Maintain Immigration Status

Part of maintaining your student status is keeping all of your documents safe and current. In addition to keeping the original documents safe, it is a good idea to keep copies of everything, to help speed up the process of recovering lost, stolen, or expired documents. You will also need to monitor the expiration dates of all documents to determien if/when they should be renewed.

Note: If your documents are stolen, inform the International Office as soon as possible. We may recommend that you file a police report and contact the embassy or consulate of your home country. 

Form I-20 or Form DS-2019

You receive an initial form during the admissions process and will received an updated form during SEVIS registration. Keep these documents in a safe place. You can only be issued a new form if one of the following applies:

Form I-94

The I-94 is an arrival record of visitors to the U.S. There are two types of I-94s:

1. On the electronic entry record (after July 2013) accessible here: https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/I94/#/home 
2. On a Change of Status Approval Notice, if you changed your immigration status while in the U.S.

Note: You must enter the U.S. on the appropriate immigration status. If your I-94 indicates you arrived under a B1/B2 visa, then you must correct your I-94 record. 

If there is an error on your electronic I-94, you will need to contact CBP or visit the CBP Deferred Inspection Office closest to your location. You can visit the CBP Web site at www.cbp.gov or call CBP at 1-877-CBP-5511 (1-877-227-5511) Monday through Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time. You may bring the incorrect Form I-94 and documentation (passport and visa) to any CBP Port of Entry or Deferred Inspection Office. You may also call to make an appointment.

PASSPORT

Your passport should always be valid for at least six months into the future. Contact your local embassy or consulate to replace or renew your passport. If your passport will expire and you plan to return home, renew your passport during your visit home. If you will remain in the U.S.,  contact your country's embassy or consulate for more details. 

Note: If your valid visa is in the expired passport, travel with both the expired and the new passports.

VISA

A visa is a document issued in your home country by the embassy or consulate of the country you plan to visit. You need an valid (not expired) visa to enter the U.S. The visa is only an entry document. If your visa expires while you are in the U.S., you do not need to renew it until you travel outside of the U.S. again.

Visas must always be renewed outside of the U.S. If you leave the U.S. without a valid visa, you will not be able to return to the U.S. until you receive a new visa. If your visa is denied, you will not be able to return to the U.S. as a student. One general exception to the expired visa rule is travel to Canada, Mexico, or the Caribbean islands for less than 30 days. 

Most visas are issued for multiple entries to the U.S., but some visas are only good for a single entry. You can find this information by checking the "Entries" section of your visa - (M) for multiple and (1) for single entry.

Report to the International Office every semester. We must physically see you every semester you are enrolled at KU to report your status in the SEVIS system.

To complete your SEVIS registration, you must report to the International Office no later than the first week of class and complete the SEVIS Registration Form in the presence of one of the staff and get our signature on the SEVIS registration form.

When to contact the International Office:

• Change of address or phone number. SEVIS must be updated within 10 days.
• Change of financial situation and financial support documents. SEVIS must be updated within 10 days. You must pay your bill in full every semester or you will not be able to register for classes in future semesters or request official transcripts from the Registrar.
• Change of major or minor. Your SEVIS record and Form I-20 must be updated within 21 days.
• If you need to extend the program end date listed on your Form I-20. Extensions can be granted for valid academic or health reasons if you need additional time to complete our program. You must notify the office at least 30 days before the expiration date on the I-20.
• If you may be under-enrolled during your last/final semester. For the last semester you are enrolled, you may be approved to take a reduced course load, which must be approved by the International Office. If you need only one class, it cannot be an online class.

Your Form I-20/DS-2019 and passport should indicate D/S or Duration of Status. This means that you may stay in the U.S. until your program end date (or post-completion OPT/STEM Extension end date), even if your visa expires. The program end date determines the length of time you will be in status as long as you follow the regulations.

You must continue to enroll in classes every fall and spring semester until you complete your degree to remain in status. You do not have to enroll in classes during the summer break, generally May-August, to maintain status. Any breaks in enrollment could cause you to fall out of status and have your SEVIS record terminated. You are permitted to remain in the U.S. during official university breaks and holidays. You must abide by the grace periods for departure outlined below when you complete your course of study or end your attendance at KU.

Grace Periods for Departure

Program completion/Graduation: 60 days

• Prepare for departure
• Transfer to another school or degree program
• Apply for OPT
• Apply for Change of Status
• Travel within U.S. and continuous countries (Canada, Mexico, and U.S. territories)
• No travel outside of U.S.
• Restricted employment

Withdraws authorized and approved by the International Office: 15 days

• Prepare for departure
• No transfers to other college/university
• No travel outside of U.S.
• No employment

Unauthorized withdraw/Failure to maintain status: No grace period, immediate departure from U.S.

Contact the International Office to find out what steps you must take if you are out of status and need to be reinstated. If you fail to maintain your status, you have two options to get your F-1 status back:

1. Travel home and return in F-1 status
   • Get a new I-20 with a new SEVIS ID (will require updated financial documents)
   • Pay the SEVIS I-901 fee
   • Apply for a new visa
   • Return to the U.S. with F-1 status

2. Apply to USCIS to be reinstated to lawful F-1 status if you:
   • Have not been out of status for more than 5 months at the time of filing the request for reinstatement (or demonstrate that the failure to file within the 5-month period was the result of exceptional circumstances and that you filed the request for reinstatement as promptly as possible under these exceptional circumstances);
   • Do not have a record of repeated or willful violations of the service regulations;
   • Are currently pursuing, or intend to pursue, a full course of study at the school which issued the SEVIS Form I-20;
   • Have not engaged in unlawful employment;
   • Are not deportable on any ground other than section 237(a)(1)(B) or (C)(i) of the Act; and
   • Establish to the satisfaction of the Service, by a detailed showing, either that:
     • The violation of status resulted from circumstances beyond your control. Such circumstances might include serious injury or illness, closure of the institution, a natural disaster, or inadvertence, oversight or neglect on the part of the institution, but do not include instances where a pattern of repeated violations or where a willful failure on your part that resulted in the need for reinstatement; or
     • The violation relates to a reduction in your course load that would have been within an institution's power to authorize, and that failure to approve reinstatement would result in extreme hardship to you.