New International Student Orientation -How to maintain your legal status
While studying in the United States you must maintain your F or J student status
Your status relates to the purpose or reason for why you came to the U.S.
your visa was issued to you by the U.S. government based on your intended
purpose
As an international student it is your responsibility to ensure you
maintain your legal F-1 orJ-1 status. It is essential to remember that you must
take full responsibility for maintaining your legal status that you are
ultimately responsible for finding out knowing and following pertinent regulations
As an international student on the F or J visa you must meet certain
obligations in order to remain in the U.S. legally
Following your legal obligation
is necessary in order to receive the benefits of the F or J visa such as
employment and program extension not maintaining your F-1 or J-1 status can
result in serious problems with immigration
This video will cover how to
maintain your legal status and how full-time enrollment is defined by the
federal government and Stanford University
In order to maintain your
legal status in the U.S. you must do the following six things
Number one have a valid unexpired passport at all times make sure your passport is valid for at
least six months into the future at all times
Number two pursue a full course of study during the academic year or engage an
authorized practical training or academic training following completion
of studies
A full course of study for undergraduate students at Stanford
University is 12 units per quarter
A full course of study for graduate
students is 8 units per quarter Do not drop a class that will take you
below full-time status without first speaking with an international student
advisor
Full-time enrollment is not required for the summer quarter by the
federal government
Number three follow all on-campus and off-campus
employment regulations and restrictions Do not accept off-campus employment of
any kind without permission from the Bechtel International Center
You must not be employed without specific pre-authorization
Limit on campus employment to 20 hours per week during the academic year
Number four make normal progress towards completing a course of study this means
being enrolled full-time attending your courses regularly and doing well in them
Number five have a valid I-20 or DS-2019 and apply for timely extensions
It is your responsibility to know when your I-20 or DS-2019 expired
Number six report any changes to the Bechtel international Center through
AXESS within 10 days of the change occurring those changes include any and
all personal program and financial changes that include but are not limited
to address, degree level, major, graduation date, name ,citizenship , dependents, change
of immigration status, school, source of funding, stolen or lost travel documents
Additionally J-1 visa holders have one other regulation to follow and that
is to maintain health insurance that meets the J visa requirements for
themselves and their dependents Most common violation is working off
campus without a work permit
If you work without authorization the United States
government will require you to leave the U.S. immediately and warns that you may
not be able to re-enter the U.S. at a later date
Now let's address full-time
enrollment in more detail
As mentioned earlier in the video a full course of
study during the academic year at Stanford University is defined for
undergraduates as 12 units per quarter and for graduate students as 8 units per
quarter
Academic year is defined in three quarters as fall also known as
autumn winter and spring quarters Degree-seeking students must be enrolled
in three consecutive quarters every academic year before becoming eligible
for an annual vacation quarter
This annual vacation quarter is traditionally the summer quarter
Federal regulations do not require you to be enrolled in
full-time status during the summer quarter unless you intend to take
another quarter of the academic year as a vacation quarter be it the fall winter
or spring quarter
Online and distance learning courses are also regulated by
U.U. immigration for international students
Only one online course counts
towards full-time enrollment
If you are taking more than one online course and
you are only enrolled at the minimum units for full-time status as allowed by
your degree level either 12 or 8 units then you are out of status and in
violation of US immigration law
So be careful when selecting your courses
There are two exceptions to full-time enrollment
Those are if it is your final
quarter at Stanford University or for medical reasons that are approved first
by the office of accessible education known as OAE
Students must request and
obtain approval from an international student advisor and their department for
the reduced course load prior to dropping below the full course of study
the Bechtel international Center is here to help you maintain your status
do not hesitate to come and ask an international student advisor to clarify
U.S. immigration law or policy
You can start by reviewing our website sending
an email to international students at stanford.edu or for the most immediate
assistance speaking with an international student advisor by phone
or in person either scheduling an appointment through our website or
coming to the center during walk-in advising hours
No comments:
Post a Comment