Maintaining F-1 Status

As an F-1 student, you were admitted to the U.S. for “duration of status” (D/S is found on the white I-94 card in your passport). This means you are permitted to stay in the U.S. as long as you maintain your status by fulfilling the requirements of being an F-1 student. Below is a list of government regulations you must follow in order to maintain your legal status:

• Maintain a valid passport and Form I-20 at all times, unless exempt from passport requirements.

• Attend the university that the DHS (Department of Homeland Security) has authorized you to attend.

• Complete an official immigration transfer whenever you change educational institutions. An immigration transfer must be completed within 45 days of the beginning of classes of your first semester at the new school. Please note: an immigration transfer is a totally separate process from transferring academic credit from another school. An immigration transfer is not complete until a Designated School Official signs the transfer form.

• Complete a full course of study during the fall and spring semesters (12 undergraduate, 9 graduate, and 6 doctoral hours per semesters unless otherwise defined by your department). You are not required by DHS to enroll in classes during the summer sessions; however, check with your department to see if they have any requirements for the summer. If you believe that you need to drop a course, make an appointment to see the Coordinator of International Admissions before you drop the course.

• Apply for an extension of program is if you can not complete your degree by the ending date listed on item five of your Form I-20. You can only apply for a program extension before the expiration date.

• Obtain a new Form I-20 whenever you make a change in your major, SS#, number of dependents, or degree levels. This would include changing from language studies to a bachelor’s degree, from a bachelor’s to a master’s degree, from a master’s degree to a doctorate, etc.

• Work off campus only if you have first received authorization from the Coordinator of International Students. On-campus work-study does not require authorization. It is limited to part-time (20 hours or less per week) during the fall and spring semesters. On-and off campus employment may be full-time (more than 20 hours per week) during the summer and official school breaks. When you work on-campus through work-study, you must maintain your full-time student status or your employment will become illegal.

• Request a travel endorsement on the back of your Form I-20 from the Coordinator of International Students before leaving the U.S. More time is required when requesting permission to travel during peak travel times (e.g., Christmas and summer).

• By law, you must report a change of address to DHS and the Coordinator of International Students within 10 days of the change. You should also report the change to the Registrar’s Office. This does include any room moves within the residential student dormitories.

Please stay in touch with the International Office. In order for you to successfully complete your degree, and avoid inconvenient surprises from the immigration offices, it is important to keep the lines of communication open with the International Office. Doing this will assist us in keeping you as the student up-to-date with USCIS as they continue to implement new policies and procedures. Should the International Office receive an “Alert” on your SEVIS record, we must be able to contact you immediately!