ISSS

---

During your stay in the U.S. in F1 status, you are subject to many immigration rules and regulations. The ISSS team is available to assist you and answer your questions, but it is your responsibility to know and abide by the law to maintain valid legal status. As an international student, please ensure you follow these rules:

• Important Documents

  Your SEVIS I-20, passport, and entry visa are important legal documents and should be kept in a secure location.

  I-20

  You must ensure all of the information on your I-20 is accurate and up-to-date. If any of the following items change please contact SEVIS@cwu.edu to request a new I-20:

  • Name
  • Country of Citizenship
  • Major
  • Degree Program
  • Financial Resources
  • Addition or deletion of F-2 dependent(s)

  Passport

  Your passport must be valid for at least six months into the future when you are in the U.S. Do not allow your passport to expire as federal law does not allow F-1 visa holders to enter the U.S. or be employed if their passport is expired.

  Entry Visa

  The F-1 entry visa stamp, which is necessary for re-entering the U.S. from abroad, is issued by a U.S. embassy or consulate. A valid entry visa is required for re-entry.

  While you are in the U.S., it is acceptable for your visa to expire. The validity of your F-1 status in the U.S. is dependent on your I-20.

  If you need to renew your F-1 visa, you will need to travel outside of the U.S.

  Canadian citizens

  You are not required to have a F-1 entry visa to enter the U.S.

• Address and Phone Number Updates

  All international students are required to report their U.S. address in MyCWU when they arrive in the U.S. and within 10 days if they move.

  You are also required to notify us of updates to your phone number and email address. Please notify SEVIS@cwu.edu of changes.

• Full Course of Study

  Immigration regulations require you to complete a full course of study each academic term:

  • For undergraduate students:
    • at least 12 credits per quarter (fall, winter, & spring)
  • For graduate students:
    • at least 10 credits per quarter (fall, winter, & spring)

  Majority of your courses need to be in-person. You are only allowed to take one online class per quarter towards your fulltime enrollment requirement. Hybrid, DE, and internship classes count as in-person.

   

  • You are not required to be registered for classes during the summer, unless you have been admitted to CWU for summer or are completing your degree by end of summer.
  • Graduate students, if you have completed all your required coursework and are solely enrolled in thesis work, the thesis enrollment counts as full-time enrollment for the F-1 visa.
  • Students who have a pending change of status (COS) application, should maintain the visa requirements of the visa status they are changing from while their application pending.
• Reduced Course Load

  You may request an exception to the fulltime enrollment requirement based on the acceptable reasons outlined below. You will need to apply for a reduced course load (RCL) and receive approval from ISSS before the quarter begins. You will need to complete the RCL form, and submit it to SEVIS@cwu.edu for review.

  You must receive ISSS approval for your RCL BEFORE you drop below a full course load.

  Failure to enroll fulltime without an approved RCL results in the termination on your I-20, accrual of unlawful presence and the loss of eligibility to maintain on-campus employment.

  Reasons to be approved for RCL

  • Final quarter
    • It is your final quarter before you graduate, and you need less than fulltime enrollment to complete your program. You must be enrolled in at least one in-person course.
  • Academic Difficulty
    • It is your first quarter at CWU and you are struggling to adapt to the classes due to:
      • Improper course level placement
      • Initial difficulty with English language
      • Initial difficulty with reading requirements
      • Unfamiliarity with U.S. teaching methods
    • If a student is concerned about the possibility of performing poorly in a course but their situation does not align with any of the four reasons stated above, they would not be eligible for a RCL based on academic difficulty.
  • Medical Condition

    • If you have a physical or mental condition that makes attending classes difficult. This request requires an official letter signed by a licensed medical professional (a U.S. medical doctor, doctor of osteopathy, psychiatrist, licensed psychologist, or clinical psychologist), including the following details:

      • Student’s full name and date of birth
      • Clear recommendation the student reduce their course load due to medical reasons
      • Date of recommendation (must be within a month of the request)
      • Specific quarter(s) for which the RCL is being recommended
      • Medical professional’s license number
    • A medical RCL is limited to 12 months, per degree level. Each quarter of a medical RCL must have a new request and corresponding updated letter from licensed medical professional.
• Concurrent Enrollment

  You may enroll at CWU and another institution at the same time, this is called Concurrent Enrollment. To be concurrently enrolled during a non-vacation quarter (Fall, Winter, Spring), you will need to satisfy the following requirements:

  1. Complete the Concurrent Enrollment Form and send it to SEVIS@cwu.edu for review
  2. Enroll in at least an equal number of credits at CWU as you will enroll in at the other school; while enrolling in at least 12 credits total between the two institutions. For example, as an undergraduate, you can take 6 credits at CWU and 6 credits at another school to meet the enrollment requirements.
     • Check with your academic advisor to ensure that your credits will transfer to CWU

  If you are enrolled at another university during the summer (vacation) quarter, please notify SEVIS@cwu.edu, so we can note on your I-20. You do not need to complete the Concurrent Enrollment Form during vacation quarter, and there are no enrollment requirements you need to fulfill.

• Program and I-20 Extension

  If you will not complete your academic program by the end date listed on your I-20, you will need to request an extension. If you are unsure of when you will be completing your program, please reach out to your academic advisor.

  Please email your extension request to SEVIS@cwu.edu. Items to provide in your request:

  • Reason for the delay in completion of your program
  • Number of quarters left to complete your program
  • A graduation plan (which you can get from your academic adviser)
  • Updated proof of financial support for the extended period.

  In order for you to maintain F-1 status, we need to process and approve the extension before the end date listed on your I-20.

• School and Visa Transfer

  If you wish to transfer to another U.S. school, you will need to have ISSS transfer your SEVIS record to the new school. Please meet with ISSS advisor to discuss your intent to transfer and to determine date of the transfer in SEVIS. You will need to provide us with an admission letter and SEVIS School Code for your new school.

  Information About OPT and Transferring Schools

  The Department of Homeland Security does not allow you to pursue Optional Practical Training (OPT) AND enroll in a program of study. If you have OPT authorization and intend to transfer to a new school to begin a new program of study, be aware that your OPT authorization will become void with your transfer.

  Contact an ISSS Adviser if you have questions regarding the grace period after OPT expiration and your ability to begin a new program of study.

• Reinstatement or Re-entry

  Violation of F-1 visa regulations results in the loss of legal status in the U.S.

  Consequences include, but are not limited to:

  • Ineligibility to work on-campus
  • Ineligibility to apply for or pursue curricular or optional practical training
  • Ineligibility to receive a SEVIS transfer to attend a new school
  • Ineligibility to apply to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for a change of visa status

  Regaining F-1 Legal Status

  It is important that you discuss legal status issues with an ISSS advisor. There are two ways in which you may be able to regain legal F-1 status:

  • Submit a Reinstatement of Legal Status Application to DHS
  • Re-enter the U.S. with a new “initial attendance ” I-20.

  If you re-enter with an “initial attendance” I-20, you will be required to enroll as a full-time student for at least one academic year before becoming eligible to apply for off-campus work permission and/or curricular or optional practical training.