Travel to Canada or Mexico with an expired visa stamp in your passport is possible under certain conditions. This benefit is also known as Automatic Revalidation. Certain temporary visitors holding expired nonimmigrant visas who seek to return to the United States from Canada or Mexico may be admitted at a U.S. port-of-entry by a Customs and Border Protection officer if they meet certain requirements, including but not limited to the following:
- Nonimmigrants who departed the United States for brief travel to Canada, Mexico, or an adjacent island (for F and J nonimmigrants) for thirty days or less
- Nonimmigrants with a valid (unexpired) admission stamp or paper Form I-94, Arrival/Departure Record, endorsed by the Department of Homeland Security
For a list of countries currently NOT eligible for Automatic Revalidation, please visit this site.
Prior to any international travel, including to Canada or Mexico, you are strongly urged to contact your Visa and Immigration Services Advisor to review your travel plans and ensure you have the proper visa documentation. For all international travel, you must ensure that you have a properly signed and endorsed Form DS-2019 if you are a J-1 visa holder, and a top portion of your original Form I-797 if you are an H-1B visa holder. If you are an F-1 academic student, you must travel with your properly signed and endorsed Form I-20 as well as your Employment Authorization Document (EAD) card if you are on Optional Practical Training (OPT).
If you would like to check if you are required to hold a visa to enter into Canada or Mexico, please see:
To learn more about Automatic Revalidation, please visit this site.
