Maintaining Visa Status

Maintaining Visa Status : Maintaining F-1 status

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  1. Undergraduate students must take 12 credit hours per semester and graduate students must take 9 credit hours (Teaching Assistants, Research Assistants, and Graduate Assistants - 6 credit hours). Auditing classes are not acceptable. If you have completed all your coursework, you must register sustaining.
  2. Complete a fee payment card every semester, whether you are paying your tuition or if your department is paying. Failure to do so will result in the cancellation of your registration.
  3. If it is your last semester, you only need to take the credits necessary to graduate even if it is less than a full load.
  4. Health insurance is mandatory!!
  5. If you are ill and cannot attend school, you will need to submit a letter from your doctor to the the Office of Foreign Students & Scholars (OFSS) verifying that you are unable to attend classes. You will also need to notify your department and if you are a graduate student, the Office of Graduate Studies.
  6. Other valid academic reasons for not maintaining full-time status are; initial difficulties with the English language or reading requirements, unfamiliarity with American teaching methods, or improper course level placement. Letters proving these reasons must be given to OFSS. You could obtain a letter from your professor recommending that you withdraw from your class due to difficulty with the American school system or not having the proper academic background to be in the class. Academic Advising is also another office that may recommend taking reduced course load. If you are having problems with the English language, you may take a reduced load of regular classes as well as language classes at the English Language Institute upon Foreign Student Advisor's approval. In the case of graduate students, you will need additional approval from the Office of Graduate Studies. In all cases, you will need to fill out a Request for Reduced Enrollment Form.
  7. If you withdraw from a class and it takes you below 9 or 12 credit hours, you will be out of F-1 status. If you completely withdraw from a semester, you will be out of status. In order to regain status, you might need to reinstate.
  8. Classes you audit are not counted towards full-time status. You will need to take 9 or 12 credit hours in addition to classes you audit to be considered a full-time student.
  9. Keep your passport and I-20 valid at all times. If you have lost your I-20, I-94 or your passport, you will need to notify the OFSS as soon as possible. Additionally, if you have lost your passport, you will also need to contact your embassy/consulate on how to obtain a new passport.
  10. As long as your I-20 is current it is not a problem if your visa in your passport expires while in the U.S. Visas need only be valid when student enters the U.S. Once the student leaves the U.S. a new visa will be required and can only be obtained at a U.S. consulate outside the U.S.
  11. Come to OFSS with your passport and I-20 at least one week BEFORE your departure of the U.S., and AFTER you re-enter the country.
  12. Submit a notice within 10 days of your change of address to OFSS.
  13. Report to OFSS any change in your passport, visa, and status.
  14. Attend the school whose I-20 you used to enter the U.S. or whose I-20 was submitted to INS for transfer.
  15. You may concurrently enroll at the school which issued your I-20 and another school. Your class load from both schools may be added together to meet full-time status. To verify your full-time status, proof concerning how many credit hours you are taking at the second school should be given to your original school. To be in status you must attend the school which issued your I-20.
  16. Submit a new I-20 to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to move from one educational level to another (e.g., from Master's to Ph.D.), and for transferring from one school to another. Obtain a new I-20 and have it properly endorsed at the international student services office on your new campus within 15 days from the beginning of classes. Information on your new I-20 is not valid until you report to OFSS.
  17. Do not work without authorization and limit on-campus employment to 20 hours per week when school is in session.
  18. If you have employment authorization or curricular practical training and you are transferring schools, discontinue working until you have new work authorization from your new school and/or USCIS.
  19. If you receive any type of public assistance you have violated your student status.
  20. If you have been in U.S. illegally for 180 days you cannot return to the U.S. for at least 3 years. If illegal for one year or more, the bar for reentry is 10 years.
  21. If you don't keep yourself in full-time status, you will be considered by USCIS to be here illegally. You won't be able to work on or off campus, get practical training or transfer schools until you have been reinstated to F-1 status (refer to "Guidelines for Reinstatement of F1 Status" for further information) either through applying to the USCIS or taking a new I-20 and leaving the country and reentering the U.S.

It is your responsibility to comply with all Immigration regulations which apply to F-1 students!

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