 |
Traveling in the US
One of the purposes of these exchange programs is to allow you to travel this great country and see all its big cities, small towns and national parks and seeing parts of America that most tourists miss.
|
You may travel to any part of the USA. However, if you plan to travel outside the USA, you must be aware of a few requirements. If you do plan to travel outside the US you MUST:
|
|
1. |
First, check that your visa is a 'Multiple Entry' visa, indicated with an M under 'Entries'. Multiple entry allows you to enter the US as many times as you want until the expiration date of the visa. 'S' indicates single entry; you may only enter the US once and if you leave you will not be allowed to re-enter.
|
|
2. |
Second, check the expiration date of your visa. You cannot enter the US after this date.
|
|
3. |
Third, find out if you need 'Travel Authorization' (the YMCA must sign the lower right corner of your DS-2019). If you don't receive Travel Authorization, you may have significant difficulty re-entering the US and you may even be denied entry to the US. That puts a serious damper on your travel plans!! See below.
|
Do I need Travel Authorization?
Any travel outside of the
United States requires Travel Authorization regardless of how long the trip is. If you are returning to your home country for 3 days for a wedding, you must have the form signed. If you are traveling to
Canada for the weekend, you must have the form signed.
|
To obtain Travel Authorization, send a letter to International YMCA, 2nd Floor, 5 West 63rd Street, New York, NY 10023 indicating when you are traveling and where you are going. Please include contact details such as your address, telephone number and an email should we need to contact you.
Send this letter and the original DS-2019 to the above address at least 15 days before your planned departure. Please send a self-addressed envelope for us to return your DS-2019 form. For tracking purpose, we advise that you use FedEx, Express Mail or another agent that provides package-tracking options.
|
|
