Maintaining Your Status
It is your responsibility to maintain your immigration status. While the International Services team is here to help you, ultimately it is your responsibility to stay in status and ensure the requirements are followed. If you violate any of these requirements, you will be out of status. You may lose immigration benefits such as CPT, OPT, H1-B and permanent residency. In addition, you may be denied a future visa and/or face deportation. This list can also be found on the third page of your I-20.
Your passport must be valid at all times. Renewal applications must be made with the Embassy or Consulate of the country issuing the passport. You will need a “Verification of Enrollment” letter from Indiana Tech; this can be obtained from the Registrar’s Office. Addresses of embassies and consulates are at www.usembassy.gov.
You are required to report any address change to the university within ten (10) days of the address or phone number change. This includes changes of any of your dependents as well.
You are required to pursue a full course of study during normal enrollment periods (fall and spring semesters). A “Drop Form” from the Registrar’s Office must be completed prior to dropping below full-time status. Full-time at Indiana Tech is twelve (12) credit hours for undergraduate students. Graduate students must maintain 9 or more credit hours. You are allowed to deviate from this full course of study only with PRIOR authorization from International Services, and only under very limited circumstances including academic difficulty with the English language or reading requirements, documented illness(es) or medical condition(s), or completion of your program of study.
For a variety of reasons, students leave the university early or unexpectedly. Some of these reasons include graduation, leave of absence, suspension, expulsion, or family emergencies. You are required to inform International Services if you plan to leave the university and provide the reason for doing so.
Students may apply to work no more than twenty (20) hours per week on-campus while school is in session. These twenty hours include the work you do in an internship if you have one. You are not permitted to work off campus without receiving PRIOR authorization from the DHS and/or International Services depending upon your immigration status. Off-campus employment possibilities are very limited. During scheduled breaks (i.e. summer) there is a forty (40) hour per week limitation for on-campus employment at Indiana Tech.
You are currently authorized to attend Indiana Tech. If you decide to attend another school in the U.S., you must notify the International Services Office of your intent to transfer and the name of the school to which you intend to transfer. Before your certificate of eligibility (Form I-20) can be transferred, you must obtain and submit an acceptance letter and transfer form from the new school to Indiana Tech’s International Services. After the release date is reached, the new school can issue you a new certificate of eligibility (Form I-20.) You will then have to report to the Designated School Official at the new school within 15 days of the program start date in order to complete the transfer.
You must apply for an extension of your program prior to the expiration date on your Form I-20 if you cannot complete your program by that date. Requests for extensions should be submitted to the International Services Office prior to the expiration date on the Form I-20 so the extension process can be completed before the expiration date on the document. Financial support documentation is required for a program extension.
You must obtain a new I-20 if you change your academic program from one degree level to another (e.g., from master’s to doctorate level) or from one major/field of study to another (e.g., from mechanical engineering to energy engineering). You must receive a new I-20 from the International Services Counselor within 15 days of beginning the new program/degree level.
You must notify the International Services Office prior to traveling outside the U.S. Your I-20 may need to be signed for travel or, if required, a new form can be issued. Your I-20 form must have been signed within the past twelve (12) months or your re-entry will be denied. For OPT students, the I-20 must be signed every six (6) months.
International Services is required to report information to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and/or U.S. Department of State (DOS) regarding your dependents. You must notify the International Services Office of any accompanying dependents in F-2 status and provide biographical information (e.g., full name, address, country of birth, etc.), immigration information (e.g., passport information, visa information, etc.), and supporting financial documentation.
Enroll full-time and pursue a full course of study during fall and spring semesters. If for any reason you need to drop below full-time, you must see an advisor at the International Services Office before dropping your class. There are a few exceptions to the full-time requirement, but it must be approved by an advisor at the International Services in advance. Only one online course may be counted towards the full course of study requirement each semester. If there is only one course left to complete the degree requirements, that course may not be an online or distance learning course.
Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission (SACM) sponsored students are not eligible for online courses through Indiana Tech’s College of Professional Studies (CPS) and cannot take online classes outside of the host institution (Indiana Tech).