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Maintaining Your Status as an F-1 StudentAs an F-1 student, you were admitted to the United States for "duration of status" (D/S). This means you are permitted to stay in the U.S. as long as you maintain your status by fulfilling the requirements pertaining to F-1 students.Please keep in mind that there is an important difference between your F-1 VISA and your F-1 STATUS. Your F-1 visa is a stamp or sticker placed in your passport by a U.S. Embassy or Consulate and is granted for entry purposes only. F-1 status is granted when you enter the U.S. and is regulated by the DHS (Department of Homeland Security). Even if your entry visa is valid, you can lose your legal F-1 status if you do not comply with immigration laws regulating your stay in the U.S. If you fail to maintain your legal student status, you will need to apply for reinstatement or, in some cases, be required to leave the country. Government Regulations you must follow in order to maintain your legal F-1 status: * Maintain a valid passport at all times, unless exempt from passport requirements. It should be valid at least 6 months into the future. * Attend the college/university DHS has authorized you to attend (this is indicated in section 2 of your current I-20) * Complete an official transfer whenever you change educational institutions. An immigration transfer must be completed within 45 days of the beginning of classes during your first quarter/semester at the new school. (NOTE: An immigration transfer is a completely separate process from transferring academic credit from one school to another. An immigration transfer is not complete until a Designated School Officer (DSO)/International Student Advisor from the school you are leaving releases your SEVIS record to the new school, and the DSO from the new school transfers your record in and issues a new I-20) * Complete a full course of study during normal enrollment periods. You are not required by DHS to enroll in classes during the summer sessions; however, you may want to check with your department to see if they have any requirements for the summer. * Apply for an extension of your program if you cannot complete your degree by the ending date listed on item 5 of your I-20. You can apply for an extension 30 days before the expiration date. * Obtain a new I-20 whenever you make a change in degree levels. This would include changing from a bachelor's degree to a master's degree, from a master's degree to a doctorate, from Optional Practical Training to a new degree program, from one level of degree to another of that same level (e.g. master's in Chemistry to master's in Biology), etc. * Do NOT work off-campus unless you have first received authorization from International Education Services and/or the DHS. On-campus work does not require authorization, but is limited to part-time (20 hours or less per week) during normal enrollment periods. On-campus employment may be full-time (more than 20 hours per week) during the summer and official school breaks. When you work on campus, you must maintain your full-time student status or your employment will become illegal. * Before traveling outside the U.S. with the intention of re-entering, you must have a Designated School Officer/International Student Advisor endorse page 3 of your current I-20 authorizing you to travel. * Report a change of address to the International Education Services office within 10 days of the change. We will then update your records in the SEVIS database. The information outlined on this sheet is not meant to be exhaustive. If you have any questions or need additional information, please feel free to contact the International Education Services office. International Education Services 224 Administration Bldg. 1000 Hilltop Circle Baltimore, MD 21250 Tel: +1.410.455-2624 Fax: +1.410.455-1130 E-mail: ies@umbc.edu |