F-1 students must comply with federal rules in order to maintain their legal immigration status in the U.S. Failure to maintain your status can result in severe consequences, including removal from the U.S. (deportation). The role of your Designated School Official (DSO) is to educate you about your rights and responsibilities. However, you alone are responsible for maintaining your legal status, not your DSO or the college.
Requirements for Maintaining Status
Below is a summary of your immigration responsibilities as an F-1 student. Be sure to review each point in detail.
Note that you will have additional immigration responsibilities in order to maintain your status while on post-completion OPT or STEM OPT.
1. Maintain valid and accurate immigration documents (e.g., passport, visa, I-94, and I-20)
Passport
Your passport should be valid for at least 6 months into the future. If your passport is about to expire, renew it while you are home on vacation or through your embassy or consulate in the United States. If you are issued a new passport, but your valid F-1 visa is in your expired passport, carry both passports when traveling in and out of the U.S. Your F-1 visa does not expire even if your passport does.
Important: if your passport is lost or stolen, file a police report and obtain a replacement passport (either from your home country or from your embassy or consulate in the U.S.) as soon as possible. Keep a copy of the police report for your records. The Department of State provides guidelines on how to address lost and stolen passports.
Visa
Visas are only used to enter the U.S. This means you can stay in the U.S. with an expired visa. However, if you intend to travel outside the U.S. on an expired or soon-to-expire visa, make plans to renew it abroad before re-entering. Visas can only be granted or renewed at U.S. embassies or consulates outside the U.S.
Important: if your visa is lost or stolen, you will need to apply for a replacement after returning to your home country. This application will require a copy of the police report. The Department of State provides guidelines on how to address lost and stolen visas.
I-94
The Form I-94 is an electronic record that documents the arrival and departure of students and scholars in the U.S. It’s proof of your legal F-1 status in the U.S. and is used to apply for benefits like a social security number, driver’s license, and employment.
Each time you re-enter the U.S., be sure to retrieve and save a PDF copy of your I-94. It’s recommended to always carry a copy of your most recent I-94 when you travel in the U.S.
Your most recent I-94 should:
- contain correct personal information and travel information;
- say “F-1” as your Class of Admission; and,
- say “DS” for your Admit Until Date.
Review your I-94 carefully each time you download it. If you notice any errors, let the ISS Office know as soon as possible.
I-20
The Form I-20 is a physical form of your record in SEVIS and identifies you as a student at Pomona. Please keep an unexpired, signed, and accurate physical I-20 form with you at all times.
Your I-20 is valid up to the end date on your I-20. If you cannot complete your studies by the end date on your I-20, speak to the ISS Office before the end date about the possibility of program extension. Similarly, if you will be completing your program earlier than expected, your DSO will need to change the end date on your I-20 to your new expected graduation date. More information about early graduation and extension can be found here.
2. Maintain full-time enrollment and make normal progress toward your degree
In general, students maintaining full-time enrollment at Pomona College are expected to take 4 course credits per semester. Those who take 4 course credits per semester tend to graduate within 4 years. However, you can enroll in a minimum of 3 course credits a semester and still be considered enrolled full-time.
Note that by the third week of the semester, the ISS Office receives a report from the Registrar on the enrollment status of each F-1 student and updates SEVIS records accordingly. During the semester, the Registrar will also automatically report to the ISS Office whenever you drop below 3 course credits.
If you cannot maintain full-time enrollment, let the ISS Office know immediately. Under certain circumstances, you may be authorized by your DSO to enroll for less than a full-time course load while still meeting the requirements to maintain your status. Learn more about reduced course load (RCL).
3. Notify ISS about changes to your address or contact information within 10 days
Your contact information and address must be current in SEVIS at all times.
At the beginning of each term, email iss@pomona.edu to report your residence hall and room number. If you move to a different hall or even a different room, you must report the change to iss@pomona.edu within 10 days of moving. If you are living off campus, you must also report any address changes within 10 days of moving.
Changing your address with the Registrar’s office is not sufficient to keep your SEVIS record current.
4. Notify ISS about any changes to your major or status at the college
If you need to do any of the following, let the ISS Office know right away. These will involve updates to your SEVIS record, a new I-20, and/or other procedures your DSO may need to advise you on.
- Update your major
- Transfer to a new school
- Take a leave of absence due to personal reasons, suspension, etc.
- Request a program extension
5. Have an unexpired travel signature when traveling abroad
To return to the U.S. from abroad, you must have an unexpired travel signature from your DSO on the second page of your I-20. This signature confirms that you are maintaining lawful status as a student and is required for re-entering the U.S. Travel signatures are usually valid for 12 months (or 6 months if on post-completion OPT).
To request a travel signature, reach out to the ISS office. If you receive a new I-20 with a digital travel signature, remember to print, then sign the Student Attestation section on page 1 in pen. Learn more about traveling as an international student.
Studying Abroad
International students abroad on approved study abroad programs are still considered enrolled at Pomona. Since you will still have immigration responsibilities while studying abroad, you must consult with the ISS office and obtain approval before finalizing your study abroad plans.
6. Do not exceed allowed hours for on-campus employment
Working on campus full-time (more than 20 hours a week) is only allowed during winter, spring, and summer break. You are not permitted to work on campus after graduation.
While school is in session, you can only work up to a total of 20 hours per week on campus. This total includes all hours worked for Pomona College (which limits student employment to 12 hours per week) or any of the other Claremont Colleges. For example, if you work 12 hours at your Pomona job and 8 hours at your Pitzer job, you will reach the maximum of 20 hours per week.
Learn more about on-campus employment.
7. Obtain authorization from ISS before seeking off-campus opportunities
All off-campus opportunities must be authorized by your DSO and/or the U.S. government before beginning said opportunity. This can include paid or unpaid internships, attendance at a conference, independent studies, and course work where you’ll receive compensation such as food, transportation, books, tuition, etc. Learn more about off-campus employment in the U.S.
Off-Campus Employment Authorization based on Economic Hardship
If your family experiences a severe economic hardship (e.g., loss of employment, severe family illness, etc.) and you are not able to apply for financial aid, you might be able to apply for a work permit for Economic Hardship from the federal government so that you can work off campus. Contact iss@pomona.edu for details.
8. Leave the U.S. within the appropriate grace period
If you’ve completed your program (either by graduating from Pomona or finishing OPT/ STEM OPT): You have a grace period of 60 daysafter the program end date listed on your I-20 or, if applicable, the end date of your OPT/STEM OPT to leave the U.S. During this time, you can:
- travel within the U.S.
- transfer to a new academic program in the U.S. that starts within five months
- apply for OPT/STEM OPT (if eligible)
- apply for a change of status to another visa type
If you have received prior authorization to withdraw from classes: You have a grace period of 15 days after your withdrawal date to leave the U.S. Students who withdraw from classes without prior authorization are not eligible for a grace period and must leave the U.S. as soon as possible.
Important: If you leave the U.S. before the end of your grace period, you forfeit the remaining days of your grace period and will be unable to return even if your visa is still valid. You will also no longer have legal status in the U.S.
Visa vs. Status
A visa is the stamp put in your passport by an embassy or consulate of another country that allows you to enter that country. Many think visas also determine how long you can stay in the country, but in the U.S., this is not the case. Instead, how long you can stay is related to your "status" in the U.S.
"Status" is the word that describes how a person's period of stay in the U.S. is classified. When you enter the U.S. with an I-20 and F-1 visa, you are granted F-1 status. Those on F-1 status are allowed an "indefinite period of stay" also known as Duration of Status (D/S). This means you can stay in the U.S. as long as you are following your various immigration responsibilities as an F-1 student.
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