When planning international travel, be aware of federal regulations, university policies and resources, best practices

From: Outreach and International Affairs, Division of Information Technology, Cranwell International Center

Whether presenting at an international symposium, visiting family abroad, or collaborating with global partners, all members of the university community are encouraged to be aware of U.S. government regulations and to follow established policies to help ensure that travel proceeds smoothly and safely. 

The university’s Global Travel Policy is designed to promote the health, safety, and security of members of the university community — employees and students — when traveling outside of the United States for university-supported purposes.  

Additionally, we have many international students and employees who may have questions about how best to prepare for personal travel outside the United States. While Virginia Tech does not regulate or track personal travel, many of the recommendations listed below apply to personal travel abroad. Please review the information below to help ensure that you are up to date on university guidance and resources.  

Preparing for university-supported global travel 

When preparing for a university-supported trip abroad, be sure to follow these steps: 

• Register your travel by submitting a pre-approval in Chrome River at least two weeks prior to departure, regardless of the funding source. Your registration notifies the offices of Global Safety and Risk Management and Export and Secure Research Compliance (OESRC), which in turn allows travelers to be placed on the Global Travel Registry, and to receive important pre-departure guidance as needed.  
• Enroll in Virginia Tech’s mandatory emergency medical and assistance insurance with Cultural Insurance Services International. 
• Consult with Environmental Health and Safety on any vaccines, medications, or travel training you may need.  
• Consult with OESRC if you are bringing or shipping university equipment, software, and/or technology beyond what is needed for communications (e.g., cell phone, tablet, laptop) to ensure export control laws are being followed.

IT security guidelines

International travel increases the risk of cyberthreats. The following steps can help protect university data and devices:

• In general, bring as few devices as possible. 
• Do not bring your primary work laptop when on personal travel.
• Enable the built-in full disk encryption option for laptops (instructions - Windows Encryption, FileVault for Macs). 
• Ensure that your mobile devices are encrypted (this is a default setting for most smartphones but can be disabled).
• Delete social media apps from your devices before traveling. 
• Turn off biometric authentication methods (face and thumbprint ID) before traveling internationally.
• Avoid public Wi-Fi if possible. If you must connect to public Wi-Fi, you can do it as safely as possible by avoiding access to banking or personal accounts, using a Virtual Private Network to encrypt your data, and logging out of accounts immediately after use.  
• Ensure that websites you visit are using secure connections (https:// in the address).
• If export control laws apply to your work, or if you work with sensitive data, consider using a loaner laptop from OESRC when traveling instead of your primary work device. To request a clean laptop, complete OESRC’s loaner laptop request form. This allows you to connect with university systems without bringing the software and files on your normal work laptop, decreasing exposure to risks when connecting to unknown Wi-Fi or internet providers. 

Additional information for visa holders

Virginia Tech is closely monitoring the national landscape on immigration and travel by international scholars and students. There have been a few widely reported cases where travelers on work visas have been denied entry to the U.S. upon return from travel outside the United States. These cases, though, are still rare. Out of the tens of thousands of international travelers entering the U.S. on any given day, there have been only a handful of incidents reported.     

For some tips specific to travel abroad for non-U.S. passport holders: 

• Employees on a work visa (H-1B, TN, O-1, etc.) should contact Global Strategic Services with any questions, and should send a copy of their new I-94 record to vtgss@vt.edu upon return.  
• International students should contact the Cranwell International Center with any questions.
• Individuals on nonimmigrant visas and permanent residents may be subjected to secondary inspection at the port of entry in the United States where their social media profiles and electronic communications could be reviewed by customs and immigration officials and further interrogations may be required. 
• Consider using OESRC’s loaner laptop program and using a temporary cellphone when you travel.  

International engagement is and will remain central to Virginia Tech’s mission. We recommend that travelers review these pages frequently as an aid in planning:

• Virginia Tech’s landing page for immigration updates, questions, and resources
• Cranwell International Center’s Immigration Updates page
• Global Safety and Risk Management page

The university will continue sharing updates as conditions evolve.