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It is your responsibility to understand and comply with the terms of your immigration status during your stay in the United States. A violation of the immigration regulations (for example, failure to maintain a full-time credit load or unauthorized employment) could jeopardize your student status. Please review this information carefully and contact the Office of International Students and Scholars (ISS) if you have questions.

Federal law requires you to carry "registration" documents at all times, including I-20 (F-1) or DS-2019 (J-1) and I-94 card. For day-to-day purposes, we suggest that these documents be kept in a secure location such as a bank safe deposit box. 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 documents in a safe place, such as a bank safe-deposit box. 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. While in the U.S., always carry with you a photocopy of the passport's identity page and photocopies of the other documents listed below.

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. (Canadian citizens are not required to have a visa.)

I-20 Certificate of Eligibility
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). The 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. Except for brief visits to Canada, Mexico or adjacent islands, you will be issued a new I-94 card each time you enter the U.S. 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.

Period of authorized stay
Your admission to the U.S. is for "duration of status;" that 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.

Program extension
If you are unable to complete your course of study before the completion date noted in item 5 on your I-20, ask your ISS advisor to issue a new I-20. The new I-20 must be issued before your current I-20 expires. For more information, see Program Extension.

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 ISS prior to completing your final quarter at your current school for information about school transfer procedures. For more information, see School Transfer.

Change of level
If you complete your current program of study and plan to continue at the University of Washington in another program (for example, change from bachelor's to master's), this change must be reported to immigration and your I-20 must be updated. Contact ISS for procedures. For more information, see Change of Level.

Change of major
If you change your major (for example, from Biology to History), report this change to ISS, and a new I-20 will be issued to you. For more information, see Change of Major.

Change of funding
If the source or amount of funding changes, report this change to ISS 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 quarter for undergraduate, and 10 or more credits per quarter for graduate students. Your ISS adviser 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 quarter per degree level. This must be approved in advance by ISS.
• Graduate students registered for thesis or dissertation credits may register for fewer than 10 credits and be considered full-time for immigration purposes.
• You may reduce or interrupt a full course of study because of a documented medical condition.
• In your final quarter 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 ISS adviser. Part-time studies could jeopardize your stay in the U.S. and make you ineligible F-1 benefits.

Annual vacation quarter
You may take a "vacation quarter" and remain in the U.S. if you have completed three full-time consecutive quarters and are eligible and intend to register for the quarter following the vacation. A student who arrives in the U.S. for the first time and begins study winter or spring quarter may take the summer as a vacation quarter. You cannot take vacation in your final quarter. Please let your ISS adviser know if you will be taking a quarter other than summer as your vacation.

Employment
"Employment" is any work performed or services provided (including self-employment) in exchange for money or other benefit or compensation (for example, free room and board in exchange for babysitting).

• If your I-20 was issued by the University of Washington, you may work on-campus up to 20 hours per week while school is in session, and full-time during a vacation quarter and between quarters, provided you continue as a student the following quarter.
• 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.
• "Volunteering" at job that is traditionally paid may be considered a violation of status. Don't work "for free" without first consulting your ISS adviser.

Returning to the U.S. after a temporary absence

At the port-of-entry you must present:

• An unexpired UW I-20 endorsed for travel within the last six months by an ISS adviser. The "travel signature" is located on the second page of the form.
• Valid F-1 visa.
• Passport.
• Evidence of finances.
• Copy of your transcript and current course schedule.
• If returning from Canada, Mexico or adjacent islands (except Cuba) after a visit of less than 30 days solely in those countries, your visa need not be valid; however, you will be required to show your previously issued I-94 in addition to the other documents listed above.
• Students outside the U.S. for more than one quarter and those on "practical training" may have additional requirements.
• Click here for more travel information.

Dependents
Your spouse and unmarried children under 21 may be eligible for F-2 "dependent" status. Contact ISS for procedures to invite a dependent to join you in the U.S. Immigration regulations do not permit F-2 dependents to be employed in the U.S. The regulations also restrict full-time study for F-2 dependents, with two exceptions:

• An F-2 spouse and child may enroll in courses that are avocational or recreational in nature. Enrollment in a degree program would not be considered as avocational or recreational.
• An F-2 child may engage in full-time study if the study is in an elementary or secondary school (kindergarten through twelfth grade).

An F-2 spouse or F-2 child desiring to engage in full-time study (other than as noted above) must apply to Immigration and obtain a change of status to F-1.

Change of address
Any change of address must be reported to Immigration within 10 days. Update your local address in your MyUW account, and Immigration will automatically be notified of the change.If you are on OPT, email your ISS adviser with your new local address. To update your permanent foreign address, email your ISS adviser.

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 ISS Adviser).

University reporting requirements
The University of Washington 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 UW or failed to enroll.
• 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 ISS.
• 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.

Graduation
Please notify ISS at least one quarter prior to your graduation date so we may give you appropriate information concerning practical training, school transfer, travel and other procedures.