Your Passport:

Your passport is your international identification. It has your personal information on the first or last page. Your passport must be valid at least 6 months into the future at all times.  To renew or replace your passport, contact your country’s consulate in the U.S.

Your Student Visa:

Inside your passport, you will find your student visa (stamp, usually in the middle of your passport).

The visa will contain:

• Place of issuance
• Personal information: Your name (family, given), Gender, Date of Birth, Nationality, etc.
• Your passport number
• Entries: ‘M’ means multiple. This means that you are able to leave and reenter the U.S. multiple times
• Visa Type/Class: ‘R’ for Regular/F-1is your class of visa
• Expiration Date: The date when your visa is no longer valid. If you have a valid I-20 when your visa expires, you may continue to study in the U.S. legally. However, if you choose to leave the U.S. on an expired visa, you will need to extend you visa before returning to the U.S.

Your I-94 document:

The I-94 card is now an electronic document.

The immigration officer will now stamp your passport with:

• Port of Entry: where you last entered the U.S. (may not be your final destination)
• Date you last entered the U.S.
• Your class: F-1
• D/S: ‘Duration of Status,’ period in which you are an active full-time student or engaged in OPT

Your electronic I-94 document will be available for you to print or save to your desktop after your entry into the U.S.; we recommend that you print or save your electronic I-94 document immediately after reentry.

In order to access your arrival/departure information visit i94.cbp.dhs.gov

You will need to have your passport to access the following information:

• Passport Number
• Date of Birth
• Name (as it appears on your passport)
• Country of Citizenship
• Visa Class (F-1)
• Date of Arrival

Your I-94 will also have an admission number (‘A’ number). This is an 11 digit number at the top of the form. The first 9 digits of this number is your Alien Registration Number.

Each time you leave and reenter the U.S. you will receive a new electronic I-94 document. If you still have your paper I-94 card, you will need to take it to the airport to forfeit when you leave the US.

Your I-20 document (sometimes referred to as Certificate of Eligibility—COE)

Your I-20 will be issued by your school (Southeastern) and will be mailed to you in your home country. When you receive your I-20 document, sign at the bottom of the first page. You will take your I-20 document to the U.S. Embassy/Consulate to apply for your F-1 student visa.

You will receive a new I-20 if:

• You apply for OPT or CPT (each time you apply)
• You run out of room for travel signatures
• You extend your Program End Date
• You change your Major
• You add/subtract a dependent
• Change Education Level (UG to G, etc)
• You Transfer to another school

A Closer Look at Your I-20:

In the top left-hand corner, there is a number beginning with the letter ‘N’. The number is your SEVIS number: your identification number in the government’s ‘Student and Exchange Visitor Information System’ (see SEVIS website for more detailed information).

1. Your Personal Information
2. Your School’s Information
3. Types:
   • Initial Attendance:You have been accepted, but you have not reported to the school
   • Continued Attendance:When you report to your new school, you will receive a continued attendance I-20
   • Transfer Pending:You have been accepted and your previous school (within the U.S.) has transferred your SEVIS record to your new school, but you have not reported to the new school
   • Transfer: When you report to your new school, you will receive a transfer I-20.
4.  Level of degree you are seeking (for example, Associates, Bachelor’s, Master’s) This section contains very important information!

• • Your Major
  • The latest date you are expected to report to the Office of International Student Services at your new school.* If you do not report to the school by the date indicated and you do not communicate with the DSO about why you are unable to report by that date, you will be considered a ‘No Show’ and your record will be terminated.
  • Your Program End Date:The date you I-20 will expire. You will then go into your 60 day grace period. *if you need to extend your I-20 or apply for OPT you must do it before your program end date.*
  • ‘The Normal Length of Study’ is the amount of time (in months) that it should take for you to complete your degree.

5. You must have a certain level of English proficiency to attend Southeastern. This is measured by the TOEFL/IELTS test.
6. Financial Information—The cost to attend the school (Tuition, living expenses, dependents, etc.)
7. Student’s Financial Eligibility
8. Remarks from the DSO or student (if requested)
9. Printed Name and Signature of Your Designated School Official (DSO), Title, Date, and Place Issued.
10. Your Printed Name and Signature, Date you sign the I-20

*You should sign your I-20 as soon as you receive it.

If you are under the age of 18, your legal guardian will need to sign the I-20 as well.

Page 2 of Your I-20

On Page 2 of your I-20, you will find:

1. Work Authorization (CPT, OPT) dates, status, company information
2. Travel Signature (bottom of the 2nd page)—Your DSO will sign the second page to authorize you to travel outside of the U.S.
   * You may not travel outside of the U.S. without a signature from your DSO! The signature is valid for one year from the date it was signed. You must reenter the U.S. before the signature expires. Otherwise you should receive a new signature before you travel outside the U.S. You do not need a signature form the DSO to travel within the U.S.

Full Course of Study

In order to maintain your visa you must be enrolled as a full-time student.

• Undergraduates: 12 credit hours
• Graduates: 9 credit hours

Online/Internet Classes

• F-1 students cannot pursue online degree.
• Of the required 12 credit hours for international undergraduate students each fall and spring, only 3 credits may be online/Internet courses. That is, 9 traditional/face-to-face and 3 online.
• Of the required 9 credit hours for international graduate students each fall and spring, only 3 credits may be online/Internet courses. That is, 6 traditional/face-to- face and 3 online.
• International students may enroll in more than 3 credits of online courses if they take 13+ hours (undergraduate) or 10+ (graduate). For example, an undergraduate may take 9 hours of face-to-face classes and 6 hours of online classes.
• For students (undergraduate and graduate) who only need 3 hours to graduate in the fall or spring, that final class can’t be online!
• For continuing students (that is, students who enrolled full-time for the spring semester and intend to enroll full-time for the fall semester), there are no restrictions regarding online enrollment in the summer. Since summer term is considered a vacation period, it is not a required term.

Reduced Course Load

There are some circumstances when you are able to drop below a full course of study.

• Illness or Medical Condition – You must show proof of your illness with a note from a medical doctor (M.D.).
• To complete course of study in current term – If it is your last semester at Southeastern.

Change of Address

If your address changes while you are studying at Southeastern, you must notify ISS of your new address within 10 days of your change of address.

Leave of Absence (LOA)

F-1 international students who need to leave the United States for no more than 5 months, and are unable to maintain full-time student status while outside of the U.S. must receive authorization for a Leave of Absence (LOA) from ISS and their academic department.

LOA Requirements for the Student:

• You must be outside the U.S. during the LOA.
• You must be in good academic standing.
• You must be approved for a LOA by the ISS and the academic department.

The Leave of Absence Form must be filled out by your advisor or department chair. We recommend that you speak to your department about the academic consequences of an LOA (i.e. will you be able to return to your academic program after the LOA?).

LOA Exceeding 5 Months

Students who will be outside the U.S. for longer than 5 months for an LOA will need to apply for a new visa even if your current visa has not expired. You MUST contact ISS at least two months prior to returning to Southeastern to request a new I-20 to present to the U.S. Embassy/Consulate when applying for your new visa. You will also need to pay the SEVIS fee again.

Returning from LOA

All students returning from a LOA MUST report to ISS immediately after returning to the United States.

Students must bring the following documents when reporting to ISS:

• Stamped I-20
• I-94 (online)
• Visa in passport

Visa Renewal

• You may NOT renew your visa in the United States.
• You do not have to renew your visa if you have a valid I-20 and you remain in the United States (this does not include Canada or Mexico).
• How to Renew Your Visa:
  • You must leave the United States.
  • You may renew your visa anywhere outside of the United States, but it is recommended that you renew your visa in your home country. You may not return to the US until you visa renewal is approved.
  • You should contact the US Embassy or Consulate in your country for more information before you leave the US for changes in regulations. You can find the Embassy/Consulate in your country at usembassy.gov.
  • Visa appointment wait times: state.gov.
• What you will need:
  • A completed visa application DS-160
  • Proof of payment for visa application
  • Current I-20 signed on first and second page by DSO (and all previous I-20s)
  • Passport valid at least 6 months into the future
  • Updated financial support documents
  • Proof of enrollment at Southeastern (usually a transcript)
  • Letter from ISS confirming that you are enrolled and in good visa status
  • For dependents applying for an F-2 visa: You should also bring your marriage certificate.

Automatic Visa Revalidation: Allows you to leave the US to visit certain countries for less than 30 days and re-enter on your expired visa if you did not apply for a visa renewal while out of the US. This does NOT renew your visa, it is only valid for a single trip.

I-20 Extension

You may be eligible to extend your I-20 if:

• You are making normal progress towards your degree.
• You submit all the required documents to ISS for the extension two months before the program end date on your current I-20.

The extension is no longer than one academic year.

Required Documents:

• Request for Extension of I-20 Form
• A letter from your academic advisor explaining why you were unable to complete your program within the specified time as well as the new expected completion date
• Proof of financial support (see ISS for amount)

If you have taken the majority of your classes and your do not have a full course of study in your last semester, you will need to apply for a reduced course load with ISS before classes begin.

If you would like to take advantage of you Optional Practical Training (OPT: one year of authorized work) after graduation, you must apply for it with ISS. You can submit your application beginning 90 days before your program end date. More information.

If you have not finished the coursework necessary to graduate and you need to extend your I-20, you must apply for an I-20 extension with ISS no later than one month before your I-20’s program end date.

After Graduation

Your 60 day grace period begins the day after the program end date on your current I-20. During the 60 days following your program completion, you will need to do one of the following:

Begin your OPT

Your OPT start date must be within your 60 day grace period, otherwise you will be considered out of status

Transfer to another institution

In order to transfer to another institution you must:

• Apply to the new institution and be accepted as a student.
• When you have been accepted, you should receive a Transfer Verification Form from the new institution.
• Bring your acceptance letter and Transfer Verification Form to ISS to be filled out by a DSO (the DSO will then complete the form and return it to the new institution. Your SEVIS record will be transferred to the new institution after the completion of your program at Southeastern and upon your request.).
• Begin studying at the new institution within 5 months of your transfer.

Note: If you would like to return home between your program completion at Southeastern and beginning your new program, notify the new institution of your plans so they can either have your ‘transfer pending’ I-20 ready before you leave, or they can mail it to your home country address.

Return to your home country with no plans to return on the same F-1 visa

If you choose to return to your home country after your program completion, your SEVIS record will automatically ‘complete’ and no further steps will need to be taken.

If you choose to return to the US later, you will need to apply for a new visa.