Yes, if you have maintained your status with the university. Students on approved health leave are legally allowed to travel outside the United States.

If you’ve been approved for a personal leave of absence and are not otherwise maintaining your status, you have a 15-day grace period and should make immediate plans to leave the U.S.

If you plan to return from an approved leave of absence to defend your thesis or dissertation, contact your graduate student services representative to find out the procedures and requirements.

Contact the Office of Global Learning to learn more about your visa options. You may be able to come into the United States as a tourist.

According to immigration rules, you must be registered as a student to maintain your F-1 or J-1 student status. If you take a leave of absence, you are no longer a registered student, so you must do something to maintain your status if you wish to remain in the United States.

Some options include changing your immigration status (for example, to B-2), transferring to another school for a semester (such as TC3), or going on F-1 OPT if you are a graduate student with advanced standing. Speak with an International Services advisor about your specific situation.

You may have to leave the United States, if you cannot maintain your F-1 or J-1 status.

If you are outside of the United States for more than five months while on leave, you’ll need to obtain new immigration documents (I-20 or DS-2019) from the Office of Global Learning to return to the country in F-1 or J-1 status. Speak with an International Services advisor to determine the possibility of reactivating your closed SEVIS record. You may need to verify your funding again by providing updated department letters of support and bank statements.

Before we can issue your new I-20 or DS-2019, you will also need to contact the advising office in your college, professional school, or graduate program to obtain permission to return.

You should contact your college, professional school, or graduate program to obtain permission to return to full registration after a leave of absence.

• If you are an undergraduate, contact your college advising office and inform them of your plan to return.
• If you are a graduate or professional student, contact your department and your graduate student services representative or the advising office of your professional school.

It might. To be eligible for F-1 OPT after you graduate, you need to be enrolled for a full academic year. After a leave of absence, time counted toward the full academic year starts over again at the time you return to full-time enrollment. If you plan to apply for OPT, you should return for no less than two full semesters as a registered student before graduating.

Be aware of the following immigration rules for a health leave of absence:

• The maximum time away from full-time registration is 12 months total. Reduced course load and leave of absence both count toward the 12-month total.
• You must have a letter from a licensed medical doctor, doctor of osteopathy, or licensed clinical psychologist recommending leave for a specific semester.
• You must have prior approval from the Office of Global Learning before dropping courses or unregistering.
• You may not work off-campus without prior authorization from the Office of Global Learning. On-campus work is a possibility. Talk with the Office of Global Learning.

These are the requirements and limitations for immigration purposes, and do not necessarily coincide with Cornell’s health leave requirements and limitations.

Off-campus work requires authorization in advance from the Office of Global Learning. It’s often possible to work on campus. Talk with the Office of Global Learning before accepting a position.

While you are on an approved health leave, you may travel in and out of the United States in F-1 status. J-1 students on a leave of absence should discuss any planned travel with an International Services immigration advisor.