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Returning Home

Information about Returning Home

For international students studying in the United States, the time at which they will be returning home will depend on a number of factors, but mostly the agreements that were made with US immigration services will determine that date. Students will want to consider planning out their entire academic and post academic career prior to applying to a college or university in the United States so that they can apply for the proper authorization to take temporary residence in this country.

Visas Determine the Length of Stay

When international students apply to US Consulate or Embassy in their home country, they must decide upon the type of visa that they wish to apply for. The type of visa determines the length of time that they student is allowed to live in the United States. The two types of visas that are awarded to foreign nationals who are coming to the US to study are “F” and “M” category visas. The “F” category is for students who are undertaking degree studies or language programs, and the “M” category is for students pursuing vocational studies, or non-degree related courses.

Changing the Date of Returning Home

If students are scheduled to be returning home according to the requirements of their US student visas, they may apply for an extension. In order to get authorization to remain in the US longer than the length of time approved in the original visa, students must complete an I-20 form and submit it to the school. This applies only to students holding the M-1 visa because this form only allows for one extension of up to 2 years. Students that hold an F-1 visa may continue to apply for multiple extensions that would allow them to stay in the United States for an indefinite period of time as long as they are meeting the eligibility requirements for F-1 status.

Leaving and Reentering the United States

Some students may be returning home briefly for various reasons and may need to reenter the United States in order to continue with their studies. In these cases students will get a new I-94 card which will reset the original time limit of stay that was issued on the original I-94 card the first time that they applied for the visa to enter the United States. These guidelines, of course, only apply to students who are in countries that require visas for authorization to enter the United States.

Visa Exempt International Students

The United States does not require that students from some countries obtain visas before coming to the United States. These visa exempt countries include Canada and Bermuda. Therefore in these cases, students are free to go about returning home and reentering to the United States for study without the lengthy documentation process required for those students who need to obtain the F-1 or M-1 visas. International students can find out if their country of origin requires a visa to be issued for entry into the United States by contacting the US Consulate or Embassy in their home country.