Maintaining Status While in the U.S.

As an international student/scholar, it is your responsibility to maintain your immigration status by complying with all applicable U.S. immigration regulations. These requirements are established by the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and failure to follow them may affect your legal status in the United States. The International Advising Office is here to assist you. You should always ask if you are unsure about an immigration regulation.

• Check-in with International Advising within 2 weeks at the start of every term and attend orientation of your first term of attendance

• Maintain a full course of study at Union College

• Make normal academic progress toward completing your course of study

• Follow all employment regulations: work off-campus only with authorization

• Do not engage in unauthorized activity

• Report a change of address or contact information within ten (10) days of the change to the International Advising Office

• Keep all your immigration documents valid and up-to-date, and maintain virtual copies in your International Google Drive folder of each one; be sure to upload the most current versions should you receive new ones while you're studying in the States

In accordance with Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) regulations, Union’s International Advising Office maintains F-1 student immigration records for three (3) years after you complete your academic program or any authorized period of post-completion OPT/employment.

However, we ask that students keep copies of all immigration documents for their personal records. Store all original documents in a secure location and use them only when necessary, such as for international travel, immigration applications, or applying for a Social Security number. Do not dispose of or destroy any past documents as you may need them in the future.

Documents include:

• Form I-20 or DS-2019 including past I-20s
• Valid Passport
• I-94 (issued new every time you enter the country)
• F-1 visa (if required)

F-1 international students must maintain a full-time course load each academic term to remain in valid immigration status. At Union College, full-time enrollment is defined as at least three courses per term.

The International Advising Office is required to report students’ enrollment and immigration status to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) each term. This includes reporting when a student is not enrolled full time.

If you need to take fewer than three courses in a term, you must receive authorization from the International Advising Office before dropping below full-time enrollment. This authorization is called a Reduced Course Load (RCL). Only specific circumstances permitted by federal regulations qualify for an RCL, and approval is not automatic.

Dropping below full-time enrollment without prior authorization may result in the loss of your F-1 status. If you are considering dropping a course or enrolling in fewer than three courses, contact the International Advising Office before making any changes to your schedule.

U.S. immigration regulations require Union College to maintain and report certain contact information for F-1 and J-1 students through the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS). International Advising has a mandatory check-in at the beginning of each term, but things can change during the course of the term or the year. To ensure your SEVIS record remains accurate, you must notify International Advising via email of any changes to the following within 10 days:

• Your U.S. residential (local) address
• Your phone number
• Your email address

For help on Zip Codes, go to the ZIP code lookup section on the U.S. Postal Service website. Input your address information, and it will give you the correct ZIP code and formatting.