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Travelling to Mexico with an expiring J1 Visa
Hello everyone,
I have been studying at Vanderbilt on a J1 Visa with a DS2019 form valid from 08/31 through to 05/31. My programme commitments have ended and I am making the most of my last month to do some travelling, including a trip to Mexico City from 05/12 to 05/16, before finally leaving the US permenantly on 05/27. I recently went to the International Student Office at Vanderbilt to acquire a travel signature for my Mexico trip, although I was not given one because the officer said that my programme end date was listed as 05/12 - before my date of return to the US. This struck me as strange, given the date on my DS2019, and given that all other correspondence I have received lists my programme end date as 05/31. The officer assured me that I would not have any problems at the border in any case, and that I could re-enter the country using my ESTA, which is currently valid.
I have since been doing some googling and am feeling confused. From what I have read, my ESTA cannot be used while I have a valid visa. I have also read that the rules are different for contiguous territories and the DS2019 form suggests that a signature is not even required for travel to Mexico or Canada, although most websites advise getting a signature anyway. I don't want to have any problems at the border and was hoping for some advice on what to do.
Any help is much appreciated!
Michael
I have been studying at Vanderbilt on a J1 Visa with a DS2019 form valid from 08/31 through to 05/31. My programme commitments have ended and I am making the most of my last month to do some travelling, including a trip to Mexico City from 05/12 to 05/16, before finally leaving the US permenantly on 05/27. I recently went to the International Student Office at Vanderbilt to acquire a travel signature for my Mexico trip, although I was not given one because the officer said that my programme end date was listed as 05/12 - before my date of return to the US. This struck me as strange, given the date on my DS2019, and given that all other correspondence I have received lists my programme end date as 05/31. The officer assured me that I would not have any problems at the border in any case, and that I could re-enter the country using my ESTA, which is currently valid.
I have since been doing some googling and am feeling confused. From what I have read, my ESTA cannot be used while I have a valid visa. I have also read that the rules are different for contiguous territories and the DS2019 form suggests that a signature is not even required for travel to Mexico or Canada, although most websites advise getting a signature anyway. I don't want to have any problems at the border and was hoping for some advice on what to do.
Any help is much appreciated!
Michael
