An F-1 nonimmigrant is a foreign student entering the United States solely for the purpose of study and who is pursuing a full course of study in an approved school, college, university, or other academic institution. A nonimmigrant is defined as a foreign national having a residence in a foreign country that they have no intention of abandoning, who is seeking temporary admission to the United States.

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (this is the new agency that is assuming some of the functions of the recently dissolved “Immigration and Naturalization Service”) is the bureau of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which administers the Immigration and Nationality Act. The Act provides the basis for controlling the flow of aliens into the U.S. for permanent or temporary residency. The Act is administered outside the U.S. by the U.S. Department of State through its consular posts around the world.

The Principal Designated School Official (PDSO) and the Designated School Official (DSO) are the designated school officials who function as the principal contact between the school and the government. Maria Lazzaro is the PDSO at Rockefeller. Responsibilities include ensuring institutional and individual compliance with the law.

Very Important Documents

The most important documents that must be valid and in your possession during your stay in the U.S. in F-1 student status are:

• SEVIS Form I-20 A-B/ID;
• I-94 card (arrival/departure record);
• Letter of financial support from the Office of Graduate Studies; and
• Passport.

The form that was issued to you by the University is called a Form I-20. Those of you entering after January 30, 2003 have been issued a SEVIS Form I-20. Those of you who entered before January 30, 2003 have by now received a SEVIS Form I-20. This form must remain valid during your entire stay in F-1 status. The validity dates of the form appear in item 5. The form is issued for the length of time it is expected to take to complete your course of study. Rockefeller Ph.D. students are currently given six years. If you will require additional time an extension request must be made. Details of this process will be discussed later.

The I-94 card is your arrival/departure record that is given to you at inspections when you enter the U.S. and taken when you depart the U.S. (Please note that your card is not taken when you travel to Canada. It is also not taken when you travel to Mexico or the adjacent islands, other than Cuba, for less than 30 days.) It is the little white card you find stapled in your passport. The number at the top of the card is your “admission number.” Your I-94 card should be marked with a “D/S”, which stands for “duration of status.” Duration of status is explained in this manual below.

These documents must always be valid, and you will always need them with you when you travel abroad – to apply for a new F-1 visa stamp if needed – and you will need to present them to the U.S. immigration official at the airport when you re-enter the U.S.

Procedures at the Border - Entering the U.S. for the First Time

When you arrive at the border, you must present the U.S. immigration official with your passport, F-1 visa stamp, letter of financial support, and Form I-20. The official should then return to you the departure portion of your I-94 card – on which is stamped your date of entry and place of entry, your F-1 status, and your unique 11- digit admission number – as well as your Form I-20. Please check your I-94 card before leaving the customs area to confirm that the official has noted F-1 and “D/S” on your I-94 card. The fact that you entered the U.S. in F-1 status is now entered into SEVIS and the school you are attending will be notified electronically that you have entered the U.S. The school must notify SEVIS if you fail to arrive at the school within 30 days of entering the U.S. Please note that you will not be admitted to the U.S. more than 30 days prior to the program start date listed on the Form I-20.

Difference between the Visa Stamp and I-94 Card

A visa stamp in your passport gives you permission to apply for entry into the U.S. and the I-94 card enables you to remain in the U.S. after having entered. Your visa need not remain valid once you have used it to gain admission into the U.S. Your permission to stay (I-94 card and I-20), by contrast, must be kept valid. The visa stamp will be issued to you by a U.S. consulate prior to entering the U.S. It is required to be admitted in F-1 status. (Please note that Canadians are exempt from the need for a visa stamp.) While the visa stamp need not remain valid once you are in the U.S., you will, however, require a visa stamp renewal if you travel outside the U.S. and attempt to return. The renewal is applied for in the same manner as the first stamp, at a U.S. consulate with a valid Form I-20 and a valid passport. (Please note that your passport must be valid for six months when applying for a visa stamp.)

Admission Number

In the past, this number was used as your lifelong identifying number for study in F-1 status. It is pre-printed on your initial I-94 card and in the past was inserted, by the immigration official, onto your Form I-20. Since the implementation of SEVIS, the admission number is no longer your unique identifying number, so you will receive a new I-94 card with a new 11-digit admission number upon each entry and this will not be crossed out and replaced as was the practice in the past. It is important that you do not surrender your original, or any subsequent Form I-20, upon leaving the U.S. You will, however, surrender your I-94 card each time you leave. You will be issued a new one I-94 card each time you re-enter.

It is good practice to hold onto all Form I-20s.

Duration of Status

Duration of status (“D/S”) is defined in the Regulations as the period during which the student is pursuing a full course of study in any educational program and any periods of authorized practical training, plus sixty days within which to depart the U.S. Duration of status expires – and therefore your valid status as a student – if you do not maintain a full course of study. Full course of study means full time study and research leading to your degree, including vacations, medical emergencies, and periods of authorized practical training. A student must be making normal progress towards completing a course of study. Leaves of absence are not considered a full course of study and another nonimmigrant status should be acquired if you remain in the U.S on such a leave. If you need to drop below a full course of study or take a leave of absence, you need to first contact Maria Lazzaro as your designated school official for prior approval or risk being out of status as no grace period applies in such a case.

Description of Stay

As an F-1 student at The Rockefeller University, you must carry out your studies in the area described in section 5 of your Form I-20. Please notify us if the information in this section, or any other information on your form I-20, is not accurate.

Travel Abroad and Re-entry into the U.S.

If your F-1 visa stamp has expired and you are traveling abroad, you must apply for a new visa stamp by presenting a valid SEVIS Form I-20, a letter of financial support and a valid passport at a U.S. consulate or embassy (preferably in your home country). If you are traveling and require a visa stamp, it is recommended that you first visit the U.S. Department of State website at: http://travel.state.gov to determine the consular processing times and procedures at the consulate you will be visiting.¹ Most of you will have been issued an F-1 visa stamp for the length of time of your Form I-20, i.e., for six years.

An F-1 student may be readmitted to the U.S. after a temporary absence, which is defined as a visit out of the U.S. of up to five months, if the form I-20 has been endorsed.

Your form I-20 needs to be endorsed by Maria Lazzaro as PDSO, once a year, if you are traveling out of the U.S. The signature is only valid for one year.

It is your responsibility to determine whether or not you need a visa stamp to travel to countries other than the U.S.

Reportable Actions/Notification Requirements

The Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (BICE) has implemented an internet-based, electronic tracking system known as SEVIS (Student and Exchange Visitor Information System), which requires that School Officials report certain information and events concerning F-1 students. The following accurate and updated information on each F-1 student must be reported in SEVIS by the school:

• Name, date of birth, country of birth, country of citizenship, source and amount of financial resources, academic program, level of study, program start and end dates;
• Whether student enrolled or failed to enroll;
• A change in the student or dependent’s legal name;
• A change of address must be reported within 10 days;
• Graduation prior to the end date listed on the I-20;
• Failure to complete the academic program or otherwise maintain lawful status;
• Academic or disciplinary actions taken due to a criminal conviction;
• Termination date and reason for termination; and
• Other data concerning standard procedures such as program extension, school transfer, change in level of study, change of program, optional practical training, and reinstatement.

The following reportable actions require the prior approval of the School Official. Failure to notify the School Official will result in unlawful presence.

• Drop below a full course of study (may be authorized for medical or academic reasons);
• Leave of absence (may be authorized for medical or academic reasons);
• Withdrawal from school; and
• Extension of stay.

Dependents of F-1 Students (F-2s)

Your spouse and unmarried minor children may accompany you to the U.S. as your dependents in F-2 status. The purpose of their visit to the U.S. must be to accompany the F-1 student and they are dependent on the F-1 student. F-2 dependents require issuance of their own SEVIS Form I-20 (with their own unique SEVIS identification number) and an F-2 visa stamp to enter the U.S. Therefore, please notify us if your dependents will be accompanying you. It is recommended that your dependents apply for their visa stamps at the same time as you.

F-2 dependents may not accept employment under any circumstances and may not engage in a full course of study, except at the elementary or secondary school level. If they intend to attend school full time they must switch to an appropriate nonimmigrant status.

Employment

Employment means the rendering of services, on either a part- or full-time basis for compensation, including self-employment. While an F-1 student can apply for work authorization, either through the USCIS or the designated school official, the Office of Graduate Studies of Rockefeller University does not allow its students to accept employment.

Post-Completion Optional Practical Training

Transfer of Program

It is possible to transfer your program from Rockefeller University to another institution. You must be in valid status, as defined above, to be eligible for transfer. Please notify this office if you intend to transfer out of our program.

These are the fundamentals of your F-1 status that you must understand. If at any time you feel uncomfortable with any documentation you have been given, or have any visa-related concerns, please contact us.