International Students Immigration Session Presented By International Student & Scholar Services (ISSS)

We’re very glad you’re here! WELCOME WELCOME to SJSU! We’re very glad you’re here! Welcome to SJSU and to the F-1 immigration session of your orientation. The purpose of this workshop is to present general information about how to maintain your F-1 status, and how to use the ISSS office

AGENDA Using the ISSS Office Immigration Documents Maintaining F-1 Status Travel & Re-entry Welcome to SJSU and to the F-1 immigration session of your orientation. The purpose of this workshop is to present general information about how to maintain your F-1 status, and how to use the ISSS office

Consult ISSS on all immigration matters! Using the ISSS Office Consult ISSS on all immigration matters! ISSS- Clark Hall, Room 543 Phone: 408-924-5920 Email: international-office@sjsu.edu Website: www.sjsu.edu/isa Office Hours: Monday to Thursday 8:00 am - 5:00 pm Friday 1:00 - 5:00 pm Walk-in Advising Hours: Monday & Thursday 1:00 - 4:00 pm Tuesday & Wednesday 9:00 am - 12:00 pm Weekly F-1 Employment Workshops: Thursdays 10:30 - 11:30 am Fridays 3:00 - 4:00 pm If you have questions regarding your F-1 status, contact ISSS. These are the best ways to reach us and find out information. Our website has a comprehensive Frequently Asked Questions section, so you’ll be able to find many answers there. Book mark it! Also, be sure to check your emails and read all communication from the ISSS office. Our office will communicate with you via email. If you want to contact us, please email us at international-office@sjsu.edu. We do our best to respond to all emails as quickly as possible, but it can take us 2-3 days to respond to messages from this account. All advising is done on a walk in-basis Mon-Wed 10-12 and 1-3, and Thursdays from 1-4. You do not need to make an appointment. If you want to learn about employment, we have a mandatory workshop we offer twice a week- you will need to attend this before you will be eligible to apply for any type of employment.

Immigration Documents Passport I-94 Visa Form I-20 For your record, keep original documents in a safe place. Make a copy of all these documents in a secure place separate from the originals. If you do lose your originals, having copies will make the process of getting your documents reissued easier. Replacement documents can be expensive, and can take time to obtain, so be very careful with them.

Passport Your passport must always be valid while you are in the US, and every time you enter the US, your passport must be valid at least 6 months into the future. If your passport is going to expire while you are in the US, you should contact your consulate to find out how to get a new passport.

I-94 Locate yours at: https://i94/cbp.dhs.gov The I-94 is your entry record. It tells you information about when you last entered the US, and it tells you how long you have been admitted to the US for– so how long you can stay here. For F-1 students, you are allowed to stay in the US for D/S. D/S means duration of status and this means that you are legal to be in the US as long as you follow the rules of your F-1 status. Generally, this means that as long as you are a full-time student, you are legal to be here during the duration of your program.

Visa Your visa doesn’t tell you how long you can stay in the US! This is a visa. A visa is an entry document– it is like a key. It allows you to seek admission to the US. The expiration on this visa is 16 May 2017. What does that mean? Does that mean he has to leave the US after that date? That he can’t stay here after May 16 2017? No! It just tells us that after May 16, 2017, he can’t use this visa to enter the US anymore. If he leaves the US and wants to re-enter after May 16,2017, he will need a new visa to re-enter. If he stays in the US, that is fine. What documents tells you how long you can stay in the US? Your I-94– and since he is in F-1 status, it will be marked D/S, and he can stay in the US as long as he maintains his status.

Form I-20 This is your I-20. Recently, SEVIS, the Student and Exchange Visitor Program, redesigned the form I-20. The information on the redesigned forms is the same- it just looks a little different. Some of you may have the new forms, and some of you may still have the older forms. Either way, that is OK. If you have an older form, it is still valid. Next time you need a new I-20, we will create one for you in the new format. This is your I-20. The I-20 is a like contract with the government that give supplemental information on your visa status, like who you are and what you study. Signing it means you understand it and acknowledge that the information on it is correct. If any information is wrong, such as your country of citizenship or your name, you must contact ISSS so we can correct it. Every time you get an I-20, you will sign and date it at the bottom. In section 5 of your I-20, it tells you the start date and the completion date for your studies. The completion date for your studies must ALWAYS been in the future while you are still studying. If your completion date is going to expire soon– and you are not graduating soon– let ISSS know. You will have to apply to extend your I-20, and we can help you with that. Pay attention to this, though, because we can only help you while the completion date is still in the future– if it is in the past, it could jeopardize your F-1 status.

F-1 Immigration Regulations Maintaining F-1 Status F-1 Immigration Regulations

Maintaining F-1 Status 1. Check-in with ISSS as soon as possible! Passport, F-1 visa, current Form I-20, and any previous I-20s 2. Register Full-Time each semester Undergraduates: 12 units Graduates: 9 units Seek ISSS approval if registering for less than full-time Concurrent Enrollment is OK Register at least 6 units at SJSU and fill out RCL form 3. Comply with government and university requirements e.g. filing taxes and buying health insurance Document Check-in is an immigration requirement. Many of you have already checked-in with ISSS by by stopping by Clark Hall with your Passport, visa, and current (and any previous) I-20s. If you haven’t checked in yet, please make plans to check-in this or next week. We are open Monday- Friday, from 8-5, and you are welcome to come by at any time for check-in. If you plan on coming in a big group- say 10 or more of you are planning to come together to ISSS to check in– that’s fine, but we would appreciate it if you could give us a heads up by sending us an email All F-1 students must be full-time ever semester at SJSU as required by immigration regulations. This is the basis of your ability to be in the US. For graduate students, 9 units is considered full-time. For undergraduates, it is 12 units. There are very limited and specific reasons international students can be allowed to take less than a full course load. If you have questions about this, please contact ISSS before finalizing your registration. Only ISSS can authorize you to take less than a full-time enrollment for immigration purposes. Concurrent Enrollment There are many university requirements that all students, including international students, must comply with. International students often have requirements that apply to them, and it is important that you read all communication from ISSS carefully for important announcements, updates, and deadlines

Maintaining F-1 Status 4. Update your address MySJSU and www.sjsu.edu/isa We always need to have your current address, and you will need to update your address within 10 days of a move. Each time you update your address, you will need to update it through your MySJSU account AND through the ISSS website. Our website is sjsu.edu/isa, and you can find out change of address form by clicking on the “forms” link at the top of the page. The Change of Address form is the last form on the forms page. On your MySJSU account, it will be at the bottom of your “student center,” under Personal Information

Maintaining F-1 Status Thursdays 10:30 - 11:30 am 5. Do NOT work without employment authorization! Comply with F-1 status employment regulations and eligibility requirements Attend an ISSS F-1 employment workshop: Thursdays 10:30 - 11:30 am Fridays 3:00 - 4:00 pm Working without employment authorization is a serious violation of your F-1 status! In general, students are able to work on campus their first year in the U.S., but no more than 20 hours per week. We don’t recommend first semester because this is usually semester when students have the most difficultly, and if you go on academic probation, it will prohibit you from working. We recommend that you spend your first semester adapting to SJSU and focusing on your studying. Off-campus employment is complex to obtain and not available until a student has been in F-1 status for at least one academic year. ISSS offers weekly employment workshops to help you learn about your options for employment. You will be required to attend a workshop prior to obtaining work authorization It is very important that you obtain complete information and guidance from ISSS prior to pursuing any type of employment

Travel & Re-entry

Travel & Re-entry Before you travel outside of the U.S., check your immigration documents! Passport Valid 6 months into the future F-1 Visa Valid for re-entry Form I-20 Program End Date in the future Issued for “Continued Attendance” Travel Signature less than 12 months old Students planning to travel internationally must have a valid visa for re-entry. You’ll also need to have an I-20 that says “Continued Attendance” on part 3 of page one, on the old form I-20, or under “Form Issue Reason” in the top section on the new form I-20. You’ll and you’ll need to have a signature on page 2/3 of your I-20 from ISSS. That signature needs to be less than 12 months old when you are travelling while you are a current student. If your I-20 says “transfer pending” or “initial attendance,” the ISSS can make a new I-20 for you before you travel. Please let us know 2 weeks in advance of your travel, and we will make a new I-20 for you for traveling. If you are visiting other countries, make sure to find out if a visitor’s visa is required to enter.

Travel & Re-entry Form Issue Reason: Continued Attendance Program End Date: In the future

Travel & Re-entry Valid Travel Signature on Page 2

Travel & Re-entry Check your visa expiration date

You are responsible for maintaining your F-1 status… Remember! You are responsible for maintaining your F-1 status… …But ISSS is here to help!

Questions & Answers (Q&A)

International Student & Scholar Services (ISSS) Consult ISSS on all immigration matters! ISSS- Clark Hall, Room 543 Phone: 408-924-5920 Email: international-office@sjsu.edu Website: www.sjsu.edu/isa Office Hours: Monday to Thursday 8:00 am - 5:00 pm Friday 1:00 - 5:00 pm Walk-in Advising Hours: Monday & Thursday 1:00 - 4:00 pm Tuesday & Wednesday 9:00 am - 12:00 pm Weekly F-1 Employment Workshops: Thursdays 10:30 - 11:30 am Fridays 3:00 - 4:00 pm If you have questions regarding your F-1 status, contact ISSS. These are the best ways to reach us and find out information. Our website has a comprehensive Frequently Asked Questions section, so you’ll be able to find many answers there. Book mark it! Also, be sure to check your emails and read all communication from the ISSS office. Our office will communicate with you via email. If you want to contact us, please email us at international-office@sjsu.edu. We do our best to respond to all emails as quickly as possible, but it can take us 2-3 days to respond to messages from this account. All advising is done on a walk in-basis Mon-Wed 10-12 and 1-3, and Thursdays from 1-4. You do not need to make an appointment. If you want to learn about employment, we have a mandatory workshop we offer twice a week- you will need to attend this before you will be eligible to apply for any type of employment.