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Undergraduate international travel policy.

All undergraduate students from Columbia College, Columbia Engineering and the School of General Studies participating in international travel that is Columbia-Led, Columbia Facilitated and/or Recognized International Travel, are required to request School Sponsorship.   

Barnard and graduate students participating in international travel and/or recognized student group travel that is administered or funded in whole or part by Columbia College, Columbia Engineering and the School of General Studies, are also required to request School Sponsorship.

Begin your School Sponsorship application by clicking the Login button to log in with your UNI and password.

If you have questions, you can read more about the policy or contact [email protected] .

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• Re-entering the U.S.

Travel within the U.S.

Travel to a third country, applying for a new us visa.

• International Visitors: Invitation Letter

F-1 students in lawful status and in good academic standing are eligible to return to the United States following a temporary absence abroad in order to continue full-time studies at Teachers College.

Basic Documents Required for Re-Entry to U.S.

In general, you will need the following documents in order to return to the United States

• an  unexpired passport  valid at least six months into the future
• an  unexpired F-1 student visa  valid for multiple or further entries (exception: Canadian citizens are not required to have entry visas);
• an  unexpired I-20 from Teachers College  with a re-entry endorsement (travel signature) signed by the Office of International Students and Scholars (OISS) on page 2. While a travel signature is valid for up to one year, the OISS recommends obtaining a signature in the most recent semester prior to your trip. However, you do not need a travel signature for every trip you plan to take - a travel signature is valid for multiple trips, provided you have the above documents.
• (recommended)  proof of enrollment  and  financial ability   

Upon return to the United States, you will receive a new I-94 record which should include a notation of "F-1 D/S": this indicates that you are being allowed to re-enter the country as an F-1 student for "duration of status," i.e., for the period of time that you are a full-time student, as indicated on your I-20. You will be able to locate your most recent I-94 record by visiting the Department of Homeland Security website  here .  If you have difficulty locating your I-94 record or if you see any errors in information, contact the Office of International Students and Scholars immediately upon your return.

How to Obtain a Travel Signature from the OISS

If you are in need of a travel signature, you can submit a Travel Signature Request via TC-Compass . Once processed, your updated Form I-20, reflecting the travel signature, will be emailed to you. 

*Note that as of November 1, 2021, Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) published new guidance which allow schools to electronically sign a Form I-20, scan and email or electronically transmit the Form  I - 20 to the student. 

Re-entry after short-term travel (less than 30 days) directly to Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean

If you are taking a short-term trip (less than 30 days) to one of these destinations and will return to the United States directly, you may return on the basis of an expired visa. Your F-1 visa does not need to be valid in order for you to be eligible to return. However, you must still have a valid passport, an expired or unexpired U.S. visa, your unexpired I-20 with a travel signature, and if you were issued a paper version I-94--your I-94 card when you leave the U.S. and have it readily available for re-entry in the country. 

• Exception : If you go to Canada, Mexico, or the adjacent islands of the Caribbean for the express purpose of applying for a new F-1 visa, your visa application must be successful. If it is rejected for any reason, you are not eligible to return to the United States. You must go to your home country and apply for a visa at a U.S. consulate there.

Departure from the U.S. for more than 5 months

If you intend to depart the United States for an extended period of time, please notify the OISS. Your F-1 status may be terminated if:

• You are not registered as a full-time student during any autumn or spring semester
• You are outside of the United States for five months or more for non-academic reasons (personal / family leave, non-academic employment)

Students who will be outside of the United States for an extended period of time for the specific purpose of engaging in data collection, fieldwork, and research-related reasons may retain F-1 student status but must maintain full-time registration during the autumn and spring semesters. Registration during the summer is not required.

*Note: Due to the impact of COVID-19, “if an active F student leaves the United States to complete the spring term online, their SEVIS record should remain in Active status and not be terminated. While the  temporary  measures related to COVID-19 are in place, students are deemed to be maintaining status if they are making normal progress in their course of study. For that reason, the five-month  temporary   absence  provision addressed in 8 C.F.R. 214.2(f)(4) will not apply for students who remain in Active status...” 

Students on Post-Completion Optional Practical Training (OPT)

If you have an un-expired EAD (Employment Authorization) card for post-completion optional practical training, you may be re-admitted to the US after a temporary absence (e.g., visit to your home country) to resume employment. However, you must carry the following documents:

• an  I-20 from Teachers College  with a  recommendation for Optional Practical  Training printed on page 2; the I-20 must also have a valid travel signature no more than  six months old  from the Office of International Students and Scholars
• evidence of  employment authorization , in the form of your Employment Authorization (EAD) card; if your application is still pending, you should carry your I-797 Receipt Notice
• proof (such as a job offer letter, contract, paystub) that you have secured  relevant practical training / employment  in your field of study

F-2 Family Members

Entry into a third country.

Whenever you wish to leave the U.S. temporarily for a trip abroad, check with the consulate of the country you intend to visit regarding entrance requirements. You may need to apply for a visa to enter that country. Note that most consulates will not issue you an entry visa if your US visa has expired and/or your I-20 has not been endorsed for re-entry to the United States.

If you will be traveling within the United States, it is not necessary to bring all of your immigration documents. However, you should bring the following:

• Government-issued photo ID:  If you have a valid driver’s license or state ID, you can bring this.  If not, you should bring your passport.
• (recommended) Copies of your other immigration documents (passport, visa, I-94 card, I-20/DS-2019). 

Whenever you wish to leave the U.S. temporarily for a trip abroad, check with the consulate of the country you intend to visit regarding entrance requirements. You may need to apply for a visa to enter that country. Note that most consulates will not issue you an entry visa if your US visa has expired and/or your I-20 or DS-2019 has not been endorsed for re-entry to the United States.

U.S. entry visas are only issued at U.S. consulates outside of the United States and are only necessary for the purpose of entering/re-entering the United States. You do not need a valid F-1/J-1 visa to stay in the U.S. as an F-1/J-1 student, but you do need a valid visa to return to the U.S. as an F-1/J-1 student (exception: see information about travel to Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean above), whether to continue studies and/or post-completion Academic Training/OPT. If your visa has or will expire, and if you plan to travel, you may need to apply for a new F-1/J-1 visa at a U.S. consulate prior to returning (note: Canadian citizens are not required to have entry visas). Plan carefully, as waiting times and application procedures may be lengthy. In general, you will need the following in order to obtain a new F-1/J-1 visa: 1)    An unexpired passport valid at least six months into the future 2)    An unexpired I-20/DS-2019 from Teachers College with a re-entry endorsement (travel signature) signed by the Office of International Students and Scholars 3)    Recent financial documents (bank letters, scholarship letters, etc.) showing that you have continued access to financial resources to support your education 4)    Evidence of continued full-time enrollment at TC, such as your course registration or transcript 5)    Evidence of the  SEVIS I-901  fee, if necessary 

Useful Web Sites for Applying for a New US Visa

•     Visa application information •     US consular web sites •     I-901 SEVIS fee information •     Waiting times for visa appointments

International Visitors Applying for a Visitor Visa

Are you a TC student on an F-1 or J-1 student visa inviting your friends and family to visit you temporarily? You do NOT need any letter or document from the OISS to invite a family member as a B-1 or B-2 visitor. If you wish to invite family members, other than your F-2 spouse or child, to visit the United States for a short time on a visitor visa, you may provide them with the following in support of their visa application:

• A personal invitation letter , which should include your name, school, relationship to the applicant, name of applicant, applicant’s place and date of birth, dates expected to visit the United States, duration of visit, preferred arrival date, whether you will provide financial support for the applicant’s visit (or how the applicant will cover their expenses while in the US) and the applicant's intent to depart the US after the visit. Here is a Sample Invitation Letter for Family
• Teachers College  enrollment verification
• Copies of your  I-20 or DS-2019, visa stamp, and  I-94 record .
• Copies of your  proof of financial support , such as bank statements, scholarship letters, and/or personal bank statements if you stated that you would provide financial support for the applicant during his/her stay in the US.

Note that an individual applying for a visitor visa should follow the directions of the US embassy or consulate for information regarding their visa application. Individuals on a B-1 or B-2 status is admitted to the US for a temporary   period and should be mindful of their duration of status indicated on their documents.

Office of International Students and Scholars (OISS)

Address: 186 Grace Dodge Hall

Box: 007 Phone: 212-678-3939 Email: tcintl@tc.columbia.edu

Hours of Operation Monday - Friday: 9am - 5pm     Summer Hours (late May- late August) Monday - Thursday: 9am - 5pm    Friday: 9am - 1pm *The OISS is closed on weekends and most national holidays.*

GOP Speaker Johnson demands Columbia president resign, hints at using National Guard

Columbia's protests over the israel-hamas war come amid escalating tensions at college campuses nationwide this week, including nyu and yale, by nbc new york staff • published april 24, 2024 • updated on april 24, 2024 at 10:03 pm, what to know.

• Pro-Palestinian groups are protesting at colleges and universities across America, an outgrowth of a demonstration that yielded dozens of arrests at Columbia University last week
• Tensions have only escalated in the weeks since, with the NYPD called to assist in clearing protesters at Columbia and NYU; no serious injuries have been reported
• The groups are against Israeli military action in Gaza; they want the schools to divest from companies that help arm the country

Student protesters at Columbia University have committed to dismantling and removing a significant number of tents from the West Lawn, university officials said Wednesday, citing "important progress" in negotiations overnight.

The development comes hours after Columbia University President Minouche Shafik , facing mounting calls to resign over the burgeoning crisis, issued students a midnight deadline to come up with a plan to disperse the encampment.

24/7 New York news stream: Watch NBC 4 free wherever you are

In a middle-of-the-night update, a Columbia University spokesperson said student representatives of the protesters had agreed to a number of other conditions, including ensuring only affiliated students participate in the protest -- a move designed to oust purported "outsiders" that some, including Shafik and Mayor Eric Adams, blame for the escalation.

Among other concessions: Students in the encampment will comply with all FDNY requirements regarding activities and safety; and protesters have taken steps to make the encampment welcome to all and have prohibited discriminatory or harassing language.

Specifics on how these objectives would be met weren't immediately described, nor was it known if Columbia yielded to protesters' demands to any degree. Students have demanded Columbia divest from companies with links to Israel … and guarantee amnesty for students that have been suspended.

Get Tri-state area news delivered to your inbox. Sign up for NBC New York's News Headlines newsletter.

University officials called the latest discussions "constructive" and said the dialogue would continue. They expect to provide further updates in the next two days.

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“I very much hope these discussions are successful. If they are not, we will have to consider alternative options for clearing the West Lawn and restoring calm to campus so that students can complete the term and graduate," Shafik stated in a letter with the school community.

The negotiation push arrived the night before U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson's trip to Columbia to visit with Jewish students and address antisemitism on college campuses. During his visit to the campus Wednesday, Johnson, a Republican, called on Shafik to resign "if she cannot immediately bring order to this chaos."

“If this is not contained quickly and if these threats and intimidation are not stopped, there is an appropriate time for the National Guard,” he said.

"As Speaker of the House, I am committing today that the Congress will not be silent as Jewish students are expected to run for their lives and stay home from their classes hiding and fear," Johnson told the crowd.

"Amid anti-Israel protests, Jewish students at Columbia University don't feel safe," Johnson posted Tuesday on X . "It’s become so dangerous that students were forced out of the classroom. Let’s be clear: these are not peaceful protests, these are antisemitic mobs."

On Wednesday evening, a Columbia spokesperson said rumors that the university had threatened to bring in the National Guard were unfounded. “Our focus is to restore order, and if we can get there through dialogue, we will,” said Ben Chang, Columbia’s vice president for communications.

Hours before the Speaker arrived at the school, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul delivered a preemptive strike against Johnson, accusing him of politicizing the conflict.

"A Speaker worth the title should really be trying to heal people, not to divide them," she said.

The encampment — which was noticeably smaller by Wednesday evening, with about 60 tents remaining — has occupied the school's West Lawn for the better part of the last four days, according to the university. There were additional protests outside the gates of the Ivy League school as well.

A pro-Palestinian student organization is asking Columbia to guarantee the safety of demonstrators inside campus by not bringing in the NYPD. Some faculty members also questioned the school’s hardline stance to remove protestors last week with the help of police.

"Within 24 hours just to call the NYPD, which is something that has a lot history and baggage, I thought it was totally disproportionate," said Barnard College Adjunct Professor Elga Castro.

Other members of the Columbia community have called for a censure vote against Shafik.

Police first tried to clear the encampment at Columbia last week, when they arrested more than 100 protesters. The move backfired, acting as an inspiration for other students across the country to set up similar encampments and motivating protesters at Columbia to regroup.

Following protests over the Israel-Hamas war on campus, the school made the decision to run classes on a hybrid basis through the remainder of the term . The action came a day after the school went remote for a day . Monday is the final day of classes, and exams should wrap up by the end of next week.

More than 100 protesters were arrested at New York University earlier this week as more colleges nationwide, including Yale, are seeing protests.

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Masked anti-Israel protesters at Columbia University demonstrate as students check in for first day of classes

At least 2 arrested, statue vandalized with red paint at columbia university.

Anti-Israel protesters rage at Columbia University as classes begin

Fox News' Alexis McAdams reports the latest on the demonstrations from New York City.

Masked anti-Israel protesters are demonstrating on Tuesday outside of one of the entrances to Columbia University, chanting, "Free Palestine!" and holding signs urging the Ivy League school to "divest from death" as students are trying to get to their first day of classes. 

The demonstrations come after a series of protests rocked the New York City -based university this past spring, which generated worldwide media attention and more than 100 arrests. The anti-Israel activity also comes just days after Hamas killed six hostages, including 23-year-old Israeli American Hersh Goldberg-Polin. Hamas had been holding them captive – and continues to hold nearly 100 others – since they carried out terror attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

At least one protester was captured on video being arrested on Tuesday while other demonstrators were observed pushing barricades and getting into a scuffle. A second male individual was then taken into custody outside Barnard College, which is across the street from Columbia.

The demonstrations began as peaceful, with protesters walking around in a circle on a sidewalk near one of Columbia’s entrances in Upper Manhattan. 

HAMAS TERRORISTS RELEASE FOOTAGE OF SIX SLAIN HOSTAGES, PROMISE TO SHARE ‘LAST MESSAGES’  

An anti-Israel protester is seen being arrested near Columbia University on Tuesday, Sept. 3. (Fox News)

"We refuse to live in a world where the mass murder of Palestinians is normal, acceptable, and profitable. Columbia University is complicit in genocide," the group Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine wrote on X. "Their investments in weapons manufacturers & defense contractors, companies such as Lockheed Martin, are fueling the genocide."

Anti-Israel protesters demonstrate outside Columbia University on Tuesday, Sep. 3, 2024 in New York City. (AP/Yuki Iwamura)

"As we begin our new semester, students in Gaza have no universities to return to. Instead of listening to the student body, Columbia University is doubling down. We will not stop and we will not rest until Columbia divests from apartheid and genocide," it added. "This is just the beginning." 

The "Alma Mater" statue at Columbia University, located outside the Ivy League school's Low Library, is seen covered with red paint on Tuesday, Sept. 3. (WNYW)

Columbia University did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.  

One protester was seen carrying a sign that said "Long live Hind's Hall." In late April, an anti-Israel mob broke into and occupied Hamilton Hall on Columbia University's campus. The group then placed a banner over the facility, renaming it "Hind’s Hall," apparently after Hind Rajab, a 6-year-old who died during Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza.

BIDEN CLAIMS NETANYAHU NOT DOING ENOUGH TO SECURE DEAL WITH TERRORISTS  

The demonstrations on Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024 come following protests that happened in the spring semester that resulted in the occupation of a building and more than 100 arrests at Columbia University. (AP/Yuki Iwamura)

One student at the scene told Fox News reporter Alexis McAdams that "we are here because there is still an ongoing genocide that the United States is materially and politically responsible for." 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP  

People are seen falling to the ground during a scuffle at Columbia University during the anti-Israel protests on Thursday, Sept. 3. (Fox News)

When asked if he thought protests would start emerging at Columbia University this semester, the student said, "We have been very clear that will not stop until Columbia has divested from its complicity in Israel’s genocide of the Palestinian people, that’s all I have to say." 

Fox News’ Sandy Ibrahim, Lawrence Richard and Alexis McAdams contributed to this report. 

Greg Norman is a reporter at Fox News Digital.

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Colombia Travel Advisory

Travel advisory january 2, 2024, colombia - level 3: reconsider travel.

Reissued with updates to the country summary.

Reconsider travel due to  crime  and  terrorism . Exercise increased caution due to civil unrest  and  kidnapping . Some areas have increased risk. Read the entire Travel Advisory.

Do Not Travel to:

• Arauca, Cauca (excluding Popayán), and Norte de Santander departments due to crime and terrorism.
• The Colombia-Venezuela border region due to crime, kidnapping, and risk of detention when crossing into Venezuela from Colombia.  

Country Summary: Violent crime, such as homicide, assault, and armed robbery, is widespread. Organized criminal activities, such as extortion, robbery, and kidnapping, are common in some areas.

Terrorist groups and criminal organizations continue operating and carrying out attacks in Colombia. They may attack with little or no warning, targeting transportation hubs, markets/shopping malls, local government facilities, police stations, military facilities, hotels, clubs, restaurants, airports, other public areas, and U.S. government facilities.

Demonstrations occur regularly throughout the country and can be about a variety of political or economic issues. They can shutdown roads and highways, often without prior notice or estimated reopening timelines. Demonstrations and road closures may significantly reduce access to public transportation and may disrupt travel within and between cities. Protests can become violent and can result in fatalities and injuries.

U.S. direct-hire government employees must adhere to the noted restrictions:

• They are not permitted to travel by road between most cities.
• Colombia’s land border areas are off-limits to U.S. government personnel unless specifically authorized.
• They may not use motorcycles.
• They may not hail street taxis or use public buses.

Read the  country information page  for additional information on travel to Colombia.

If you decide to travel to Colombia:

• Avoid protest areas and crowds.
• Monitor local media for breaking events and adjust your plans based on new information.
• Keep a low profile.
• Be aware of your surroundings.
• Enroll in the  Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP)  to receive Alerts and make it easier to locate you in an emergency.
• Follow the Department of State on  Facebook  and  Twitter
• Review the  Country Security Report  for Colombia.
• Prepare a contingency plan for emergency situations. Review the  Traveler’s Checklist .

Arauca, Cauca, and Norte de Santander Departments – Level 4: Do Not Travel

Violent crime, including armed robbery and homicide, is widespread. Terrorist groups are active in some parts.

The U.S. government has limited ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens as U.S. government-personnel travel to these areas is severely restricted due to security concerns.

Colombia - Venezuela Border – Level 4: Do Not Travel

U.S. citizens are advised not to travel to the border of Colombia and Venezuela. U.S. citizens are at risk of detention when crossing into Venezuela.

The Colombia-Venezuela border is not clearly marked, and U.S. citizens should not go near the border due to the risk of crossing into Venezuela accidentally.

U.S. citizens attempting to enter Venezuela without a visa have been charged with terrorism and other serious crimes and detained for long periods. For more information, see the Venezuela Travel Advisory.

Visit our website for  Travel to High-Risk Areas .

Travel Advisory Levels

Assistance for u.s. citizens, colombia map, search travel advisories, external link.

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