light of
the Sept. 11 terrorist attack. The consulate may hold your application
material for an undetermined period of time (up to weeks) before they
make a decision. This is true for everyone applying for US visa, whether
in China or other countries.
Applying for visa in Mexico/Canada
Most Chinese students choose to apply for a new visa in Mexico. Two
UTD students, Mr. Hongwen She and another by the screen handle of wendy_dn
have been kind enough to post their visa experiences on our BBS. You
can find Mr. She's post here
and Wendy_dn's post here.
Also, you may find this article
helpful to you. But please note that it was written by a student from
UT Austin so some specifics may not apply to UTD students, e.g. which
Mexican city to go to. Previous messages posted by UTD students have
suggested people to bring their pay slips if they are TA/RAs. Transcripts
are also a must.
Additional input
is more than welcome.
