2025 - 26 Travel Guidance
All Dartmouth travelers should be proactive when making domestic and international travel plans by confirming that you have the appropriate documents for travel, and that you have consulted available resources regarding any potential risks associated with travel. If your international travel is Dartmouth-related, you must fill out the travel registry. Given possible future travel restrictions and increased screening and enforcement, including immigration enforcement within the U.S., it is important that members of our international and immigrant community be prepared for travel, consider the possible risks of travel, and stay up to date on any immigration policy or rule changes.
Protocol for travel emergencies
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at an airport or other port of entry to the U.S. may place you in secondary inspection if they do not have sufficient information to admit you to the U.S. at the primary inspection point. Secondary inspection is typically a separate area at the port of entry. If CBP has questions that can be answered by OVIS, you can ask the CBP officer to please contact OVIS for verification. If it is after normal business hours, CBP can contact Dartmouth Safety & Security (DOSS) and they will contact the OVIS Director or Associate Director. OVIS can be reached at 603-646-3474, and DOSS can be reached at 603-646-4000.
In the unlikely event CBP refuses your entry to the U.S. it is important to ask if you can request withdrawal of your application for admission to the U.S. using Form I-275. This will keep open the possibility to apply for a new visa and seek entry to the U.S. at a future date. Upon departure, you should be given a copy of the Form I-275 and any sworn statement taken by the CBP officer. The other process available to CBP is expedited removal, which would prohibit you from seeking entry to the U.S. for a period of five years. It is important to note that it is ultimately up to CBP's discretion as to which process they use.
What to carry: remember to carry your immigration documents* when traveling internationally and domestically
- Passport
- Form I-20
- Most recent I-94 record of arrival
- Passport
- Form DS-2019
- Most recent I-94 record of arrival
- Passport
- Form I-797 Notice of Approval of H-1B or O-1 status
- Most recent I-94 record of arrival
Lawful permanent residents should carry their green card.
Individuals who hold another status in the U.S. should carry their passport and proof of their legal status in the U.S., and a copy of the most recent I-94 record, if applicable.
*The Immigration and Nationality Act requires all nonimmigrants and lawful permanent residents to carry their immigration registration document. This is a Form I-94 or an EAD work card for nonimmigrants, or a green card for lawful permanent residents. OVIS recommends that nonimmigrants carry the documents listed in this travel guidance.
Print and carry your most recent I-94 record of arrival - The U.S. Customs and Border Protection I-94 database generates electronic I-94 records of arrival. At a minimum, have an electronic copy of your I-94 available on your phone or other device. It is recommended to print a copy of the most recent I-94 record of arrival evidencing your last date of entry and admission in legal status. You can access your most recent I-94 record of arrival from the CBP website.
Proposed rule to eliminate "Duration of Status" (D/S) on Form I-94
Students and Exchange Visitors holding F or J status should be aware that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued a proposed rule to eliminate the "duration of status" (D/S) on the I-94 record of arrival, and replace it with a fixed admission period tied to the Form I-20 or DS-2019 program end date. The formal comment period ended and while the rule is not yet finalized, it could be published in the coming weeks or months and may possibly affect spring break travel.
Travel Bans
June 4, 2025 travel ban
Effective June 9, 2025 19 countries are designated as subject to a full or partial travel ban according to a Proclamation issued by the White House on June 4, 2025. Citizens of the 19 countries should review the information on the OVIS and Department of State websites for more information. Individuals in possession of a valid visa that matches their status in the U.S. when the bans went into effect may continue to travel and reenter the U.S. on the visa.
Expansion of travel ban to additional countries effective January 1, 2026
On December 16, 2025 the White House issued a Proclamation and accompanying "Fact Sheet" expanding the lists of designated countries subject to a full or partial travel ban. Detailed information regarding the provisions of the Proclamation can be found on the OVIS website. OVIS will continue to monitor this situation and provide updates as they become available.
There are 19 countries that will now be subject to a full ban suspending entry to the U.S. for both immigrants and nonimmigrants who are citizens of those countries. The countries are: Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Burma, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Laos, Libya, Mali, Niger, Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. The full ban also applies to indivudals traveling on documents issued or endorsed by the Palestinian Authority.
There are 20 countries that will now be subject to a partial ban that suspends entry for citizens seeking to come to the U.S. on a B-1, B‑2, B-1/B-2, F, M, or J visa. The countries are: Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Burundi, Cote d'Ivoire, Cuba, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, NIgeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Turkmenistan*, Venezuela, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
VISA APPOINTMENTS AT U.S. EMBASSIES AND CONSULATES
Administrative Processing of F, J and H-1B/H-4 visa applicants for social media vetting
On June 18, 2025 the Department of State announced expanded screening and vetting of F and J visa applicants. It is important to note that in carrying out the agency's policy, consular officers are instructing visa applicants to adjust privacy settings on all social media accounts to "public".
According to a December 3, 2025 agency announcement, beginning December 15, 2025 the U.S. Department of State expanded its social media screening review to include H-1B visa applicants and their H-4 dependents. Following the December 3 announcement, a number of U.S. consulates began cancelling and rescheduling visa appointments for later in 2026. Consular posts are citing the new online presence review requirement as the reason for the appointment cancellations.
F-1 students, J-1 exchange visitors, and H-1B employees and their H-4 dependents who are planning international travel and need to apply for a new visa or renew an expiring/expired visa should factor in the additional time it will take to complete the visa application process and schedule visa appointments for as early in your time at home as possible. H-1B and H-4 applicants should be prepared for the possibility that their appointment may be rescheduled for a later date, possibly several months into the future.
Proclamation 10043 and Chinese travelers
Proclamation 10043 was introduced in May 2020 and is still in effect. The Proclamation calls for the denial of an F or J visa to a citizen of China who receives funding from or is (or was in the past) employed by, studies at, or conducts research on behalf of an entity in the PRC that implements or supports China's "military civil fusion strategy". The Proclamation does not apply to undergraduate students. While decisions about whether an individual is subject to the Proclamation are generally made by consular officials during the visa interview process, it is possible for CBP at the port of entry to refuse entry based on the Proclamation.
Change to Visa Validity Periods
In July 2025 the U.S. Department of State reduced the visa validity periods to three months and single entry in the F, J, H-1B and O categories for a number of countries. It is critical that international students, scholars, faculty and staff check the visa reciprocity table for your country of citizenship to understand the period of visa issuance.
Dept of State Policy discourages TCN (third country national) visa applications
In September 2025 the U.S. Department of State updated its instructions for visa appointment scheduling, directing applicants for nonimmigrant visas (F, J, H-1B, O-1) to apply at a U.S. Consulate in the home country, and not a third country. While the instructions do not prohibit TCN (third country national) applications, the agency warned that TCN applications will be subject to longer wait times and greater scrutiny. Since the Department of State issued these new instructions, OVIS has been made aware of reports of TCN applicants being refused appointments in third countries.
ASSESSING RISK ASSOCIATED WITH TRAVEL
What are the risks of traveling to other countries in the world? Individuals planning to travel abroad should consider any potential risks related to their destination country, and consult Dartmouth's Office of Global Risk and Security with specific questions or concerns.
Individual travelers must evaluate their own level of risk when considering travel. OVIS can provide general guidance to help assess risk, but ultimately the decision to travel is a personal one taking into account a broad range of factors and circumstances. Below are some important travel considerations:
Do you have a valid visa stamp? - For international travel, ensure you have a valid visa stamp to reenter the U.S. and be prepared to renew your visa at a U.S. Consulate abroad. If you need to apply for a new visa stamp, check the website of the U.S. Consulate where you will apply for wait times and application procedures. Make sure you have time to obtain the visa before you need to be back at Dartmouth, including understanding the risk of potential administrative processing delays.
Are your electronic devices secure? U.S. Customs and Border Protection claims broad authority to search electronic devices at the U.S. border and international airports. Dartmouth ITC provides guidance for international travel and for practicing good digital hygiene.
Do you have consistent documentation? The documents submitted to U.S. government agencies should be the same as documents used for other purposes. If you submit one version of a resume or CV to the consulate for your visa interview, and there is a different version of the resume on your computer, CBP could question the discrepancy. A resume submitted to the consulate should match other resumes and social media profiles. If there are different versions be sure to note the difference, such as "reduced to fit file size limit - complete resume available upon request".
TRAVEL IN THE U.S.
Domestic travel and the 100-Mile Border Zone – U.S. Customs and Border Protection has the authority to carry out random enforcement actions, including highway checkpoints and inspections on buses, in areas within 100 miles of the U.S. border. More information about the 100-mile border zone can be found on the ACLU website.
KNOW YOUR RIGHTS
Members of our international and immigrant communities should know your rights when you travel domestically or when entering the U.S.
Have a designated contact/plan – As you prepare for travel, you can consider designating someone to have access to copies of your documents and contact information for a family member, and for individuals working with outside immigration counsel, your immigration attorney. Share your travel information with that designated individual, as well as your family and attorney (if applicable), in advance.
Understand your rights
- Know Your Rights: Red Cards
- Know Your Rights: At the Airport
- Know Your Rights: If Arrested or Detained
- If you are detained by immigration or other law enforcement officials:
- Do not make false or inaccurate statements or provide false documents
- Call a family member and/or your attorney if you have one
- Call Dartmouth Department of Safety and Security: 603-646-4000
- If you are detained by immigration or other law enforcement officials:
Additional resources for F-1 students and travel
- Study in the States:
- ICE F-1 Student Travel FAQs - https://www.ice.gov/sevis/travel
If you have questions about upcoming domestic or international travel, please reach out to OVIS or schedule an appointment with your OVIS advisor.
OVIS Travel Checklist
Please refer to the OVIS Travel Checklist for information about international travel.