This page is for current and new F-1 students who have been issued a Form I-20 by WashU.
Maintaining your F-1 visa status
The Office for International Students and Scholars (OISS) will maintain your Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) record based on your reporting and applications. OISS is required to register your SEVIS record each semester to confirm that you are maintaining your F-1 immigration status. Do the following to maintain F-1 status (note this is not an exhaustive list):
- Check-in with OISS upon arrival and attend orientation (1st semester of attendance)
- Complete the online required F-1/J-1 Immigration Course
- Enroll full-time in coursework
- Make normal progress toward completing your course of study
- Follow employment regulations – work off-campus only with authorization
- Do not engage in unauthorized activity
- Report your contact information within ten (10) days of the change
- Keep your documents valid
F-1 documents
As regulated by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), OISS keeps F immigration status records and documents for three (3) years following completion of studies or post-completion work authorization period. Remember to keep copies of all of your immigration documents. Originals should be kept safe and used for limited purposes, including travel, immigration applications and social security applications.
If you change your legal name, the change must first be reflected on your passport. Once the change to your passport has been made, email your OISS adviser within 10 days to report the change. They will have you submit a Passport Name Change request in MyOISS.
As the host of your academic program, WashU issues this form to you. At the time of your visa application, the U.S. consulate reviews your Form 1-20. When you enter the U.S., the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) examines and returns the I-20 to you at the U.S. port of entry. The I-20 must remain valid and up-to-date during your stay in the U.S. in F-1 status.
If any information on your I-20 is incorrect, notify your OISS adviser immediately. If your I-20 is lost or stolen, download your most recent I-20 in your MyOISS account. If any information on the I-20 changes at any point after the I-20 is issued, notify OISS by submitting a request via the MyOISS platform. Your Form I-20 must remain accurate in order for you to maintain legal status while in the U.S.
All nonimmigrants must have a valid passport to enter and remain in the U.S. In most cases, your passport needs to be valid for the next six (6) months any time you seek admission into the U.S. at the port of entry. Do not let your passport expire while staying in the U.S. or you could lose eligibility for certain benefits. Students who are citizens of countries that are part of the Six-Month Club are exempt from this rule.
Contact your home government regarding the renewal of your passport well in advance of its expiration. Each country has different procedures and processing times for extending a passport. Your home country embassy website should have instructions regarding passport renewal.
If your passport is lost or stolen, call the WashU police (WUPD) immediately. You will need a police report when applying for a replacement from your home government. You will obtain a new passport directly with the embassy or consulate.
Form I-94 is the official arrival/departure record issued to a nonimmigrant upon entry into the U.S. by Custom and Border Protection (CBP). I-94 details your admission status (F-1), date of entry and your period of authorized stay in the U.S. CBP will record this information electronically, and you should access and print it on the CBP website. Sometimes a CBP officer will also stamp this information directly into your passport.
For F-1 students, I-94 period of authorized stay is noted as “Duration of Status (D/S),” which is defined as:
- the time during which you are pursuing a full course of study and making normal progress toward completing your studies
- if applicable, the time you are working in authorized practical training after completion of studies
- a 60-day grace period during which you can prepare to depart the country, apply for a change to another visa status or begin practical training
Duration of status is limited by the program end date listed in the Program of Study section of your I-20. If you need more time to complete your program, you must apply for an extension before the end date on your I-20.
A new I-94 is issued every time you enter the U.S. It is important the you check the I-94 every time you travel to ensure that the correct status (F-1) and duration (D/S) is recorded on the form. If you see incorrect information on your I-94, notify your OISS adviser immediately.
Unless you are Canadian citizen, you must have a valid F-1 visa stamp (also referred to as “visa”) in your passport to be eligible to enter the U.S. in F-1 status. The U.S. Department of State (DOS) will not issue your visa until you receive your I-20. A visa stamp is an entry permit valid for a specific time frame. It allows you to seek admission into the U.S., but it neither guarantees admission into the country nor determines the length of legal stay. Therefore, the expiration of your visa does not affect permission to stay or work in the U.S.
The receipt is proof to the U.S. consulate that you have paid the SEVIS fee. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) charges the SEVIS fee for administration and maintenance of the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS). SEVIS monitors and tracks F-1 students, J-1 Exchange Visitors and their dependents.
Once you receive your I-20, you must pay the SEVIS fee by completing an I-901 Fee Remittance form online. Print the payment confirmation after payment is complete. If you are already in F-1 status and transferring your SEVIS record to WashU, you do not have to pay this fee again.
F-1 students who have paid their required I‑901 SEVIS fee can access FMJfee.com on their mobile devices. The mobile‑friendly site will provide news and updates regarding the SEVIS fee, as well as answers to frequently asked questions.
Be sure to retain a copy of the SEVIS fee receipt for visa application and travel purposes.
Considerations for doctoral students
WashU is proud to host international doctoral students in a number of disciplines across campus. As a doctoral student, there are two stages to your academic program. The first is completion of coursework that is required to obtain your degree. The second is thesis/dissertation research and writing. OISS will work with you during each stage.
Employment
F-1 students are allowed to work on-campus no more than 20 hours per week during the regular semester. Off-campus employment may also be available as Curricular Practical Training (CPT). OISS must pre-authorize all off-campus employment.
For more information on employment regulations and how to receive authorization, visit the Employment & Taxes page.
Program extensions and end date
F-1 students have a 60-day grace period to remain in the U.S. upon completion of their degree program or their OPT/STEM OPT period. However, if you need additional time to complete your academic program, you must apply for a program extension. You are eligible to extend your I-20 if all of the following are true:
- the program end date on your current I-20 has not passed
- you have continually maintained status
- you are unable to finish your degree program by the end date on your I-20 because of compelling academic or medical reasons
To request an extension based on an academic reason, you must submit the I-20 Extension request within MyOISS. Your academic adviser must approve the reason(s) for delayed completion of your program and provide the new expected date of completion. If the reason for the extension is medical, you need authorization from WashU Cares (for Danforth Students) or Student Health Services (for Med Campus). You must provide new financial documents if your funding has changed.
If your extension request is approved, OISS will authorize it in SEVIS and provide you with an updated I-20 showing the new program end date.
When your expected end date does not match the official end of a semester based on WashU’s academic calendar, contact your OISS adviser for the appropriate form.
If you do not meet the eligibility requirements for a program extension, you will be considered “out of status” if you remain in the U.S. beyond your current I-20 end date. Contact your OISS adviser to learn about requirements for an I-20 extension.
Change of education level
A student who completes one degree at WashU and wishes to pursue another must obtain an I‑20 for the new degree. To obtain the new I-20, you must provide OISS an admission letter and documentation of sufficient financial resources. You must do this within 60 days of completion of the first degree program to maintain status.
To request a change of level, you must submit the Change of Education Level request in MyOISS. You will receive a new I-20 when the change of level has been processed in MyOISS. This new I-20 uses the same SEVIS ID number, meaning that you are not required to pay the SEVIS I-901 fee again.
SEVIS transfers
Transfer in
If you are a newly admitted student and you are already in the U.S. in F-1 status, you will need to transfer your SEVIS record to WashU from your current institution. This process is commonly referred to as a SEVIS transfer-in. After your current institution transfers your SEVIS record to WashU, OISS will issue you an I-20 that indicates that your transfer is pending. To complete the process, you must report to OISS 15 days before the program start date listed on your new I-20 from WashU.
Notify your admitting department of your intent to transfer in, if applicable, to learn about the steps you will need to take to initiate this process.
Transfer out
If you are a current WashU student who is completing or about to complete a degree at WashU and wants to begin a new program at another U.S. school, you will need to transfer your SEVIS record from WashU within 60 days of graduation (or program end date on your I-20, whichever is sooner). The date when you transfer your SEVIS record is the date when your record is released to the new school.
If you are transferring during an academic program, you may choose any release date as long as it is scheduled after completion of coursework at the first school and before coursework at the second school.
A maximum of five (5) months is allowed between coursework at the institutions. Your courses (not orientation) at the new school must begin within 5 months of your I-20 end date or post-completion OPT end date.
If you are not in legal status when transferring, you should consult with international student advisers at both schools about the reinstatement process.
Submit a Transfer Out request in MyOISS to complete the SEVIS transfer-out process.
Failure to maintain status
F-1 students have a 60-day grace period to remain in the U.S. upon completion of their degree program or their OPT/STEM OPT period.
The Illegal Immigrant Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 imposes certain penalties on those who overstay their status in the U.S. and those who are “unlawfully” present for certain periods of time. The law provides penalties for those who stay beyond the period authorized and those who are unlawfully present. If a student stays beyond their authorized time period, they are deemed to have violated their student status and will begin to accrue unlawful presence.
The visa of an individual who stays beyond the authorized period is automatically considered void (even if it appears to be valid in the student’s passport). All future nonimmigrant visa applications must be made in the country of nationality unless the circumstances have been defined as “extraordinary” by the Department of State (DOS).
| Overstay period | U.S. admission ban period |
| More than 180 days but less than 1 year | 3 years |
| More than 1 year | 10 years |
What to do if you fall out of status
Failure to maintain F-1 status has long lasting consequences that affect your eligibility to study at WashU and to obtain other statuses in the future.
If you fail to maintain status, you may not be able to continue to study at WashU until you have taken the appropriate steps to restore status, if possible. If you believe that you have failed to maintain your status, it is important to notify OISS immediately. Do not ignore this issue as it can make your status situation worse.
Reinstatement
It may be possible to file for reinstatement of your student status. Reach out to your OISS adviser to learn if this option is available.