I have finished my first year of study in F-1 status and I would like to transfer to another university. However, I just found out that I have to travel …

… to my home country urgently for a couple of weeks. Will I be able to come back to start attending the new school? Are there any timing issues of the transfer process?

Answer

If you travel before your SEVIS record is transferred to the new school, you should travel with an I-20 issued by your current school and signed by your DSO for travel. If your record is transferred to the new school before your travel date or while you are outside of the U.S., you should return with an I-20 issued by the new school. Because the release of the SEVIS record determines which school’s I-20 you should travel with, it is better to travel either before or after the new school has access to your SEVIS record. If your SEVIS record must be transferred in your absence, you need to arrange with the new DSO to send you the new school’s I-20 to your address abroad. (19.Feb.2016)

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