Maintaining Your Visa Status
It is of utmost importance that you follow the regulations to keep your status as an F or J visa holder active and valid. Our office is here to help, but it is ultimately your visa, so it is imperative that you know the policies related to your visa.
Below is a list of the regulations you must follow in order to keep your F or J visa active. Click on each box to read more information about that specific regulation.
In order to maintain status as an F-1 visa holder you must:
You have been given a visa specifically to study and be a full-time student in the United States. You must be attending and passing in-person classes every semester. Failure to attend class, or only participate in classes online, is a violation of your visa regulations.
Attending in-person class part-time is unacceptable on a student visa. You must be enrolled as a full-time student every semester. "Full-time" is defined as:
- 12 units for undergraduate students
- 9 units for graduate students (unless otherwise stated by your program rotation)
You must be actively pursuing the completion of a degree. You are welcome to take electives or courses that interest you outside of your degree, but not as part of your core 12 or 9 units if degree-related courses are available.
Once your Program End Date (listed on page 1 of your I-20) has passed no further changes can be made to your SEVIS record or I-20. Any program extensions need to be made before your listed Program End Date.
If you wish to change programs at 91猫先生 (e.g., go from a Bachelors program to a Masters program after graduation) then you must follow USCIS regulations, and 91猫先生's International Admissions timeline.
If you need to transfer to another institution you need to follow proper transfer procedures. Please contact your International Student Advisor for assistance and to ensure you are following visa regulations.
When class is not in session students on an F or J visa may work up to 28 hours on campus. If you are a graduate student who has summer session courses you cannot work more than 20 hours during summer months until your summer classes have ended.
Off-campus employment, of any kind, without prior authorization is not permissible on an F-1 visa. Examples of authorized off-campus employment would be through university-approved CPT or USCIS-approved Economic Hardship.
J visa holders are not authorized to work off campus for any reason.
Your DSO must report the change to SEVIS within 21 days.
After you graduate, or finish your post-completion OPT you have 60 days as an F-1 student and 30 days as a J-1 student to do one of the following:
- Begin a new program at 91猫先生
- Transfer to another institution
- Apply for a change of status, or
- Depart from the United States
Keep your passport valid, and renew it within seven months of it expiring.
You will learn more about these visa regulations at the International Student Mandatory Meeting, which is held at the beginning of the Fall and Spring semesters.
- When are these changes expected to go into effect?
- September 15, 2026. For this reason our office strongly recommends that you speak with your DSO prior to making any plans regarding international travel, program/academic changes, or applying for OPT.
- Do these policy changes affect me or my situation?
- Students who were issued an F-1 visa and entered the U.S. prior to September 14, 2026 will be considered a "transition student," meaning you will still be under the previous Duration of Status policies unless you depart and re-enter the United States after September 15. If you are unsure if you are considered a transition student we recommend you check your I-94 and see if you have a date listed after "Admit Until Date." If your I-94 shows "D/S/" as your Admit Until Date then you should still be considered a transition student.
- How do I know if I need to apply for an Extension of Stay?
- To the best of our knowledge this information can be found by check the 鈥淎dmit Until Date鈥� on your I-94. If your "Admit Until Date" currently says "D/S" then you should be considered a transition student under the previous policy and may not need to apply for an Extension of Stay. However, as more information becomes available we will update students accordingly for what they need to look for to determine if an Extension of Stay is needed in their case.
- Can I apply for an extension of stay now? When should I apply for an extension of
stay?
- The capability to apply for an Extension of Stay (EOS) is not currently available in SEVIS, so it is not possible at this time for a DSO put in the necessary recommendation for an EOS on a student鈥檚 SEVIS record. Our office will update students once DHS provides more clarity on the Extension of Stay process, including a recommended timeline to apply.
- Can I travel internationally right now?
- As the policies are anticipated to go into effect on September 15, 2026 we are currently advising students to traveling internationally cautiously up until that date, acknowledging that additional policy changes may be coming or increased security at Customs and Border Protection. We strongly discourage students from traveling internationally around or after September 14, 2026.
- How do I know if I have 60 or 30 days of a grace period after my Program End Date
or the end of my OPT/STEM employment?
- At this time it is our understanding that students who were granted F-1 visas and entry into the United States prior to September 15, 2026 will be considered transition students (see above), and continue to have a 60-day grace period (30 for J-1 students). If a student is granted an F-1 visa and/or enters the U.S. after September 14, 2026 they will then fall under the new policy and be granted a 30-day grace period.
More content will be added to this website as questions continue to come in from our students. We thank you for your patience, and encourage students to stay informed through the