Travel to an area that is considered high risk, including areas experiencing military or civil conflict and/or natural disasters, should be avoided until conditions permit travel.

If travel is necessary, please review the High-Risk Travel information made available through the Brown Travel office.

Updates (March 2026):

• Read Brown's March 10, 2026 guidance on travel to the Middle East
• Please note that many U.S. consulates across the Middle East have temporarily suspended non-immigrant visa services. At this time, there is no further information about when these services will resume. Travel to these countries is not advisable, especially if you do not have a valid visa to return to the U.S.

If you are from a country under a current travel ban, you are strongly advised to reconsider travel outside the U.S., even if you may qualify for an exception to the travel restrictions. Consult an ISSS advisor prior to finalizing your travel plans.

The list of countries currently subject to a travel ban can be found on our Current Travel Restrictions page.

You must have a valid entry visa to enter the U.S. (with the exception of Canadian citizens). Do not travel if your visa is expired and you do not have sufficient time to apply for a new one. 

• Read our Renewing Your Visa page for detailed information about current visa renewal procedures and timelines.
• Keep in mind that even if you have a previously issued visa, (almost) all applicants are required to go through a visa interview. This will create potentially much longer wait times for an appointment. In addition, your visa may be placed under administrative processing for different reasons, including enhanced vetting of your social media activity.
• You must also now apply for a visa in your country of citizenship or legal residence. Applying in a third country is no longer possible.

Visa Revocation

In certain circumstances, students and scholars may discover that their visa has been revoked (canceled) and may no longer be used. Standard reasons for cancelation include a past incident involving DUI or DWI or other matters involving law enforcement, a previous violation of immigration status, or other circumstances.

• You may receive an email from the U.S. consulate that issued your original visa, telling your that your visa was revoked. The email would be sent to the address you put on your DS-160 visa application.  If you receive this type of communication, contact ISSS as soon as possible. We will review the situation and may also advise you to consult an immigration attorney.
• Even if you do not receive a visa revocation email, you can consider checking the status of your visa at the U.S. State Department's Consular Electronic Application Center. While not always fully up-to-date, the system may indicate when a visa has been revoked.

If you have prior or current interactions with U.S. law enforcement, and especially the criminal justice system, your travel risk may be significantly increased. Citations, arrests, or other interactions around certain types of issues - including marijuana / drug usage, domestic violence, alcohol-related infractions, sex-related offenses, theft or shoplifting - can generate serious immigration consequences, requiring the advice of an immigration attorney.

Social media activity is now under increased vetting and scrutiny by both consular visa officers as well as immigration inspection officer. Evidence of activity contrary to your visa (including unauthorized employment) or activity deemed “detrimental” to U.S. foreign policy interests may trigger further investigation and possible difficulties in entering the U.S. If you have concerns about your social media activity, talk to ISSS or an immigration attorney.

Along similar lines, searches of your electronic devices may occur, and can increase your travel risk if these searches uncover detrimental or unfavorable information such as unauthorized employment or other activity contrary to your visa. Read CBP's guidance on border searches of electronic devices. If traveling on University business, please also review information provided by Global Travel and OIT on traveling with technology.

Anyone who no longer holds valid immigration status for any reason generally are no longer eligible to remain in the U.S. Depending on the situation, they may be able to return at a future date, but any travel should only be undertaken after talking to ISSS and a qualified immigration attorney.

In particular, anyone who engages in unauthorized employment is at greater risk of refused entry, and should discuss their situation with an immigration attorney.

The U.S. has designated several countries under different classifications of concern.

• In general, travel to a country designated as a state sponsor of terrorism is not recommended without prior consultation ISSS and an immigration attorney. Current countries designated as state sponsors of terrorism (as of October 2025) are Cuba, North Korea, Iran and Syria.
• In addition to state sponsors of terrorism, the U.S. has designated other countries as “countries of particular concern” as well as “special watch list” countries. You can review the current list on the State Department's countries of concern web page. Unless the country has been included in a travel ban and/or has been designated as a state sponsor of terrorism, travel to and from these countries is not prohibited. However, travel may raise the risk of additional scrutiny upon arrival in the U.S.