Immigration and maintaining SEVIS status

Staying in status

Your status depends on a handful of obligations. Meet these and there is nothing else to do; miss one and it usually needs to be fixed formally, so ask early.

Your documents

Four documents matter. Keep the originals safe, carry copies when you travel, and check the expiry dates once a term.

Enroll full time

F-1 students must maintain a full course of study during required academic terms.

Only one online or distance-learning class, or up to 3 credits, may count toward the full-time enrollment requirement each required term.

Reduced course loads

In limited circumstances, ISS may authorize a reduced course load before you drop below full-time enrollment. Authorization is not automatic, and only the designated school official can grant it. Possible reasons:

• A documented medical condition, 12 months maximum, with documentation from a licensed medical doctor, doctor of osteopathy, or licensed clinical psychologist stating the problem and how long a reduced load is advised. If it covers two semesters, it must be revalidated each semester.
• Initial difficulty with English language or reading requirements, first semester only, with a letter from your advisor or instructor.
• Unfamiliarity with U.S. teaching methods, or improper course-level placement, one semester only, with a letter from your advisor.
• Your final semester, when fewer credits are needed to complete your degree.
• Approved concurrent enrollment at another institution, with a transcript supplied.

Program extension

If you cannot complete your academic program by the end date on your Form I-20 or Form DS-2019, you must request a program extension before that date. A program extension updates your I-20 or DS-2019; it does not extend your visa stamp. ISS cannot extend a form that has already expired.

Approval is not automatic. F-1 students must be maintaining status and making normal academic progress, with an eligible academic or medical reason for needing more time. J-1 extension eligibility depends on the student's category and program limits.

HOW TO APPLY

1. 1

   Step 1: Download the Program Extension Application

   and complete the student sections, including your reason for the request and remaining academic requirements.

2. 2

   Step 2: Meet with your program director or academic advisor.

   Your advisor must confirm your remaining requirements and expected program-completion date on the application.

3. 3

   Step 3: Submit the completed application to International Support Services (ISS).

   Include any requested supporting documents.

4. 4

   Step 4: Submit before your current program end date.

   We recommend submitting at least 30 days in advance whenever possible.

ISS will review your request and contact you if additional information is needed. If approved, ISS will issue an updated Form I-20 or Form DS-2019.

Work only with authorization

Do not start any job until ISS tells you in writing that you are authorized to work. Working without authorization violates your status and can end it.

This applies to every kind of work, paid or unpaid: on-campus jobs, internships, freelance work, and any job off campus. Ask ISS first, every time.

Travel & re-entry

Before you leave the United States for any reason, including a short trip home or to a neighboring country, bring your I-20 or DS-2019 for a travel signature. Plan for this well before your flight rather than the week of.

Tell us before you change

Each of these changes your record, and most are straightforward if handled in advance.

Changing your major

Your I-20 must be updated, and it can affect OPT eligibility.

Taking a leave or withdrawing

Speak to us before you decide, there are rules about how soon you must depart.

Finishing early or late

Both change your program end date and need to be recorded.

Transferring to another school

See transferring out of Drury.

You must report changes to your U.S. residential address, phone number, email address, legal name, or dependent information to ISS within 10 days of the change.

Email iss@drury.edu as soon as possible so we can update your SEVIS record. Depending on your situation, you may also have a separate obligation to update your address with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Transferring out of Drury

Your SEVIS record is released to the new school on a date you and both schools agree. Start the process as early as you can: your record cannot be released until every step below is done.

1. 1

   Step 1: Request the transfer in writing.

   Email ISS to ask that your SEVIS record be released, and give the date you want it released.

2. 2

   Step 2: Send your admission offer and the new school's SEVIS transfer document.

   ISS cannot release your record without both.

3. 3

   Step 3: Complete Drury's exit interview.

   The form is below.

4. 4

   Step 4: Settle your account and your schedule.

   Clear any unpaid balance and make sure your registered courses are dropped.

What SEVIS tracks about you

The Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) is the U.S. government's electronic system for maintaining information about F and J students, their dependents, and exchange visitors. Drury and the Department of Homeland Security exchange data through it throughout your academic career, and U.S. embassies and consulates have access to it as well. ISS is required to report:

• Your enrollment status and full-time enrollment, including any failure to enroll.
• Changes to your name, address, program, degree level, or funding, and changes for your dependents.
• Program extensions, school transfers, employment authorizations, and approved reduced course loads.
• Program completion, early completion, or failure to maintain status, including the termination date and reason.
• Academic or disciplinary action taken due to criminal conviction.

Immigration regulations refer to the international student adviser as the designated school official, or DSO.

Avoid a status violation

The violations are the mirror of the obligations above: dropping below full time without authorization, working without authorization, letting your I-20 or DS-2019 expire, missing the ten-day address report, or transferring schools without the required process.

A status violation can affect your ability to remain in the United States, travel internationally, apply for employment benefits such as CPT or OPT, change status, or receive future visas. Students who fall out of status lose the privileges of their student immigration status and become subject to deportation.

You may apply to DHS for reinstatement if the violation resulted from circumstances beyond your control. Reinstatement is intended to be a rare benefit for exceptional cases, and you may not apply if you have been out of status longer than five months unless you can show exceptional circumstances such as serious injury or illness, closure of the institution, or a natural disaster. If DHS does not reinstate you, the decision cannot be appealed.

We cannot give legal advice, but we can explain your options and refer you to an immigration attorney when a case needs one.

More for current students

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