Maintaining Your F-1 Status

F-1 INTERNATIONAL STUDENT REGULATIONS:
MAINTAINING IMMIGRATION STATUS
This information is designed for students in F-1 status. It will provide you with a definition of F-1 status and a general discussion of the immigration regulations, which govern this status.

Definition of F-1 Status: An F-1 visa and F-1 student status may be granted to an alien "who is a bona fide student qualified to pursue a full course of study" at an academic or language institution authorized to admit international students. When applying for an F-1 visa, the individual must prove to a U.S. consular official that he or she wishes to enter the United States temporarily and solely for the purpose of study and that the applicant has a permanent residence in a foreign country which he/she does not intend to abandon.

F-1 regulations: Once you are admitted to the U.S. in F-1 status, you must meet certain obligations in order to maintain your status:

1. Have a passport that is kept valid at all times.
2. Attend the school you were authorized to attend: If you entered the U.S. with the I-20A-B of another school, but are attending the University of Miami, you are out-of-status, and must either apply for reinstatement, or leave the U.S. and re-enter with the Lee University I-20. This regulation does not mean you may not take courses at another U.S. institution during the summer vacation period, or even during the school year, if certain requirements are met.
3. Enroll for a full course of study: The Immigration and Naturalization Service (USCIS) requires that you be enrolled full-time (12 credits, if undergraduate; 9 credits, if graduate) each academic semester, except during the semester you are graduating, when you need enroll only for the credits still needed. Completing an "Incomplete" does not count towards enrollment. In order to be enrolled part-time during an academic term, you must have valid justification such as illness
4. Apply for program extension if you need to remain in the U.S. longer than the period of time specified on your admission I-20A-B. If you are unable to complete your degree program within the time period indicated on the admission I-20, you may request a program extension if the delay is caused by compelling academic or medical reasons, such as change of major or research topic, unexpected research problems, or documented illnesses. Application for extension must be made within the 30-day period before the completion date on your I-20. If your delay in completing your program is not for one of the reasons discussed above, or if you do not apply within the 30-day period before the completion date on your I-20, you will be considered to be out-of-status and must apply for reinstatement.
5. Follow certain procedures to continue from one educational level to another: If you begin another educational program at Lee University, e.g., from Bachelor's Program to Master's, and do not travel in the interim, you must do the following:
   1. Obtain a Form I-20A-B for the new program through the Admissions Office, and bring the Form I-20A-B to AC no later than 15 days after beginning classes so that we may make proper notification to USCIS of your change of program.
   2. If you leave the United States and re-enter with the I-20A-B from your new program, you do not need to follow the preceding procedure
6. Follow certain procedures to transfer from one U.S. school to another: If you are transferring to Lee University and have traveled outside of the United States in the interim, and re-entered the country with the I-20A-B from Lee University, your transfer is complete, and you must bring page 3-4 of the I-20, your passport, and your Form I-94 to be recorded in your file. If you have not traveled outside the United States, you must bring the Lee University I-20A-B to the Admissions Center, together with a transcript from your previous school, or a letter from your previous international advisor certifying that you were in full-time status. This must be done within 15 days of the beginning of classes.
7. Limit on-campus employment to 20 hours per week while school is in session: International students in F-1 status who are enrolled full-time and in good academic standing are eligible to work on-campus beginning with the 1st semester (Keep in mind that international students are not eligible for "Federal work-study" positions). All employment and/or assistantships during the academic year are limited to 20 hours or less per week.
8. Refrain from off-campus employment without authorization.
9. Report a change of residence to Admissions within 10 days of the change.

You are admitted to the United States for "duration of status (D/S)," defined as the period during which you are pursuing a full course of study in a bachelor's or master's degree program, and any periods of authorized practical training, plus 60 days within which to depart from the U.S.

Failure to comply: If you fail to comply with the immigration regulations which apply to F-1 status, you may be liable to deportation, and your eligibility for employment authorization will be seriously affected.

For further information, please contact the Admissions Office.