What is the difference between your visa and status?
Take a moment to review the ISSS Immigration Documents webpage to learn more about different immigration documents and their importance.
Your student visa, the stamp in your passport, is different than your F-1 visa status which is defined by your I-20, I-94, and F-1 program of study at CU Boulder.
Status, is the legal category under which an international visitor is admitted to the U.S. Most international students studying at CU Boulder hold F-1 status with an end date on the I-94 of D/S, which means Duration of Status.
Your student visa (the stamp in your passport) is allowed to expire while you are in the U.S. as long as you are maintaining your F-1 status by following the F-1 regulations within your I-20 program start and end date. If you travel internationally, you need to have a valid student visa when you request admission to the U.S. at a U.S. port of entry. Without a valid student visa, you will not be readmitted to the U.S. as a student in F-1 status.
- Read more about the difference between a visa and status on the Department of Homeland Security website.
If you plan to travel internationally after the visa stamp in your passport expires, you will need to apply for a new F-1 student visa at a U.S. embassy or consulate abroad, preferably in your home country. Even if you are approved for the visa interview waiver, you still must apply for the student visa from outside of the U.S.
- You must be physically present in the jurisdiction of the U.S. consulate or embassy that will be issuing the student visa when you apply for the visa.
- Citizens of Canada are exempt from the visa requirement.
Review the following resource for information related to visa renewal: