Lost or Stolen Documents                                                                                                                                                                                

If you have lost any of your immigration documents (passport, I-20, I-94, EAD card), you should immediately take action to find out how they can be replaced.

If you have lost your passport, and are from Mexico, you can easily go to the Mexican Consulate in downtown El Paso at 910 E. San Antonio Ave., El Paso, TX 79901. Students from other countries will need to locate the nearest embassy from their country and contact that embassy for instructions.

If a visa is lost, it’s usually with the loss of a passport, as the visas are attached to a passport page by strong adhesive. In order to replace a visa, you would need to exit the U.S. and request a new visa at a U.S. Consulate or Embassy. Before making such a trip, you should speak to an international student advisor and be aware of the risk involved in the case a new visa is not issued. It is not necessary to get a new visa to remain in the U.S., but you can’t leave and re-enter without one.

If you have lost your I-20, or it has been stolen, you must make a police report with the authorities that have control of the area where the document was lost. For example, if it was lost on the UTEP campus, you would report it to the Office of International Programs. The OIP would then contact the UTEP Police Department, request a report number, and fax the report to UTEP Police. If you lost your I-20 in El Paso but off-campus, you must report the incident with the El Paso Police Department. If your I-20 was lost or stolen in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico, the report must be made with the police officials in Ciudad Juarez.

A new I-20 may be printed only after you have submitted a copy of the corresponding report and an I-20 Request Form to the Office of International Programs. This is for your protection, in case someone else tries to use your documents later, so you can prove when you no longer had them.

Office of International Programs
203 Union East Bldg * (915) 747-5664 * oip@utep.edu * Hours: Monday-Tuesday 8-6 Wednesday-Friday 8-5
Monday-Friday 8-5 when classes are not in session.