Are you an F-1 or J-1 student planning summer travel? Whether you're heading home, joining a global program, or traveling within the U.S., tune into our latest podcast episode with ISSS to learn how to proactively plan your trips and what to consider if you're staying local. In this new episode, we cover all the essentials to ensure a safe summer!
Are you an F-1 or J-1 student planning summer travel? Whether you're heading home, joining a global program, or traveling within the U.S., preparing for summer travel can be a particularly stressful moment, especially as you juggle final exams, finalizing your summer plans, and packing all your belongings into one suitcase.
In this episode of Worldview Wavelengths, we sit down with Andrew Shiotani, Director of International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS), and Kelsey Dennis, Assistant Director, International Student Services (Undergraduates) to break down how to proactiely plan your trips and what to consider if you're staying local.
We discuss:
Resources Mentioned:
Music provided by Blue Dot Sessions, Greylock.
Host (Anastasia Dementieva) [00:07 - 01:26]: Hello, and welcome back to Worldview Wavelengths, the podcast by the International Student Advising Team at the College, here at Brown University. I'm your host, Anastasia Dementieva, and I'm the International Student Program Manager. I'm so glad you're tuning in!
If you're new to the show, this podcast is designed to highlight resources, strategies, and stories that can support international students as they navigate academics and finances in the US. While our primary audience is F-1 visa holding undergraduate students, anyone who's curious about our international community is welcome to tune in.
With summer break just around the corner, today's episode focuses on ways to proactively plan for travel as an international student. Whether you're heading home, participating in a global program, or traveling within the U.S., we'll cover the key steps you need to ensure a safe summer.
Joining me are two guests from International Student and Scholar Services, Andy Shiotani, Director of ISSS, and Kelsey Dennis, Assistant Director of ISSS for Undergraduates. Andy Kelsey, thank you for joining us today. We're delighted to have you back on our show. For those who are new, and perhaps even some new students from the incoming class of 2030, could you please introduce yourselves and tell us a little bit more about the ISSS?
Andy [01:27 - 02:17]: Sure. Well, my name is Andy Shiotani. I am the Director of International Student and Scholar Services here at Brown. ISSS works to support the international student and scholar community here. We provide visa services, immigration advising, help students answer questions about travel and reentry, employment, maintaining status while they're here.
So our immigration focus is priority, but a big part of our mission, but we're just generally here to support students across the board and try to direct them to the right resources as well. If they have any questions about their academic experience or other types of questions about being here in the United States as an international student. So, I turn it over to Kelsey.
Kelsey [02:18 - 02:48]: I'm Kelsey Dennis. I'm an assistant director in ISSS, and I am the contact for F-1 and J-1 undergraduate students, alumni that are on OPT. So if you are graduating this May and are going to be on OPT, feel free to continue to reach out to me with your questions, travel signature requests, appointment requests, bookings. We're still your visa sponsor for the next, you know, potentially few years while you're on OPT.
Host [02:49 - 03:10]: And we'll get into OPT a little bit further along in the topic. But one of the most pressing things on students' minds right now is obviously summer travel with the break approaching. And we can say there is an evolving travel landscape. So for students who are on an F-1 or J-1 visa, what would you say are the most important things to consider and keep in mind as they plan their summer travel?
Andy [03:11 - 05:34]: Well, I'll begin by first saying, because this is one of the most frequent questions we get, are we open during the summer? And the answer is yes, we are. So I just want to put that anxiety to rest.
It's important, as you said, the travel landscape is constantly evolving. So, you know, what's going on? How are students experiencing the process of traveling and returning to the United States? I do want to say that, you know, by and large, students are successfully traveling and reentering the U.S., but it's super important to prepare in advance, to be careful, to do your research, to talk to Kelsey or other advisors here, myself as well, about your travel situation and really being prepared before you leave and before you come back.
I think it is really important to be proactive to go through our website, which has a list of documents you need for travel, including, for example, your passport, your I-20, your F-1 visa, unless you're a Canadian citizen. Everybody else needs a valid F-1 visa. So make sure those documents at minimum you have, as well as other recommended documents we list, like proof of enrollment, a copy of your SEVIS fee payment receipt, copies of your financial documents. Again, all of this information is listed on our website, but being prepared with those documents.
Also, because the summer vacation is long, you may forget to read your brown emails. But do read your emails because if we do have important travel news or information to provide, we're going to send out an email. And if there are sudden developments that are taking place that might impact your ability to come back in the fall – then watch out for your emails. Check our website as well. We'll post it as a news item on our website. Just keep in touch with us during the summers.
Host [05:34 - 05:56]: I'm very glad that you mentioned that a lot of students do travel and return successfully. The Office of Global Engagement has recently shared a 2026 Summer Travel Guidance on Today@Brown, in which they mention high-risk travel. Could we talk a little bit about what high-risk travel is and how can students prepare if they are in that situation?
Andy [05:57 - 08:42]: Sure, yeah. There are a number of risks associated with travel, some that have occurred recently. So there have been two major developments I want to mention since December earlier this year.
One is an expansion of the travel ban. So, certain countries, students from certain countries are maybe subject to a travel ban, so it's really important if you are from one of those countries, and we have a complete list on our website, to really consult with us before you make any travel plans because your ability to travel and re-enter may be limited, depending on your particular situation, where your documents are, your visa, whether it's still valid or not. So we want to make sure that you're aware that the travel ban was expanded in December to include up to 40 different countries. And so while we sent out emails and notices, it's something that you may not be aware of. So again, check our website about travel ban information.
And then the more recent issue that has come up, a high-risk area, is of course what's going on in the Middle East right now with the war. And the immediate impact, there have been several impacts, obviously, but one of the immediate impacts is if you're going and you're planning to get a new visa, well, many consulates in the region, Middle East, are still closed. So you may not be able to get visa services.
We unfortunately do not have any confirmed word right now about when visa services for students will resume in those consulates in that area. So that is very much a high-risk travel situation, especially if you don't have a visa to come back. And then on top of that, the unexpected nature of a conflict such as what we're experiencing, we don't know how it will impact future travel. Certainly, we've already seen major travel disruption with airlines having to reroute or being temporarily unable to travel. keep to their anticipated flights.
So those are really significant areas of concern right now. On our website also, we have a comprehensive Assessing Your Travel Safety webpage. And I really encourage anybody, really, even if you think you're fine, and you're low risk, I think it's a good idea for everybody to go through that page and look at the travel risk factors. And we keep on updating it as we think we need to as information becomes available. But it's a good idea for everybody to look at that web page and assess their travel risk and travel safety.
Host [08:43 - 09:05]: And we'll make sure to include the link to all of the webpages that you're mentioning in the description of this episode. So make sure to read the description so that you can access all of the links. Are there additional resources and considerations for students who are traveling on Brown-related travel? So for example, a travel pilot program or anyone who's participating in a summer global course?
Kelsey [09:05 - 09:28]: Well, one suggestion would be to register your travel with TravelSafe. So if it's Brown-related travel, you are expected to have filled out that form. And that's an office that we work with. It's not a form that's going to be coming to ISSS for review, but it is another office on campus that we work with.
Andy [09:28 - 10:18]: Yeah, and there are certain times where if you are going on brown travel and you have, you know, a particular concern, if you think you might be impacted in your ability to travel because, for example, you're from a country of concern or you're from a travel ban country. In certain circumstances, it may be possible to get a legal consultation. And so that's only in certain situations, but that is an additional resource for people who are going on Brown-related travel.
Host [10:18 - 10:36]: Amazing. Thank you. And Andy, I know you mentioned it already, but I'd like to have sort of a checklist, call it as is, and ask Kelsey, what documents are required for F-1 or J-1 students who are traveling abroad?
Kelsey [10:37 - 12:41]: Well, the first that's, I would say, most important is your document from Brown. So for F-1 students, that's going to be your I-20. For J1 students, your DS-2019. You want to check the travel signature on your document and make sure that it's been signed within the last year. If you're on OPT, it needs to have been signed within the last six months. And so if you need a new travel signature, request that through your gateway portal and we will send you a new document electronically that you can then print. You are supposed to have a printed copy when you're entering the U.S. So you want to be able to hand a printed I-20 or DS-2019 to the port of entry official.
Then, unless you're from Canada, you want to make sure that your visa is still valid as well. So either your F-1 or your J-1 visa and your passport. And if you do need to renew your visa, we have a nice web page on our site for you to look through before you are scheduling a visa renewal appointment. You also want to check your passport expiration date in case you do need to renew your passport before returning.
And then it's a good idea to have evidence of your enrollment, so if you could request a copy of your transcript through the registrar's website, you can then have a printed or at least a PDF copy of a transcript that's up to date to show that you're an enrolled student at Brown.
If you're on OPT, you would want to have evidence of your employment. So maybe an offer letter if you've been recently hired. If you've been working for the same employer for a while, you'd want to have maybe some pay stubs or a letter from your supervisor describing your travel plans. You can also have an I-20 that has your most recently reported employment on it. So if you have been reporting your employment through either the SCVP portal or through the ISSS Gateway portal. You can then request a reprinted I-20 so that your printed I-20 has the most up-to-date information about your employment on it as well.
Host [12:42 - 12:47]: Just to clarify one thing about passport expiration, my passport expires a week from now. I'm still good, right? Can I re-enter the U.S.?
Kelsey [12:48 - 12:56]: Your passport is supposed to be valid at least six months into the future when you're entering the U.S., so you would want to renew that.
Andy [12:57 - 13:10]: I mean, the longer the passport is valid, I mean, ideally, your passport validity will cover your time at Brown, as indicated on your I-20 or DS-2019. But it should be valid at least six months into the future when you return.
Host [13:11 - 13:17]: Fantastic. Thanks for clarifying that. Are there additional considerations for students who are on OPT?
Kelsey [13:17 - 13:56]: Just that you want to have evidence of your employment. This is not something that you need to show unless you're asked, but it's a good idea to have it with you in case the port of entry official asks you questions about what activity you're doing on your OPT and how you're using your OPT in a productive way. And I know we listed a lot of things that you should have when you travel, so please refer to the website because we have a detailed list there.
Another thing that's a good idea to bring is maybe your most recent I-94 shows you were recently entered in this hopefully correct status, and you can use that as evidence to substantiate what status you'd like to be entered in.
Host [13:56 - 14:04]: And for anyone who's listening who might be an incoming first year student who has not come to Brown before, how does the procedure look like for them?
Andy [14:04 - 15:51]: Sure. So if you're brand new to the US and you're coming for the first time on a student visa, so you're going to need many of the documents that Kelsey just mentioned. You're going to need a valid passport. Ideally, again, valid at least six months into the future, even better if it's valid for the entire time of your program. But you'll need that.
You'll need your F-1 visa unless you're a Canadian citizen or your J-1 visa if you're coming as a J-1 student, your I-20 or your DS-2019 from Brown. So it's important to know that you should be presenting your I-20 from the school that you're going to. And we will look forward to welcoming you to Brown. But if you had different choices, you need to be sure that you're presenting the I-20 of the school that you're intending to enroll at. So just a little bit of a procedural note on that. And then carry copies of your admission letter, your financial documents, many of the documents you submitted to us when you requested your I-20.
You're going to be asked, who are you and why are you coming to the United States? What is your purpose of coming to the United States? And if it's to come to Brown, everything should match up. Your visa should say you're coming to Brown, your I-20 should be from Brown, or your DS-2019 should indicate that you're studying at Brown. Your admission letter should be indicating that you're coming to Brown.
So they want to see a coherent story, you know, in terms of your documents. If the message is I'm coming to the U.S. to be a student at Brown, you should be able to tell them what you're going to be studying, you know, how long your program is going to be, and all of your documents should be aligned with
Host [15:52 - 16:01]: And once they reenter the U.S. or enter the U.S. for the first time, are there any additional steps students should take to report themselves?
Kelsey [16:01 - 17:19]: So we do have a form that incoming students should fill out once they've arrived in the U.S., And that is the new student registration form in your ISSS gateway portal. So again, only after you've actually entered the U.S. and you have your most recent I-94 to show that you were entered in F-1 or J-1 status.
Then you can go into your ISSS Gateway portal and complete the new student registration request. We're going to ask you for some information like your emergency contacts, copy of your I-94, your visa, maybe a few other contact-related information, and then we can register your SEVIS record in the government database. So that's an important step.
I wanted to highlight one thing that Andy was saying about your visa, also saying that you're going to Brown. There may be a few situations where we have a transfer in student. So if you're a SEVIS transfer student and your visa has maybe like your high school name on it, but it has the same SEVIS number as your Brown I-20, that's okay. If your visa is still valid, you can continue using it. If you have any doubt or questions about that, feel free to send me an email. And we can take a look at your documents and just make sure you're all set to go.
Host [17:20 - 17:35]: Fantastic. And I think one of the main stressors for students as they think about reentering the U.S. is that moment of U.S. customs and immigration inspection. What advice would you have for students and what can they expect from that interaction?
Andy [17:35 - 20:00]: Yeah, so when you first arrive, you're going to go through what's called primary inspection. And just one note, sometimes there are different lines you have to go through. And so if you're not sure which one, if it says global entry, don't go to that line. If it says US citizens or permanent residents, don't go to that line. Make sure to ask that you're going into the right line, because you might be processed somewhat differently depending on the line you enter. But you'd be going through primary inspection.
Primary inspection is very quick. Usually you're conversing with an immigration officer within no more than, you know, a minute is already pretty long. You're going to want to show them all of your required documents, passport, I-20 or I-DS-2019, and your visa, and just wait for them to ask questions. And they're going to want to hear what the story is, as I was mentioning a minute ago, that “who are you?” and “why are you coming to the United States?”. “What is your plan?” “What is your story?” And so just explain your purpose of coming to the US, which is to do a degree or do a program at Brown. And you may be asked, “Why did you choose Brown? How long will your program be?” Because they want to know that the answers you're giving them match up with what they're seeing on your pieces of paper, on your visa, on your I-20. And so they'll want to do a consistency check.
Now, if it's very busy or sometimes if they're not really sure about your history or background or status, they may send you to secondary inspection, which is a separate room. And don't panic. It happens to quite a bit of visitors to the United States where they need additional time to do a review of your documents and your history. But it does happen on occasion. And again, don't panic. But just realize that that is a part of the process and be able to, again, further explain what your story is. I just recommend that everybody, you know, it can be very nerve-wracking to go through U.S. immigration. But as I mentioned, thousands of people enter the United States successfully every day. And just be confident in what your purpose is and what your documents tell. And so that's my basic advice.
Host [20:00 - 20:04]: And it's also possible that they call your office in that moment, right?
Andy [20:05 - 21:02]: Yeah. If you go through primary inspection and it's successful, you'll just go right through and go pick up your luggage. But if you go to secondary inspection, you will be asked to wait. And then they may want to contact the school. So have our contact information available. You know, they may want to just confirm, is this person really going to be a student at Brown? Because the documents, you know, they just want to make sure that the documents are valid or the information is valid. So you could call our office, and we can confirm that information. Now, we are open during normal business hours, which is Monday through Friday. 9 a.m. Eastern to 5 p.m. Eastern. So if your travel fits in that time schedule, that's great. You may also want to call the Department of Public Safety. Their information is also on our website, and is also on the Brown website. And they can put you in touch with one of our staff members.
Host [21:03 - 21:05]: And it's also on the back of your Brown ID card.
Kelsey [21:06 - 21:19]: And if you can send an email to like if you want to email me directly, sometimes an email is more effective than a phone call even. So we do try to keep an eye on inboxes and sometimes that's the easiest way to respond.
Host [21:19 - 21:29]: Fantastic. So we talked a lot about students who are traveling outside of the country for the summer. What about students who may decide to stay locally or to travel domestically?
Andy [21:30 - 23:02]: Yeah, really important topic because it's easy to assume I'm going to stay in the United States and I'm just going to maybe take a cruise but not going through immigration inspection that I don't need my documents.
But we actually do recommend that students carry their documents at all times. especially their I-94 record, and the I-94 is the record that is generated when you come into the United States showing that you came in as an F-1 student or J-1 student and that you're legally here, so carrying that at all times.
If you're just in the local area, maybe just a copy on your cell phone or something like that is fine. but you're getting on a train or a plane or a bus to another part of the country, then we do recommend that you almost treat it like international travel and have your documents plus your I-94 with you. That includes your passport, your I-20, and the I-94 record, and have that available with you.
Given, you know, heightened law enforcement and immigration enforcement across the country, it's always a good idea to have it on hand, even if you may never be asked to show it. But if there is an enforcement action that suddenly comes into your area or if you are in some kind of an accident, for example, you may be asked to show information about who you are and your immigration status. So it's really, really important to have that available.
Host [23:03 - 23:08]: That's very helpful, and I really also like the suggestion of having photos of your documents on your phone available.
Andy [23:08 - 23:20]: Yeah, I keep my license on my phone. I keep some of my other critical documents on my phone because sometimes it is handy to have it on your phone to be able to access it and to show it when needed.
Host [23:20 - 23:31]: And I guess another question that I have is, say students are traveling for vacation and they have their passport with them. What's the safest way to keep that passport? Do you have any advice on that?
Andy [23:31 - 24:40]: Yeah, I think that's a very good practical question. I mean, I think it depends on where you're traveling and what you're doing, you know. It's really important for it to not get stolen or not get lost but definitely keep a copy of it just in case that does happen it's important to keep it in a safe secure place hidden, I think would be my general recommendation, but i know sometimes when you're going out and visiting you know tourist destinations or particular locations you may need to show your identity. So, you know, you may need to carry your original. I think the most important thing is just to be continuously aware of where it is and to check regularly that it's still in your possession. Kelsey, do you have any thoughts?
Kelsey [24:40 - 25:18]: Well, just a reminder that if you do lose your passport, you've lost all the valid visas in it as well, and you can't just get those reprinted. So you would have to renew your visa at a consulate outside the U.S. in order to get another one. So, yeah, do keep it safe. Same with your EAD card if you're on OPT. There isn't really a reason to carry that around, so maybe just keep that in a safe spot in your house and have a copy of it available. But if you're not I-9ing with a new employer or trying to renew your driver's license or something, you don't really need to have the original. So that's a good one to keep in a safe place, just because these things are expensive and time-consuming to try to replace.
Andy [25:20 - 26:28]: And you made me think of one other thing. You are supposed to report to the consulate where you got your visa that your passport was lost and the passport included the visa. The one thing is, this has happened unfortunately, is sometimes the student will report it lost. And, you know, if it's lost, it's lost. But and then you'd have to get a new one. But let's say later on, it was at the bottom of my suitcase or my bag.
Well, once it's reported lost, the visa is no longer valid. So they will probably cancel that visa. So just, you know, take a very, very careful look to make sure that the information is truly lost. But then you'd have to plan to get a new visa before coming back. And if you're already outside of the United States when this happens, you're going to have to likely apply for the visa in your country of citizenship or residence. And if you're just, you know, in a third location, it may be very difficult logistically. So the only recommendation I have is to really hold on to your passport. Don't lose it!
Kelsey [26:28 - 26:31]: And maybe get a state ID that you could use for domestic travel.
Host [26:31 - 26:51]: Yeah, that's very good suggestions all around the board. And we covered a lot of information today. So I would just like to reiterate really the importance of making use of the resources that are available. There is a lot of information that is shared with students. So could you please summarize what these resources are?
Andy [26:51 - 28:42]: Sure. Well, our most important resources are on our website. We have a very, very extensive travel section on our website that includes all kinds of different scenarios that we just talked about. You know, the basic documents for reentry, local travel in the United States, what happens if you lose your documents, the procedures for addressing that situation. We also have information about the arrival process and the importance of checking your I-94 when you arrive, as well as, as I mentioned earlier, assessing your travel risk and safety, plus travel ban information. So all of this is being updated as we go along, as we get new information or new observations that we want to report out. So I do think the most important thing is to use that website, use the travel resources on our website really actively and bookmark the pages or go back to it every so often. And then the other really important advisor resource is your advisor, Kelsey, who's sitting right next to me. So, you know, who is available to answer questions by email or by Zoom appointments and is really constantly on guard for, you know, to make sure that the college's students are getting the support they need as they make their plans. I'll also mention that our office also works with the Office of Global Engagement. And there's a page there about travel-related matters that is worthwhile looking at. And we talked earlier about the Office of Travel Safety and Risk and Security and their resources in helping getting people registered and travel safe and helping people with travel issues, people who are doing Brown-related travel. If you need support, they're there to help you as well.
Host [28:42 - 28:45]: Fantastic. Kelsey, is there anything you would like to add?
Kelsey [28:45 - 29:20]: I'll just add that please use your ISSS Gateway portal also as a resource. You can store documents there. We actually would love it if you could upload a new visa that you've just received to that or your I-94 record every time you enter the U.S., and your I-20 after you've signed it yourself, that can just be a cache of all your documents that's secure and you can access. It's not super mobile friendly, but you can access it from your computer. And we can also access it on our end if for some reason you're on the phone with us and we're trying to help you liaise with the port of entry official, for instance.
Host [29:21 - 29:28]: Fantastic. Well, Andy, Kelsey, thank you so much for all the work that you do throughout the year. And thank you for sitting down with us to have this conversation.
Andy [29:29 - 29:34]: Our pleasure. And we look forward to coming back in the future. Thanks for having us. Things change all the time.
Host [29:35 - 29:38]: And thank you all for listening. We'll see you next time.