SEVIS
All schools that issue I-20s are required to report information about their
students to the United States Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) computer
database called the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS).
So, now, more than ever, it is very important for you to understand
immigration regulations. It is very important for you to know your legal
responsibilities while you study in the USA. You are responsible for
staying in legal status at all times while in the USA.
Note of Advice:
Please do not depend on your friends for immigration information. There are
many new rules. If you have any doubts or questions, talk to a Designated
School Official (DSO) as soon as possible or consult the
USCIS website.
Conditions of Your Student Visa
If you are a studying with an F-1 (student) visa,
it is important to maintain your student status while you study in the USA.
Your signature on the Form I-20 shows that
you agree to follow all the conditions of the F-1 visa:
1. You must be a full-time
student at ULI.
2. You must make progress
toward graduation.
3. You must complete and pass classes the
equivalent of an academic year (at least 9 months or 4 sessions).
4. You must keep a valid I-20
and passport.
5. You
must not work off-campus unless given legal permission from INS.
6. You must notify your
school’s office no later than 10 days after you move or legally change your
name for entry into SEVIS.
7. Each session, you must
re-enroll for the next session or request to transfer to a new school before
the last day of the session. You have 60 days to leave the USA if you
officially de-enroll at the end of the session or 15 days to leave the country
if you officially withdraw in the middle of the session.
Attendance
1. A full-time student must take a minimum of 4
courses per session at ULI.
2. To make progress toward graduation, you must
pass
at least 18 hours of classes (per week) each session in an intensive English
program or 12 credit hours per semester at a college or university.
3. To complete and pass classes for the equivalent
of an academic year, you must complete and pass at least 4 sessions per year
at ULI or 2 semesters per year at a college or
university.
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Documents
All non-immigrants must always have their legal documents
with them. If you have a student visa, you must carry your I-20, passport, I-94
card, and other documents with you at all times. You should keep all other
legal documents, including all previous I-20s, in a safe place in case you need
them later.
Your Passport: You should apply for a new passport
about 6 months before it expires. New passports are
available from your country’s embassy or consulate in the USA.
Your I-94 Card:
You should
leave the USA within 60 days after the date your I-20 expires unless you
transfer to a new school. If you have a student visa, your I-94 card is
marked “D/S” (Duration of Status). This means that as long as you are studying
and have a valid I-20, you are allowed to stay in the USA.
Your Visa:
Your visa
gives you permission to enter and re-enter the USA. There is no penalty if your
visa expires while you are in the USA as long as you are continuing to study
with a valid I-20. If you leave
the USA after your visa expires and want to return, you will need a new visa. If
the name of the school on your visa is different from the school you will attend
when you return to the USA, you need to go to the U.S. embassy to get a new
student visa with the name of your new school.
Your Form I-20:
Your form I-20 expires the
date that you leave ULI. If you need more time to complete your studies at ULI, you
should apply for a program extension before your I-20 expires. I-20s are
made using the computerized SEVIS program. Please remember that it may take
several days after you request it to make your I-20. If you do not apply for a
program extension before the expiration date on your I-20, you will be
out of status (illegal).
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Program Extension
If your I-20 will expire soon and
you will need more time to study, you should apply for a program extension.
The
process for a program extension is as follows:
- Provide
financial support documents
that show that you have enough money for education and living expenses for the
remainder of your stay at ULI .
- Explain the educational reasons why you need more time at
ULI.
- Request a new I-20 from the ULI office.
- Sign your new I-20
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Change of Address
If you change your address, you must:
1. Fill out a change of address form in the
ULI office no more than
10 days after you move.
2. ULI will make changes in SEVIS.
3. Fill out a
change of address form with the post
office.
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Vacation
Students must attend and pass
classes for 9 consecutive months at ULI (4 ULI sessions) before being eligible
for a vacation. If you plan to take a break from classes, be sure to talk
to a DSO to make sure that you are eligible. You must receive permission!
Don’t let your I-20 expire while you’re on vacation! Before your vacation,
you must enroll in ULI for the session following your vacation. If you do not
attend classes during that session, ULI is required to report you to USCIS.
Vacation in the USA:
If you stay in the USA during
your vacation, you should not let your health insurance lapse! Health care can
be very expensive in the USA without medical insurance. Medical expenses can
jeopardize your financial status and ability to maintain your full-time student
status in good standing as defined by INS regulations. Please come by the
ULI office to pay for health insurance before you begin your vacation.
Vacation in Another Country:
1. Get a signature on
the last page of your I-20 from a ULI DSO to grant permission for you to re-enter
the USA to study at ULI. Do not wait until the last minute.
2. Take your I-94 card,
passport, all I-20s, and any other legal documents with you.
3. Check your F-1 visa to be sure that it is still valid. If your visa has
expired or has a school's name other than ULI, you will have to get a new visa before you return to the USA.
If you are out of the country for more than 5 months, you will also need to go
to the U.S. embassy to get a new visa.
4. It is a good idea to take copies of your grade reports to show that you have
actually been studying while in the USA. The ULI office can give you a copy of
your grade reports, an official transcript, and letter from the director.
5. If you are out of the USA
for 5 or more months, your visa will be canceled and you will have to apply
for a new one before returning to the USA.
6. Your visa and your I-20 must
be for the same school. If you visa lists a school different from the one
you plan to attend when you return to the USA, you need to apply for a new
visa.
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Employment
You cannot work
while you study at ULI. After maintaining student status in the USA for 9
months, USCIS allows students to apply for employment at the institution that
issues their I-20. However, since ULI does not have jobs available for
students, ULI students are not allowed to work. Working illegally can
carry severe penalties, and you may be forced to leave the country for a period
of 3 to 10 years for breaking the law. Even if you don’t get in trouble
now, you may have trouble if you ever want to apply for a different type of visa
or permanent residency. If
you suffer a financial crisis during your stay in the USA, you should talk to
the director and ask about applying for a work permit. There are very specific
guidelines and requirements by USA Immigration that must be fulfilled in order
to apply for a work permit. The process of application may take a few months.
Therefore, it is very important for you to plan ahead.
Enrollment
Before the last day of class each session, you must make a
final decision to either:
1. Enroll for the next session
2. Transfer to a new school (transfer must be completed
within 60 days)
3. Leave the country (you must leave the
country within 60 days)
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Reduced Course Load
A
student who drops below full-time (below 18 hours per week) without permission
is considered to be out of status. A DSO can authorize you to drop below
full-time for one session (no less than 9 hours per week) only if you have
initial difficulty with English or reading requirements, are unfamiliar with
American teaching methods, or have been placed in the wrong level. Also, if you
need less than 18 hours to graduate, you may drop below full time. In the event
that you have documented medical problems affecting your study abilities, you
may be allowed to reduce your course load or withdraw. New medical
documentation must be supplied each new session for no more than 12 months. You
must apply and be approved for a reduced course load at ULI and complete form
I-538 to be eligible.
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Withdrawal
If you have an emergency and need to withdraw from ULI in
the middle of the session, you must receive permission from the office and leave
the country within 15 days of your withdrawal date. If you do not receive
permission to withdraw from classes, do not make transfer arrangements, or do
not enroll in the next session, you should leave the country immediately or you
will be out of status.
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Transferring from One Institution to Another
If
you have maintained your status, you may transfer to another
school. However, you should plan ahead of time and apply as early as
possible to the new school.
1. BEFORE the end of the session, you
should tell a ULI DSO where you plan to transfer.
2. You will need to follow the
application process of the new school. You will be required to give a current
financial support document and a copy of the ULI I-20 form to the admissions
officer of the new school. The officer will contact ULI to ensure that you
have maintained “status” at ULI.
3. You should submit the "ULI
Transfer Out Form" to your new school. After ULI receives the
Transfer Out form signed by the new school, we will "transfer your record
out" to the new school.
4. You must be accepted at the
new school and “transferred in” to the new school on the SEVIS program within
60 days of your last day at ULI. You must start in the very next session
available at your new school (no more than 5 months after your last day at ULI).
5. If you leave the USA before you begin classes at
your new school, you will need to to to the U.S. embassy to apply
for a new visa in your passport with the name of your new school in it.
6. You should sign your new
I-20 within 15 days of beginning your new school.
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Reinstatement
If you do not follow the rules for holders of
student visas, you will be illegal (out of status). There are only two ways to
be reinstated: by exiting and re-entering the USA with a new I-20 (very
risky) or by applying for a reinstatement within the USA. You can only apply for
a reinstatement to student status within the USA if the reason that you are illegal is beyond
your control (such as illness, natural disaster, or DSO mistake). If you
do not receive a reinstatement, you must leave the USA. If you do not leave, you could be banned from
returning for 3-10 years. ULI can help you with your application for
reinstatement.
To receive a reinstatement, you must provide
the following documents:
1. A letter from ULI.
2.
Form
I-539 filled out and signed. (If you do not know how to answer a question,
we will help you). Write REINSTATEMENT at the top of the form in red.
3. Original I-94 card, passport,
current I-20 from ULI, and any other USCIS documents.
4. Check or money order in the
amount of $300.00 made out to The Department of Homeland Security.
5. You must write a letter of
explanation detailing the reason why you are out of status. The letter must
include the following:
A. Address your letter to:
USCIS
Vermont Service Center
75 Lower
Welden Street
St.
Albans, VT 05479-0001
B. Request a reinstatement to
student status. Explain
why you are out of status. Be very honest and precise with your
explanation.
D. You must explain that the violation of status either 1) Resulted
from circumstances beyond your control (such as illness, closure of school,
natural disaster, or oversight of the DSO) OR 2) That the violation
relates to a reduction in your course load that would have been within a DSO’s
power to authorize AND that failure to approve reinstatement would result in
an extreme hardship to you.
E. A statement that you are pursuing or intend to
pursue a full course of study in the immediate future.
F. A statement that you
have never been employed without INS authorization.
G.
Any additional
documents that may help your case.
H. Updated financial documents.
I. Transcripts.
Change to Student Status
If you have a B-1 or B-2 visa, you
are not allowed to complete a full course of study. This means that you can
study either part-time (less than 18 hours per week) or full-time for 6 weeks or
less. F-2 or J-2
visa are only allowed by law to study part-time (less than 18 hours per
week. If you hold a B-1, B-2, F-2, or J-2 visa and want to study full-time, you
should apply for a change to a student visa. If you have a B-1, B-2, or J-2
visa, you cannot attend classes while waiting to change your status. If you have
an F-2 or J-2 visa, you can apply to change back to your original visa type
after you complete your studies. ULI can help you with your change of status.
You need the following
documents to apply for a change of status:
1. Completed
form
I-539 "Application to Extend/Change Non-Immigrant Status".
2. Copy
of all passport pages, both sides of your I-94 card, and any other legal
documents.
3. Financial support document.
4. A
check, money order, or cashier's check for $300 (payable to The Department of
Homeland Security).
5. A
letter explaining why you want to change your status and receive a student visa. The letter should explain how your studies here will help you fulfill your
future goals in your home country. The letter should be addressed to
USCIS
Vermont Service Center
75 Lower
Welden Street
St. Albans,
VT 05479-0001
.
6. Receipt for payment of the $100
SEVIS fee. Information about how to pay this fee can be found
here.
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