Federal law requires you to carry "registration" documents at all times, including your I-20 and I-94 card. For day-to-day purposes, we suggest that these documents be kept in a secure location. However, if you are traveling within the U.S. you should carry these documents with you. If you are traveling by air, train, bus or ship, you may be required to produce these documents before boarding. Keep photocopies of all your documents in a separate location in the event your documents are lost or stolen.

Passport
Your passport must be valid at all times. Keep your passport and other important docu-ments in a safe place. Report a lost or stolen passport to the police, as your government may require a police report before issuing a new passport. To renew or replace your passport, contact your country's consulate in the U.S.

Visa
The visa is the stamp that the U.S. consular officer placed on a page in your passport. The visa permitted you to apply for admission into the U.S. as an F-1 student, and need not remain valid while you are in the U.S. Further information on Visas can be found here.

I-20
Issued by your school, this document allows you to apply for a visa, enter or re-enter the U.S., and make certain other requests to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Your I-20 must remain valid at all times. Request a new form prior to its expiration date. Keep every I-20 for your permanent record. Do not discard the old ones.

I-94 Departure Record
When you entered the U.S. you were issued Form I-94, a small white card usually stapled to the passport opposite the visa stamp. The I-94 card records the date and place you entered the U.S., your immigration status (for example, F-1 or F-2), and authorized period of stay (usually written simply as "D/S", meaning "duration of status"). A $320 fee is required to replace a lost, stolen or damaged I-94.

Duration of Status
Your admission to the U.S. is for the time during which you are pursuing a full course of study and making normal progress toward your degree, or engaging in authorized practical training following completion of studies, plus 60 days to prepare to depart the U.S.

University reporting requirements
Saint Mary’s is required to report to Immigration. Through SEVIS (Student and Exchange Visitor Information System) the following information on F-1 students:

• Whether a student has enrolled at the Saint Mary’s or failed to enroll within 30 days of the start of the semester.
•  A change of the student or dependent's legal name or address.
• Any student who graduates prior to the end date listed on the I-20.
• Academic or disciplinary actions taken due to a criminal conviction.
• Whether the student drops below a full course of study without prior authorization from the Office of Student Services.
• SEVIS record termination date and reason for termination.
• Other data generated by standard procedures such as program extension, school transfer, change in level of study or major, employment authorization, or reinstatement.
• Any student who fails to maintain status or complete his or her program.

Program extension
If you are unable to complete your course of study before the completion date noted in item 5 on your I-20, you will need to contact the Office of Student Services to ask for a new I-20 to be issued. The new I-20 must be issued before your current I-20 expires. For more information, see Extend Program.

School transfer
You must register full-time at the school that issued the I-20 you used to enter the U.S. If you later decide to transfer to another school, contact the Office of Student Services prior to completing your semester or OPT at your current school for information about school transfer procedures. For more information, see Transferring SEVIS Record.

Change of level
If you complete your current program of study and plan to continue at Saint Mary’s in another program (for example, changing from a bachelor's degree to a master's degree), this change must be reported to immigration, new financial documents must be obtained and your I-20 must be updated. Contact the Office of Student Services before completing your current program for procedures. For more information, see Change of Level.

Change of major
If you change your major (for example, from Management to MBA), report this change to Office of Student Services, and a new I-20 will be issued to you. For more information, see Change of Major.

Change of funding
If your sponsor or amount of funding changes, report this change to the Office of Student Services and a new I-20 will be issued to you. For more information, see Change of Funding.

Full-time requirements
A "full course of study" is 12 or more credits per semester for undergraduates, and 8 or more credits per semester for graduate students. Your international student adviser in the Office of Student Services may allow exceptions to the full-time requirement, as listed below:

• You may take fewer credits for valid academic reasons. Less than full-time enrollment due to documented academic reasons is only allowed one semester per degree level. This must be approved in advance by the Office of Student Services.
• You may reduce or interrupt a full course of study because of a documented medical condition.
• In your final semester you may take as few credits as required to complete your degree as long as you register for at least one credit.

Do not register for fewer than the required number of credits or withdraw from a course without first receiving permission from your international student adviser in the Office of Student Services. Part-time studies could jeopardize your stay in the U.S. and make you ineligible for F-1 benefits.

Summer Semester
If you have completed one full academic year (fall and spring semester), you are not required to attend school during the summer semester. Please let your international student adviser in the Office of Student Services know if you will be taking the summer off for vacation. If you begin Saint Mary’s in the summer semester, you will be required to register as a full-time student.

Employment
Employment off-campus must be authorized in advance and in accordance with specific procedures outlined in the federal regulations. For more information see F-1 Employment.

Returning to the U.S. after a temporary absence
At the port-of-entry you must present:

• An unexpired I-20 endorsed for travel within the last six months by your international student adviser in the Office of Student Services.
• Valid F-1 visa.
• Valid Passport.
• Evidence of finances.
• Copy of your transcript and current course schedule. (suggested)
• Students outside the U.S. for more than five months and those on "practical training" may have additional requirements. Please contact the Office of Student Services.

For more information see travel.

Dependents
Your spouse and unmarried children under 21 may be eligible for F-2 "dependent" status. Contact the Office of Student Services for procedures to invite a dependent to join you in the U.S.

Change of address
Any change of address must be reported to Immigration within 10 days. Update your local address in WebTools, and the Office of Student Services will be automatically notified and will update your file with Immigration. If you are on OPT, email your international student adviser with your new local address. To update your permanent foreign address, email your international student adviser.

Change of name
If you change your name, you must report it to the Office of the Registrar in person and provide legal documentation that reflects the name change. You must also notify your international student adviser and provide documentation of the name change. Should your dependents have a name change, you must provide documentation of the name change so the I-20 can be updated.

University Dismissal or Withdrawal from All Courses
If you need to withdraw from classes, or are asked to leave the university, you must report this to your international student adviser. If you report this prior to your with-drawal or dismissal, you will have 15 days to leave the United States. If you do not re-port this to your international student adviser, your status ends immediately.

Regaining F-1 status: Reinstatement
If you violate the immigration regulations you may be reinstated to lawful status if you have not been out of status more than five months, do not have a record of repeated or willful violations of immigration regulations, are currently pursuing or intending to pursue a full course of study, have not engaged in unauthorized employment, and establish that the violation of status resulted from circumstances beyond your control (for example, serious injury or illness, a natural disaster, or inadvertence on the part of an international student). For more information, please contact the Office of Student Services.

Graduation
Please notify your international student adviser in the Office of Student Services at least one semester prior to your graduation date so we may give you appropriate information concerning practical training, school transfer, travel and other procedures.

Students must be aware of and comply fully with the following:

• You must maintain a valid passport at all times, unless exempt from passport requirements.
• You must maintain a valid, unexpired I-20 or DS-2019 at all times. This includes correct level and major, current funding and correct personal data.
• You must enroll in and attend classes. If you plan on taking a semester off other than summer, you must obtain prior approval from the Designated School Official (DSO) in the Office of Student Services
• You must attend the college/university listed on your I-20 or DS-2019. Prior approval from the Designated School Official (DSO) is needed if you plan to take classes at another school. If you dual enroll, you must take the majority of your credits per semester at SMU.
• You must complete a full course of study during normal enrollment periods (fall & spring semesters). Full time is defined as 12 credits per semester for undergraduates and 8 credits per semester for graduate students. Finally, if you are an Ed.D. student and you are taking your comprehensive exams or working on your dissertation, full time is 1 credit per semester.
• You must be enrolled for your courses by the beginning of each semester. The Office of Student Services is required to report underenrollment to the DHS (Department of Homeland Security) within 30 days of the end of the registration period. Any student who is not enrolled will be reported and will be considered out of status.
• If you will not be enrolled full-time, you must receive prior approval from your DSO.
  Underenrollment options are limited to the following conditions:
  
  • You can only be underenrolled for academic difficulty for one semester per degree.
  • You can be underenrolled for medical reasons for two semesters per degree (12 months) Medical reasons must be substantiated by a medical doctor or a board certified psychologist.
  • You can be underenrolled in your last semester before graduating if you need less than a full course load to graduate.

• You must report any change of address or residence to the DSO within 5 days of the change.
• If you change your name, you must report it to the Office of the Registrar in person and provide legal documentation that reflects the name change. If the name of your dependents change, please report this your DSO along with documentation of the name change.
• You must apply for an extension of your program of study prior to the expiration date on your I-20. Requests for extensions should be submitted 30 days prior to the expiration date of the I-20.
• You must obtain a new I-20 if you change your academic program from one degree level to another (e.g., from Bachelor’s to Master’s level), or one major/field of study to another (e.g., from Management to MBA). You must also obtain a new I-20 if your source of funding changes (e.g. from Parents to Uncle).
• Prior to traveling outside the U.S. make sure that your I-2 has been endorsed for travel by your DSO in the last six months. • If you wish to bring dependents in F-2, you may request an I-20 from your DSO
• You are NOT allowed to work in the United States without authorization. F-1 students are allowed to work on campus up to 20 hours per week when school is in session.
• If you intend to transfer to another educational institution, you must notify your DSO in advance of this transfer and supply the DSO with a copy of your admissions letter to the new school.
• If you need to withdraw from classes, or are asked to leave the university, you must report this to your DSO. If you report your DSO prior to your withdrawal, you will have 15 days to leave the United States. If you do not report to your DSO, your status ends immediately.
• The normal grace period to remain in the U.S. following degree/program completion is 60 days for F-1 students.

What is SEVIS and SEVP? What should you know about it?

The Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) is designed to help the Department of Homeland Security and Department of State better monitor school and exchange programs and F, M and J category visitors. Exchange visitor and student information is maintained in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS). SEVIS is an Internet-based system that maintains accurate and current information on non-immigrant students (F and M visa), exchange visitors (J visa), and their dependents (F-2, M-2, and J-2). SEVIS enables schools and program sponsors to transmit mandatory information and event notifications via the Internet, to the Department of Homeland Security and Department of State (DOS) throughout a student or exchange visitor's stay in the United States.

All student applicants must have a SEVIS generated I-20 issued by an educational institution approved by DHS, which they submit when they are applying for their student visa. The consular officer will need to verify your I-20 record electronically through the SEVIS system in order to process your student visa application. Unless otherwise exempt, participants whose SEVIS I-20 was issued on or after September 1, 2004 must pay a SEVIS I-901 Fee to the Department of Homeland Security for each individual program. The fee may be paid either through a special website, via Western Union, or by mail. See SEVIS-901 Fee or SEVIS for further information on how to pay the fee.