Me and my wife just had a newborn, I’m planning a short trip back to India this year or early next year to see family, but according to the news I might face issues coming back?!
What exactly do I need to watch out for?
Anyone here traveled recently while working? Should I be nervous? 
Congratulations on the baby! Back to the question, I guess it depends on what visa status you are on. If you are on OPT, it might not be the best time to travel, but regular F1 status should be fine. If you are using day 1 CPT, as I see many people are in this forum, don’t travel while the semester is on. Only travel during breaks and get permissions from the school. If you are on h1b, should also be fine for the most part. My friend just traveled back from Inida and she is on F1. She went back to renew her visa stamp. it took longer than expected, which caused some problem with employer (she is on day 1 cpt), but she got back two weeks ago fine.
Thanks Ruby, heard lots of the cases previously. Technically we are able to travel in between semesters, just dunno the current situation if students will be forbided to enter for no concrete reasons.
Congrats on the baby! I totally get the stress around traveling right now — I’ve been seeing a lot of posts about increased scrutiny at airports and visa stamping delays, especially for F1 and H1B holders.
From what I’ve heard:
• If your visa is expired and you need stamping, be prepared for longer wait times in India
• Even with valid visas, some people are facing secondary inspections at U.S. entry — especially if they’ve had CPT or job changes
• Having a full set of documents (I-20, employment letters, pay stubs, etc.) helps a lot
That said, a lot of people are still traveling without issues — just depends on your specific situation. If your visa is still valid and you’re maintaining status, it’s usually okay, but I’d still talk to your DSO or an immigration lawyer just to be safe.