Maintaining F-1 Status

Immigration Responsibilities as an International Student

• Maintain a valid passport unless you are exempt from the passport requirement
  
  
• Attend UMCP, the school you are authorized to attend
  
  
• Pursue a full course of study and make normal progress towards the completion of the program of study.
  
• UNDERGRADUATE students must be enrolled in at least 12 credit hours each Fall and Spring semester.
  
• GRADUATE students must be enrolled in at least 48 units each Fall and Spring semester.
  
• 20-hour assistantships are equivalent to 24 units;
  
• 10-hour assistantships, 12 units
  
• Courses taken for "audit" do not generate credits/units and cannot be used in calculating full-time status
• Students may apply for part-time authorization in their last semester. The deadline to obtain approval from an IES advisor is the last day of the schedule adjustment (Drop/Add) period.
  
• Change of Address: Notify USCIS within 10 days of any change of address by verifying your information online You must also do this each semester before the end of the schedule adjustment period. Go to the UM SEVIS Site to check/update your records.
  
  
• Employment Authorization: Refrain from working off-campus unless you have official authorization from IES or USCIS. F-1 students may work on-campus up to 20 hours total per week during the school year, and full-time on-campus during summers and vacation periods. You may work on campus as described above even if your Social Security card says that employment is not authorized. For more information on employment, visit the Employment Options section of our website.
  
  
• Program Level Change: Follow procedures to continue from one level of study to another (e.g. from Master’s to Ph.D.)
  
  
• Extend I-20: Follow procedures to extend your educational program if you will not complete your studies by the date listed in section 5 of your I-20 form.
  
  
• Keep I-20 Up-to-date: To legally remain in the U.S. as an F-1 student, you must also have a current I-20 which corresponds to your level, field and period of study. Be aware of the information on your I-20 and keep it current!
  
  
• Visa: Your visa is similar to a letter of invitation to the U.S. When going through the immigration process on entry to the U.S., you present your visa to the officer. Your visa can expire while you are in your program without affecting your permission to be in the U.S. Therefore, your visa only becomes important when you travel outside of the U.S. and intend to return to the same program. (Special rules apply for travel to Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean).