MAINTAINING YOUR F-l STATUS

NOTE: You cannot attend UCO if you are out of status unless you first apply for reinstatement with INS.

*There are various ways in which a student can lose his/her F-l student status. It is your obligation to be aware of your responsibilities as an F-I student. In order to maintain F-l status, you must adhere to the *following regulations:

1. Attend the school whose 1-20 you used to enter the U.S.

2. Be enrolled FULL TIME EACH SEMESTER. Full time means 12 Undergraduate level. credit hours Or 9 graduate level credit hours. Please note: for Graduate students the 9 credit hours are graduate level. If you are mixing graduate and undergraduate credit hours then the requirement is 12 credit hours.  DO NOT withdraw from a class if it leaves you with less than the required number of hours at the end of the semester. You are not required to attend during the summer UNLESS it is your first semester in the US as an F1 Student. Remember a grade of "F" does NOT count towards your credit hours. Only successfully completed courses will count towards your minimum credit hours.

Note: Correspondence courses, auditing a course, CLEP tests and distance learning do not count towards a full program of study.

3. Maintain a valid passport at all times. It is highly recommended that you apply for a new passport or extension at least six months prior to the expiration date.

4. Notify the International Office of intentions to transfer to another institution or change level of program, in order to update INS. Note- Those students transferring from other institutions to UCO must complete the transfer process with the International Office no later than 10 days into the semester of acceptance.

5. You must not remain in the U. S .beyond the time authorized under D/S, without applying for an extension. As F-l visa holders, you are allowed to remain in the U.S. until completion of the degree. However, if this takes more time than noted on #5 of the I-20 (due to valid reasons), you must apply for an extension of the I-20 no later than 30 days before the expiration date. If you allow your 1-20 to expire, you will lose your student status.

6. Under no circumstances can you work off campus without first obtaining permission from INS. In addition, you must limit employment to a total of 20 hours per week while school is in session, both on and off campus.

Failure to comply with these rules will result in the loss of your status and jeopardize your stay in the U.S. If you lose your F-l status, you will not be eligible to receive F-l student benefits unless you apply for reinstatement and receive approval from INS.

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* Loss of status is not limited to these items. These are the most common.