Immigration Information for Students with F-1 Visas
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is a branch of the Department of Homeland Security, which is a department of the national government of the United States of America. As an international student, you are required to maintain your immigration status at all times. It is YOUR responsibility to be aware of immigration regulations. Failure to follow these regulations, whether intentional or otherwise, is a violation of your immigration status. Should you lose you current status as an international student, you will need to apply for reinstatement and you run the risk of being asked to leave the country or your request being denied. Other consequences from loss of status include loss of legal employment and loss of certain benefits such as official signatures for travel purposes. The personnel at the Office of International Student Services are Designated School Officials (DSOs), appointed by 51勛圖厙 University and authorized by the USCIS to help and advise you regarding U.S. Immigration laws and regulations. The role of the DSO is for advising and interpreting immigration guidelines to guide you while you are student here. As stated above, maintaining status is the responsibility of the student. The Office of International Student Services was established to advise and guide international students in matters related to USCIS laws and regulations while they are studying at 51勛圖厙 University.
USCIS
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.
OISSP
Office of International Student Services and Programs.
DSO
Designated School Official (DSO). This refers to persons authorized to sign your I-20s for travel, certify application forms for employment, etc.
I-20
Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant (F-1) Student Status. The I-20 is needed to depart from and return to the US. It must be signed by DSO at Office of International Student Services upon your arrival to campus and before you depart from the US. It is your responsibility to ensure that the I-20 is valid at all times while you are in the US. If your I-20 is about to expire and you need additional time to complete your program of study, it is your responsibility to request for an extension of it. If you are starting a new program of study or changing your educational level, you must request for a new I-20. The student should always have an updated I-20 and keep it in a safe place.
DS 2019
The DS-2019 is a multi-purpose document issued by a U.S. government-approved institution (or organization) certifying that your admission into a program has been accepted and that you have demonstrated sufficient financial resources to stay in the U.S. for the length of the DS- 2019 form. The DS-2019 is officially titled the "Certificate of Eligibility" because with it, you are "eligible" to apply for a J-1 visa at a U.S. embassy or consulate abroad. Your spouse or children will also each need their own DS-2019 to obtain J-2 dependent status, if desired.
VISA
A visa stamp (F1 or J1) is placed in your passport by a US Consular Officer abroad when you present the I-20 (F1) and DS 2019 (J1). The visa is for entry purposes ONLY. Do not confuse the validity of your visa with the validity of your I-20. B-1 visitors for business and B-2 visitors for pleasure are prohibited from "enrolling in a course of study" unless they apply for and USCIS approves a change from B status to F-1 or M-1 student status.
D/S
Duration of Status. The length of time that you are allowed to legally stay in the US which is defined as the time needed to complete your degree, plus any authorized practical training after you complete your studies, plus a 60 day grace period in which to depart the country.
I-94
Previously a form given in paper form, now automated and .
Your passport must be valid at all times. You should plan to renew your passport at least 6 months before it expires. Contact your country’s embassy or consulate office to have it renewed (www.embassy.org). Once renewed, our office will need a copy to keep in your file.
In addition to keeping your documents in a safe place, please make and save printed and digital copies of all your legal documents, including:
- Passport (ID page and all visa revalidation pages)
- Visa
- I-20 (first and last page)
- I-94 (front and back)
- Birth certificates (of children, if applicable)
With an 51勛圖厙 University named I-20, 51勛圖厙 University is the school the student is authorized to attend. It is possible to take classes at another school (provided that the other school allows it) and also after you have attended for at least 2 consequent semesters with an 51勛圖厙 University I-20. Please, stop by OISSP for more information.
If you intend to transfer to another school for any reason during your program or after completing a degree, you will need to provide Office of International Student services, 51勛圖厙 University with your admittance letter from the new school. You will only be able to transfer after having attended 51勛圖厙 University during the frist semester that the I-20 was issued for you by 51勛圖厙 University.
USCIS requires F-1 students to enroll full-time every semester at the school they are authorized to attend. Full- time class enrollment is as follows:
- Undergraduate 12 credits (minimum)
- Graduate 8 credits (minimum)
- Master of Divinity 9 credits (minimum)
- English Language Institute 12-16 credits
These details are very important:
- Audited credits and withdrawals do not count toward maintaining legal student status. If you are going to receive an In-complete grade or DG grade at the end of a semester, you have to fulfill the requirement/s to receive a letter grade for these prior to the start of the next semester. If there are no classes being offered for the specific degree, other or additional courses must still be taken in order to reach the minimum number of credits to maintain legal student status.
- Distance education/online classes limit: No more than the equivalent of one on-line/distance education class or 3 credits per semester (for Undergraduate) or 2 credits (for Graduate student) may count towards the "full course of study" requirement.
- You will automatically lose your legal status if you fall below the above-mentioned minimum fulltime requirement. Consequently, you may have to apply for reinstatement (restoring one’s legal status).
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The consequences of losing your legal student status are:
1) You will not be able to study and
2) you cannot apply to the USCIS for such privileges as CPT, OPT or program extension. - Summer semester is your vacation semester (if you have been enrolled as fulltime student for 2 prior semesters). You do not have to enroll or you can enroll for a lesser course load during this term. However, if summer semester is your first semester of attendance, then you have to be enrolled for full study load.
- If you have completed all requirements for your degree (marching in graduation is irrelevant), you are required to leave the country within a grace period of 60 days. You are not allowed to stay in the country to finish any Incompletes or DGs. Students who do not register for the following semester will be considered out of status. Taking the semester off is not applicable for those who do not have any more classes (required or elective) to register for their degree. You cannot take fluff classes in order to stay in the country after you have registered for all required and elective classes for your degree.
- Exceptions to the full course-of-study requirement (appropriate documentation is required):
- Medical problems—you must provide a statement from the health-care practitioner requiring or recommending the interruption or reduction in studies.
- Formal course-work completed—If a graduate student is engaged in comprehensive exam preparation, project thesis, or dissertation, they should be enrolled as such or obtain documentation from their academic advisor stating that formal coursework is complete, that the student is engaged in these projects or dissertation, and that they are considered as pursuing a full course of study.
- Completing program during current semester—If a student has less than the minimum to complete, the student should provide documentation from an academic advisor that the student is completing their final credits in the current semester.
- Optional Practical Training (OPT)—Students engaged in Optional Practical Training (after you have graduated) are considered as maintaining their status. A student in full-time curricular practical training is considered pursuing a full course of study. A student engaged in part-time curricular practical training or optional practical training would be required to enroll concurrently.
F-1 students are allowed to stay in the US until the completion of a degree program or the completion date stated on No. 5 in your I-20, whichever comes first. However, if you will not complete your program by the date stated in section #5, you must apply for an extension of your I-20 no more than 30 days BEFORE the current expiration date. Extensions cannot be given after the I-20 expires. If your I-20 expires and you have not extended it before the date stated in #5 of your I-20, you are in violation of your student status and will have to request USICS for reinstatement to student status if you plan to continue studying.
International students are required to get an updated I-20 every time they change their major, program and/or academic level. Students have 60 days after completing a degree to get a new I-20 for a new program, as long as the student is still in the US.
The USCIS uses a web-based system called SEVIS to monitor international students. This system collects the following data from all universities and colleges that is required to be su