When international students are admitted by U.S. colleges and universities, they are given Form I-20. With the information that can be found in this form, new students can schedule the visa interview. In the same way, when an F visa student takes a leave of absence for a semester or so, her or his Form I-20 will be terminated due to the 5-month rule (Click the related blog post to learn more about the 5-month rule).
Now when the student is re-admitted, he or she will be issued the new I-20, unless the previous Form I-20 is reinstated. Here, one of the most frequently asked questions arises: “Can I (international student) use my unexpired old visa along with the new I-20 to enter the U.S.?”
To answer this question, we will have a look at Study in the States, one of the U.S. government agency websites for international students, and SEVP SEVIS 1-901 Fee FAQs. At the end of the blog, you will learn what returning students with new Form I-20s are required to do.
Related blog post: F-1 student visa 5 month rule affected by COVID-19
Disclaimer: SEVIS SAVVY delivers information based on the visa/immigration regulations and this is no legal advice by any means. Since institutional policies may vary, getting confirmation from your international student advisor will be helpful to ensure that you comply with institutional policies and processes.
Contents
Case study scenario
Q: I took a leave of absence and now I got re-admitted for this upcoming semester. My school sent me the new I-20 and it has a different SEVIS ID than my F visa. My current F visa is not expired yet but I wonder if I can enter the U.S. with my new I-20 and old visa.
The answer based on the regulation
Study in the States
One of the Study in the States‘s blogs titled Questions from DSOs: Do students returning from temporary absences need new visas? clearly answers to today’s question.
Students returning to the United States to resume their studies after an authorized temporary absence will not need to renew their visa, if the visa is still valid. The U.S. Department of State’s policy is that a student does not need to apply for a new F-1 visa if the student’s current visa is still valid, regardless of length of time outside the United States.
Questions from DSOs: Do students returning from temporary absences need new visas?
Therefore, even if your visa has different (previous) SEVIS ID number (starting with N which can be found in your Form I-20), than your new I-20, you are not required to renew it as long as it is valid. I like to explain a visa as a key– a key to open the door to enter the U.S. Once you open the door, it doesn’t matter if you lose your key. However once you go out, you need a key to re-open the door.
This is how visas work. Students can stay legally in the U.S. with expired visas as long as their SEVIS record (Form I-20) is valid. However, if they depart the country, they need to renew their visas in order to re-enter the U.S. Therefore, if the expiration date on your current visa is coming to an end and if you are planning to travel internationally in the near future, you may want to renew the visa might as well while you are still in your home country.
It is worth to note that students who were issued new I-20s still need to pay the SEVIS I-901 fee. The Study in the States blog states the following and we will have a closer look at the next paragraph.
However, if a student has been out of the United States for more than five consecutive months (and not on study abroad), they will need to obtain a new Form I-20, “Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status,” and pay the I-901 SEVIS Fee again. Again, the student would only need to apply for a new visa if their original visa was no longer valid.
Questions from DSOs: Do students returning from temporary absences need new visas?
SEVIS fee payment
I-901 SEVIS Fee Frequently Asked Questions confirms that students “who reenter the United States on a new SEVIS ID with an Initial attendance I-20 would also be required to pay a new SEVIS I-901 fee, even if they still have a valid F-1 visa.” For example, when you look at the question titled; When must continuing students (F-1, F-3, M-1 or M-3 nonimmigrants that have begun, but not finished, a program) pay the I-901 SEVIS Fee? It says:
- Continuing students must pay the I-901 SEVIS Fee again before:
- Filing an application for reinstatement when they have been out of status for more than five months
- Applying for a new visa or returning to the United States after an absence of five months or more that did not involve authorized overseas study
- Filing an application for a change of status to an F, M or J classification except for changes between F-1 and F-3 or between M-1 and M-3.
It is unclear as to when the returning student needs to pay the fee or if he or she needs to bring proof of payment along with the visa, passport, and Form I-20 (Click the related blog posts to see all the required documents when you enter the U.S.). To play safe, however, it could be recommended to pay the fee when you receive the new Form I-20 so that you won’t forget to pay the fee. Additionally, it would be good practice to print out the payment confirmation page as proof that you paid the fee and have it on you when you go through immigration.
Related blog post 1: All about F1 immigration status; entry date, Form I-515A
Related blog post 2: 2020 Student visa reentry required documents
To sum, international students, who are issued the new I-20, are not required to renew their visas as long as it is valid. However, they are required to pay the SEVIS I-901 fee from fmjfee.com.
All the immigration regulations that F-1 international students should know can be found on the F-1 visa info page. For OPT-related updates and news, click the OPT page. For STEM OPT-related information, click the STEM OPT page.
45 Comments
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Hello i had an admission in northeastern university with a start date of january 19th 2021 and i had withdrawn my admission in between the first quarter due to deaths in my family because of covid.
I have obtained my visas in december 2020 and then started my studies.
I haven’t deferred my admission but i have completely withdrawn it. So i wanted to know whether my sevis id will be valid or not ?
I will again apply in the university to get a fresh admission and i think with that i’ll be getting a new i-20 and a new sevis id on that i-20.
So will i have to reapply for visas ? Like will i have to go for the interview and all again or will i just have to renew the visas???
And if i do have to go for the interview again will there be a problem in obtaining the visas again ?
Please let me know how the process works.
Hello Rahul,
As you withdrew from the college, your previous I-20 (SEVIS ID) is no longer valid. Once you are re-accepted into the university, you will be issued the new I-20 (new SEVIS ID). Now for your current visa, I would recommend reaching out to your embassy to confirm if it is ok for you to use the current visa to enter the U.S. Please keep us updated for other international students.
Thank you!
Hello,
I was an undergraduate student from my university. And I graduated this May. Recently, I just got admitted by the same university for grad school. The Visa on my passport is still valid and I think they will issue a new i20 to me. I plan to enter US no longer than five months since last time l left. Do I have to pay again for the SEVIS fee? Thanks!
Hello Sean,
Please check if the new I-20 has the same SEVIS ID as your previous ones. If it has the same SEVIS ID, you are not required to pay the fee. This info can be found in the I-901 SEVIS Fee Frequently Asked Questions that I mentioned in the post. It says: If you are a continuing student, who has maintained status and is transferring or changing program levels using the same SEVIS ID, do not pay the SEVIS I-901 fee.
Thank you!
Hello,
I’m an international student since 2017 and I took leave of absence for 1 semester. I got New Sevis ID. Do I need to get new Visa or my old unexpired visa with old sevis number will be okay?
Hello Harsh, as long as your visa is not expired, you can use your current unexpired visa even if you were issued a new I-20 according to references that I mentioned in the blog post. If the expiration date is near, though, you may want to reapply for the visa and enter the U.S. with the new visa. Please note that many things are considered at the immigration. Thank you.
Hello,
I took a leave of absence for spring quarter after receiving an academic disqualification for winter quarter. I got a new I-20 with new Sevis number few weeks ago, and I was originally planning to fly to US with my old high school F-1 visa(since it will be difficult to obtain new visa with grades I’ve gotten for winter quarter) that expires by 2023. But I’m not sure if I can go with my previous high school F-1 visa with new I-20 I’ve got. Is it possible, or do I need a new Visa?
Hello, do you mean that you have been using the visa that you received for your high school with college I-20 (before you got disqualified)?
Sorry. I’m a rising second year in university, and I studied remotely in my home country for my freshman year due to COVID. I attended high school in U.S., so I got F-1 visa back then. I decided not to renew my visa last year(freshman year in college), since I didn’t fly to U.S. Then I got academically disqualified for winter quarter and took a gap quarter for spring quarter. I contacted my advisor, and she said I can use my previous high school F-1 visa(which is valid I think, as it expires by 2023) to enter U.S. for this fall quarter. But I’m still worried and am planning to contact my Korean ambassador. Please help me with your personal opinion! (Also, my sister used her high school F-1 visa to attend college in the past)
Sorry, I don’t think I was clear in my comment above. I’m a rising second year undergraduate student, and I studied remotely in my home country during freshman year due to COVID. Since I didn’t fly to U.S., I decided not to renew my previous high school F-1 visa to college F-1 visa(I attended high school in U.S. and got F-1 visa which hasn’t expired.), so I was planning to go to U.S. with my previous high school F-1 visa for this fall quarter with my new I-20. I got academically disqualified for winter quarter and took a gap on spring quarter, so I don’t know how my academic record had affected my visa status. I contacted my college advisor, and she said I can fly with my previous F-1 visa as long as it’s valid(mine expires by 2023, so I believe it’s valid), but I’m still worried about it. My sister used her high school visa to study in college in the past(had to renew it in her junior year though), but it was before COVID. I’m planning to contact my Korean ambassador, but may I please get your personal help and opinion? Thank you!
Hello, thank you for the detailed explanation. I am glad to hear that you are planning to reach out to your local U.S. embassy. As I wrote in the blog post, students would be able to enter the U.S. with unexpired visa but as your situation is complicated and there’s COVID, it’s really hard for me to tell what’s going to happen. The best practice will be getting advice from the embassies. I am sorry that I can’t be of any help on your matter but I wish you the best!
hi i graduated from the US in may and came back to jamaica in June , however I did not went over my 60 day gace period or did i have any bad reputation in the US. I want to go back and study in the US in January , do i need to obtain a new visa, since the old visa has the old school name on it, the old visa does not expire until 2024, I also will also be receiving a new I 20 and will be paying ths sevis fee.
Hello Brad,
If you graduated and went back to your home country, your SEVIS record will likely be in Completed status. This means that you cannot enter the U.S. with the old I-20 nor the associated visa. Based on your explanation, it sounds like you may need to get the new I-20, pay the SEVIS fee again and apply for the new visa. Hope this helps!
Hi, I am international student and enrolled in the ESL program at Rutgers University a few semesters before COVID. I have a valid visa and would like to come back and continue my education. My question is with my valid visa, can I obtain a new I-20 from a different institution and would this be a problem when I enter the country? Thank you so much for your advice in advance!
Hello Sarah, if you have an active I-20, you would need to get admission from a different university, transfer the I-20 and use a valid visa to enter the U.S. Click this article to learn more about the transfer process: https://sevissavvy.com/transfer-within-the-us-en/. If your I-20 has been terminated, you don’t have to transfer your I-20. When you get admitted from your desired school, get the new I-20, pay the SEVIS fee and use a valid visa to enter the U.S. To confirm, please reach out to the International Student Advisor at Rutgers or your new school. Thank you!
Hi
My program starts 25 January 2022. I have received my 120 and SEVIS no; I have also completed and submitted DS-160 to embassy. But now, I am going to defer my program for 1 year. does SEVIS no. change? If it changes can I send new DS-160 to embassy by email? (I can not change my DS-160 in embassy web site)
Hello Sana, the SEVIS payment is valid for a year. Thus if you defer your admission for a year it might not be valid by the time you try to schedule the visa interview.
Technically, DSOs can request a correction for the canceled I-20 to update it to reflect new semester dates but it depends on your school policy. If you are issued the new I-20 (with the different SEVIS Number and if your SEVIS fee payment is still valid), you can request the SEVIS fee payment transfer from your old SEVIS ID to the new SEVIS ID. Hope this helps!
Hi I my visa got approved for X university but the university itself asked me to defer to next semester so according to their guidance i deferred my programme..But I recently I got a mail from the university that they are not going to start inperson classes anymore so they Advised to transfer to their accredited college but I am not interested to Join in that college because as they offer the course which i required eventhough i applied bcz i don’t have any other i20… recently I got a i20 from other university where they provide the course which i want…So I have transferred sevis to new university..Can I enter the us with the visa which i got from the x university to new University i20
Hello, I am not sure if I understood the situation correctly. The best way to get an answer to your question is to reach out to your new university or the U.S. embassy in your country. Thank you!
Hi
I got an i20 from national university for august intake 2021. I went for a visa interview and I got a visa. Unfortunately I got a mail from national university that I need to defer my i20 to jan intake 2022 due to some reasons and then again I got an updated i20 for jan 2022 intake. Now when I was planning to travel to US on an updated i20 again I got an email that I need to transfer to its sister university and my i20 is been canceled. Now I got an i20 from its sister university with new sevis id number. Now my concern is can I travel with the existing visa?
Hello, the situation somewhat sounds confusing. I would advise you to reach out to your current (“sister university”) university about this or the U.S. embassy in your country. Thank you!
Hello,
I have a student visa issued in April 2021 with expiry in July 2022.
In April and July 2021 I attended a course in New York but I didn’t finish it, I went home before the course expired.
In January I will return to New York for a 1 year course with another school.
The visa expires before I will finish the course, Do I have to get a new visa (the name on the visa is from the old school)?
I know that after more than 5 months I will have to pay back the Sevis tax.
thank you!!!
Hello Viviana,
Did your school leave your SEVIS record active? I wonder if they terminated your SEVIS record because you didn’t finish them. In most cases, students are admitted for D/S; Duration of Status which allows them to stay until the program end date + grace period. Therefore, you don’t need to renew the visa just to stay in the United States. But make sure that your SEVIS record is active and that you can use your current student visa. Thank you.
Thank you so much for your answer, i don’t know if my sevis is active. Should i ask to my old school? Or can I check on the gov web site?
You are welcome, Viviana! You can send an email to your old school- they will be able to tell you if your SEVIS record is still active or not.
Hi,
I was doing my phD in the US. I had to return to India for a medical emergency and I have been here for 5 months. My visa stamp expired in the meantime. My sevis has been terminated and I took an academic break. My University says I have to obtain a new Sevis. I am willing to pay for the Sevis but I am unable to find visa appointments for the next 2 months.
Can I pay the fee and start classes and go to the appointment after a month of starting. Will this be fine or is there a problem.
Thank you
Hi Jan, SEVIS fee payment is valid for a year. Therefore, you can pay the fee now and take online classes for the upcoming term (Spring 2022). When you secure the visa interview appointment, reach out to your school and ask for an updated I-20 with Fall 2022 dates. You can bring an updated I-20 to the visa interview. If your visa request is approved, you can come to the U.S. for Fall 2022. Please reach out to your school and check if this process looks good to them too as each institutional policy might be different. Thank you!
Hi,
I have a question for i20 recently. My Sevis record was terminated on 2019 because of unauthorized drop and I returned to U.S. with new i20 that year with my old Visa. Does this gonna affect my future opt or H1b application. Thank you.
Hello Bryant, to be clear, I do not work for USCIS so it’s something that I cannot answer. However if you had obtained the new I-20 legally and used the valid visa to enter the U.S. I doubt it would impact you negatively in the future. But again, I can only speculate. Thank you!
Hello there
I have a flight to USA in 15th feb 2022. I was planning to get transferred from my current school after getting to USA but my new university emailed my old school asking about my i20 status. Now my school is saying to enter USA in a new i20 of
that new school. What is going to happen in this case?
Hello Uttam, so I believe you were issued the F-1 student visa based on the old university’s information? Since your I-20 will say that you transferred to the new university, I think you can cross the border with the new I-20 as well as your current visa. Having said that, please note that ultimately it is the CBP officer’s decision to admit you. Thank you!
Hi,
My name is Dan. I came to the US in 2018 for my MBA and got my degree in 2020. School made an error when submitting request for my OPT, it got rejected and was thus completed. In that case I got a new admission at my school in the Msc program, this time with a new SEVIS id which is different then the one that I have on my VISA (valid till 2023).
When I got my new SEVIS id for my new program from the same school, I visited the Mexican border and did the exit and entry on new sevis id(new I20) but old visa and old sevis id on it.
On my new SEVIS id and new program, I graduated in August 2021 with stem degree, got my OPT and started my job. On 11 MARCH 2022, I am visiting my home country for 2 weeks.
My visa is valid till 2023 April but my Sevis ID is different. Can there be issues when I am travelling.
Kind advice would be highly appreciated.
Dan
Hello Dan, as long as the visa is valid and the CBP Officer doesn’t find issues, you should be able to use your current valid visa (that has your previous SEVIS ID) and recently issued I-20. Please note that I do not represent the CBP Officer, though.
I would also add to bring employment verification letter and check the travel endorsement section on page 2 of your I-20. As you may know already, the travel endorsement is valid for 6 months for OPT students, therefore, the estimated reentry date should be within 6 months from the last signed date. All the best with your travel!
Hello, I’m pursuing masters as of now and am in my second semester. My grades aren’t really good and I’m already in academic probation now if I don’t have enough grades by the end of second semester, I will get academically dismissed and I won’t be able to enroll into classes until semester completes. Means I will be able to enroll into classes after 6 months. My question is if I go to India and come to USA after 6 months with a new I-20 issued by my university, will I face any kind of problems at the port of entry because of the academic dismissal? I have a valid visa too.
It’s ultimately the CBP officer’s decision to decide whether you can be admissable or not. Having said that CBP officers would not deny the admission based on the student’s academic performance in general. Thank you!
Hi, I got my visa stamped in January 2022 on my old I-20, and then the University gave me a new I-20 to join starting Fall (August) 2022. The SEVIS number on the new I-20 is the same, and the visa is unexpired, however it will be over 5 months since the stamp of visa (Jan 2022) and my planned entry to US (Aug 2022) and I need to know if I’m okay to travel or do I need to apply for a new visa stamp? This will be my first time entering the US.
Hello, consular officers usually stamp on the visa, not Form I-20. Also, the stamp is a sign that they approve your entry thus you don’t have to request/apply for the stamp. As long as you bring the required documents including valid visas and passports, the possibility is very low for you to encounter big issues with your entry.
Hello sevissavvy !!
I have recieved admit for spring intake 2023 but due to 211g processing my visa got delayed . I have made a defer request to the same university for fall intake and will be getting the I20 in a week but with a different sevis id. I have made sevis payment in December 2022 so I can transfer the amount to new sevis I’d right so, Can I travel to us with the old visa stamping ?
Hello Raghava,
As long as Form I-20 is valid and the visa is not expired yet, students can bring their old visas and new Form I-20s to enter the U.S. Please note that the ultimate decision regarding your admissibility will be determined by Customer and Border Protection Officers! Thank you.
Hi, need help, I have two valid visa of the year expiring 2026 and 2027.They are in old cancelled passport. I returned from usa and sevis got terminated. I have changed university this year. And my visa got denied with 214b. I am planning to use my old valid F1 visa with old f1 visa to enter. I asked embassy they replied visa is valid until expiry date, can be used if unmarked and undamaged with the matching purpose of visa. Can you provide guidance in my situation.
Hello Shaan, please refer to this blog post to be connected with Argos Visa as they are the experts regarding visa refusal: https://sevissavvy.com/why-student-visa-applicants-get-refused-en/ Thank you!
Hello,
Please enlighten me on what to do. I book a visa appointment after getting my I20 and I was given a visa appointment date that passed the start date stated on my I20.
My question now is, Can I go with the same I20 come this September? Or I should reschedule my appointment to a future date?
Note: My admission Counselor said if I didn’t see a closer date to August 10 2023, my admission will be withdrawl to next year {as my school only has a fall session for Graduate students}. What can you suggest I do ?
Thank you.
Hello Tabitha,
Yes when you are deferred to the next semester, your I-20 should be updated to show the updated program start and end date. Then, you need to bring the updated I-20 to the visa interview. Please reach out to your DSO to confirm the deferral/ updated I-20 issuance policy. Hope this helps!
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