Chapter 4

Immigration

As a non-immigrant student, you have been granted temporary permission to live and study in the United States. It is your responsibility to follow the regulations outlined by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in regards to maintaining your non-immigrant status. International Student Retention Services (ISRS) offers workshops to keep you informed of changes. If you have any questions or concerns about your VISA, contact the International Advisor in the Institute for Global Initiatives, 201 Humanities Building. If you have not done so already, you should bring your passport, I-94, and I-20 (F-1 students) to the Admissions Office and the Institute for Global Initiatives to have copies made.

Passport
Visa
F-1 Student Visa
F-1 Extension of Stay
Travel Outside the U.S.
Transfer of School
Working Legally
On-Campus Employment
Off-Campus Employment
Employment Permission Based on Finanacial Hardship
Practical Training

Passport

This is the document issued by your country's government identifying your nationality. Passport extensions may be obtained by contacting the nearest consulate general or your embassy in Washington, DC. It may take as much as six months to have a passport renewed so do not wait until the last minute. The Office of International Student Retention Services and the Institute for Global Initiatives has a list of consulates in Atlanta.

Visa

A United States visa is a stamped or affixed entry placed in your passport by a U.S. consular or embassy official. It allows you to request the immigration officer at the port of entry to grant you permission to enter the United States under the specific conditions of the visa type. The visa will indicate its type, the date by which you must enter, and the number of entries to the U.S. permitted. Types of visas include F-1 student visas, J-1 student and scholar visas, B-2 tourist visas and others. The most common types of visas for students are the F-1 student visas and the J-1 student and scholar visas. There are students who at one time came to the US on a B-1 visitors visa then decided to become a student. They went through the process to get their status changed to an F-1 student visa. As a result of the events of 9/11/01, this is no longer an option. Anyone on a B-1 visa cannot enroll in school. They are visitors. Anyone who plans to attend Kennesaw State University must have a student visa, i.e. F-1 or J-1.

If you have a single entry visa and travel outside the U.S. you will need to get a new student visa at a U.S. embassy or consulate in order to re-enter the United States. If you have a multiple-entry visa, you are able to leave and enter the United States as often as you like prior to the visa expiration date, provided you maintain your student status and carry proof of your student status in the form of an I-20AB or IAP-66 Form.

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) officer at the port of entry has the same right as a consular officer to question you as to your financial status, your intention regarding work in the U.S. and your intent to attend the school to which you were admitted. When you are admitted at a port of entry into the U.S, you will be given a form I-94 (Arrival/Departure Record), which indicates your limit of stay and/or duration of status (d/s). This form is very important and should be stapled in your passport.

F-1 Student Visa

A U.S. embassy or consulate upon the presentation of a Form I-20AB (Certificate of Eligibility) and your passport issues an F-1 student visa. The I-20AB is obtained from the school one plans to attend. The school issues the I-20AB document after checking your academic credentials, English language proficiency, and your proof of financial ability to pay for at least one year of full-time study.

All F-1 students must pursue a full-time course of study. Full-time study at Kennesaw State University is defined as 12 credit hours each semester for undergraduate students, and 9 hours each semester for graduate students. If for any reason you cannot take a full load of courses, you should immediately make an appointment with the F-1 Advisor in the Institute for Global Initiatives, 201 Humanities Building. Some students take more than the required credit hours in the event a course is to difficult and it is dropped. If you have more than the required number, this is an option. Check the Student Handbook because there is a restriction on the number of times you can drop a course.

All F-1 students are allowed ONE (1) opportunity to drop below full-course load down to six (6) course credit hours during their academic studies at KSU. The process invloves:

1) The student requests from their academic advisor a recommendation in writing (via either departmental letterhead or by e-mail) that the student be allowed to do so;

2) The student then goes to the Institute for Global Initiatives so that they can officially report in SEVIS;

3) The student withdraws from that particular class through the KSU Registrar's office;

4) OR with medical recommendation from their physician which can be complete absenteeism for up to one year. Come to the International Advisor if continuation is necessary.

F-1 Extension Of Stay

F-1 students need permission for an extension of stay in the United States to extend their educational program of study beyond the date stated on the original I-20AB. Legitimate reasons for an extension of stay may include a change of major or documented illness. If you need an extension of stay, you should make an appointment with the F-1 Advisor two or three months in advance of the expiration date.

Travel Outside the U.S.

In order to return to the U.S. after leaving the country, an F-1 student must have a valid passport, a valid multiple entry visa, and an endorsed Form I-20AB. If you do not have a valid multiple entry visa, then you will have to re-apply for a visa at a U.S. embassy or consulate.

Always make an appointment with the F-1 Advisor at least two weeks in advance of traveling outside the United States. Emergency travel needs are handled at any time; please tell the F-1 Advisor receptionist that you have an emergency.

Transfer Of School

If you are on an F-1 visa and have transferred from another school inside the U.S. to Kennesaw State University, you must go to the Admissions Office within 15 days of registration to have the transfer authorized on your I-20AB and to notify BCIS. Bring your I-20AB with you.

To transfer to another school inside the U.S. you must get a new I-20AB form from the "new" school. Upon arriving at the new school, take your passport, I-94, and the new I-20AB to the Admissions Office of that school for endorsement.

Working Legally

The following information pertains to students who are studying in the U.S. on the F-1 non-immigrant student visa.

On-Campus Employment

Students in good academic and USCIS standing may work on campus while they are studying in the USA. Good academic standing is defined as having a minimum 2.0 GPA for undergraduates and 3.0 GPA for graduates. You are limited to working no more than 20 hours a week while school is in session; however you may work full-time during semester breaks, vacations and holidays (check with your employer). No permission is needed from BCIS for this type of work. Students may also work in campus franchises such as in the bookstore or the cafeteria.

To find on-campus employment, you will need to be aware of job opportunities posted around campus, read the back page of the campus newspaper The SENTINEL or visit the student employment website. When you have identified a position for which you are qualified and interested in, you must get a letter of intent from your prospective employer. Take this form to the admissions office. You will receive a form to take to the Social Security Office. You must have a social security card to work on or off campus. Complete an application at the department to which you are applying. After completing the application, do not simply wait to hear from the office, check back with them. Be persistent. While networking around the campus, you can find many valuable sources of job and career information.

Off-Campus Employment

For all off-campus employment, the student must have been a full-time student with F-1 immigration status for a full academic year, be in good academic standing and have an BCIS work permit.

There are two basic ways that students may work off-campus: Employment permission based on Financial Hardship and Practical Training.

Employment Permission Based on Financial Hardship

Students whose sponsor's ability to financially support their studies has undergone a change for the worse may apply to BCIS for permission to work off-campus due to financial hardship. If this permission is granted, the student is limited to working 20 hours a week while school is in session, and up to 40 hours a week during semester breaks, vacations, and holidays. Permission is required from BCIS for this type of work; you must see the F-1 Advisor for assistance in applying for this permission from BCIS. Students should first try to find an on-campus job, but if these are not available or pay less than working off-campus, then the student may apply for permission based on financial hardship. The student should see the F-1 Advisor to apply for permission to work off-campus.

Regardless of the expiration date on the Employment Authorization Document, this type of work permission ceases immediately upon the student's graduation or otherwise terminating their course of study.

Practical Training

"Practical Training" is the legal terminology of the BCIS for the program, which allows non-immigrant students to be eligible to be employed full or part-time in their degree field. There are three types of Practical Training for which an F-1 student may apply to work off-campus. In order to engage in Practical Training, the student must apply for it. Make an appointment with the F-1 Advisor to assist you with your application.

Type A: Curricular Practical Training: Required Internships and Cooperative Education
This type of Practical Training is used for required internships, cooperative education, and other work/study for which a student gets course credit. The work may be full or part-time. Full-time work more than a year's duration will cause the student to lose eligibility for Post-Completion Practical Training (see below); part-time work will not. The student should see the F-1 Advisor to apply for permission to work off-campus.

Type B: Optional (Pre-Graduation) Practical Training
This work permission is just like type A, except that the work is not required by the student's degree program or does not fit into the above categories. In other words, the student wants to work to gain experience. The student should have a job offer before applying for this type of work permission. It is limited to one year calculated at a half-time rate. Also, time working on optional practical training is deducted from the one year of Post-Completion Practical Training. If the student uses up his/her one year of full-time practical training before graduation, he/she forfeits Post-Completion Practical Training. The student should see the F-1 Advisor for assistance in applying to work off- campus. The student cannot work legally until he/she has an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) issued by BCIS.

Type C: Post Completion Practical Training
Students who desire Post-Completion Practical Training may apply for it 90 days prior to graduation. As of January 2003, students no longer have the opportunity to apply after their graduation date. You MUST apply within the 90 day period prior to graduation. Practical training must be applied for in order for the student to receive permission to work. A job offer is not required to file for Post-Completion Practical Training. The student should see the F-1 Advisor for assistance with applying to work off-campus. The student cannot work legally until he/she has an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) issued by BCIS.

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