Immigration and Travel Resources

Please visit the Travel Outside the U.S. web page for advice on overseas travel.

We are recommending that students/scholars from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen do not travel outside of the U.S. Please see an adviser at the International Students and Scholars Center for further info.

If you are an international student/scholar abroad and not able to return, your point of contact is also the International Students and Scholars Center. 

Effective March 21, 2017, the U.S. government has issued a ban on electronic devices, other than smart phones, being carried on aircrafts from various airlines that originate from the Middle East and North African countries. For more information on the restrictions and affected countries, please visit the Department of Homeland Security website. Upon returning to the United States from these locations, you will have to pack your device(s) in your checked baggage.

It is recommended that you do not travel with ASU owned property unless it is essential to your duties. However, if you do travel with ASU owned property, please ensure to encrypt all your devices. Upon returning to the United States, please pack your encrypted device(s) in your checked baggage and ensure that internet cards, USB drives, etc. are not packed in the checked baggage with your encrypted devices.

For more information, please visit the data encryption and traveling with mobile devices pages.

If you have any questions, contact the ASU Information Security Office at infosec@asu.edu or call 1-855-278-5080.

The executive order does not affect current students’/scholars' ability to travel within the United States.

We recommend that you do. If you are looking for specific advice on what documents to carry, please contact or visit the International Students and Scholars Center. Additionally, here is information on how to keep your documents valid. 

The Arizona Legal Center offers free legal consultations, advise, and guidance on immigration issues through its Immigration Services Project, which is available to anyone who has questions about immigration matters, including visas, green cards, asylum, deportation, and related matters. They are partnering with ASU's Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law to support ASU Students. Their volunteer attorneys specialize in immigration issues and are available several times throughout each month to provide advice and consultation; they also offer referrals to qualified attorneys who provide full scope and limited scope representation on the specific matters identified through the consultation process if needed. The Immigration Services Project is open to the public on a first-come-first-served basis as follows:
 

• The second Wednesday of every month from 6:30 p.m. – 9 p.m., for general immigration matters
• Every Thursday morning from 9 a.m. – 11:30 a.m., for general immigration and DACA matters

 
Appointments for specific matters can also be made by contacting the Arizona Legal Center directly.

Phone Number: 480-727-0127

Email: contact@arizonalegalcenter.org

If you are an international student/scholar abroad and not able to return, please email the International Students and Scholars Center at issc@asu.edu or call: 480-727-4776 .

By federal regulations, if a student has fulfilled all course requirements they cannot extend their stay, even if the I-20 is valid after their tentative graduation date.  However, depending on the discipline, students have 12 or 36 months of Optional Practical Training (OPT). Students should consult their academic advisors before making any changes to their enrollment.

Please work with an International Student Adviser at the International Students and Scholars Center. More information, visit the extending your I-20 or DS-2019 page.

Completion of your degree program is something that a student must work out with their academic department. The International Students and Scholars Center can help with understanding the immigration regulations with returning home but cannot set academic policy.

Applying for Optional Practical Training (OPT) is a 90-day process and students should plan ahead. For more information on applying for your OPT benefit, please visit the International Students and Scholars Center website.

Those who are dual nationals will not be affected if they travel using the passport of the country not listed on the executive order. Others that will not be affected are those that are residents or landed immigrants of Canada in addition to being a citizen of one of the countries listed in the executive order.

It is our understanding that students who were in the United States at the time the first executive order went into effect are not implicated in the new executive order. Therefore, you should be able to leave the U.S., apply for a new visa, and return to the U.S.

Additionally, the March 16 executive order states that the new executive order does not apply to those who were already in the U.S. on January 27th when the first executive order was issued.

Nothing has changed in regards to the H1B program from this executive order.  

The human resources department of that company should be able to know what their classification is and be able to provide you with that information.

Currently, the diversity lottery green card program is not being expedited. We strongly encourage you to contact Arizona members of the U.S. House of Representatives and Arizona’s U.S. Senators to advocate on your behalf.

Please visit or encourage your family members to visit the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) website, where you can find resources and international locations.

These presentations and materials are located in the Previous communications section further down this page.