Enrollment Services

Maintaining Your Immigration Status

 

Per immigration regulations INA § 101(a)(15)(F)(i) F-1 status refers to:

“An alien having a residence in a foreign country which he has no intention of abandoning, who is a bona fide student qualified to pursue a full course of study and who seeks to enter the United States temporarily and solely for the purpose of pursuing such a course of study…”

In order to come to the U.S. to study at Georgia State you had to obtain an I-20 from our school and then apply for an F-1 visa, unless you changed your status to F-1 within the United States or transferred from another school. Now that you have commenced your studies at Georgia State University, you need to make sure you maintain your legal status.

Maintaining your F-1 status is more than just having an I-20; it is making sure that you follow immigration regulations that govern F-1 status. As an F-1 student you have certain responsibilities, benefits and restrictions that must be kept in mind to safeguard your status.

When you lose your status because you fail to abide by immigration rules, you lose your F-1student benefits including on-campus employment and OPT. Even more important, you could possibly become subject to arrest and deportation, and future visa applications might be compromised. Depending on the type of violation, you could even be barred from coming back to the U.S. for a number of years.

In order to enjoy your stay in the United States and have a great experience as an international student, take the time to learn about your immigration status and closely follow immigration regulations.

My responsibilities as an F-1 student at Georgia State are to:

  • Register full time every semester
  • Maintain a current passport (valid for at least 6 months into the future at all times)
  • Be aware of grace periods
  • Request authorization from ISSS before dropping below a full course load
  • Report all changes in address via PAWS within 10 days
  • Report all changes in name, dependents and status through ISSS
  • Request my transfer to another school in a timely manner (Please also see grace periods.)
  • Report a change in my program of study (such as moving from one degree level to another or a change in major) to ISSS and request a new I-20
  • Request travel signatures before traveling
  • Request an I-20 extension before document expires
  • Provide ISSS with any updates regarding passport extensions and visa renewals
  • Become familiar with immigration rules
  • Read my Georgia State email account regularly for communication from ISSS & the University
  • Read the ISSS newsletter as it contains important immigration updates

My restrictions in F-1 status:

  • I cannot work off-campus without previous authorization from ISSS or immigration, whichever is applicable
  • I cannot be underenrolled or not enrolled at all unless previously authorized (Please see enrollment requirements) 
  • I cannot work more than 20 hours/week while school is in session unless required by my program of study and authorized by ISSS
  • I cannot maintain status with an expired I-20

My benefits in F-1 status:

ISSS is here to help you understand immigration rules as much as possible, but ultimately, maintaining your status is YOUR responsibility. 

The best thing you can do to take ownership of your status is to spend some time making yourself familiar with these lists and with the rest of our website.

In addition, take some time to visit great sources of information such as these government websites: http://www.uscis.gov/, http://www.travel.state.gov/.

Finally, if you have some concerns or inquiries regarding what you can or cannot do in F-1 status, do not rely on what your friends tell you. Our doors are always open to answer any of your questions. You can call an ISSS advisor at (404) 413-2070 or email us at isss@gsu.edu.


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