Maintaining your legal status
Immigration & Visas
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F-type visa information
- 17-Month STEM OPT Extension Request Form
- Termination of Employment Report
- OPT & 17 Month STEM Extension 6 Month Validation Report
- H-1B Visa Cap-Gap extension application
- 17-month OPT Extension as of 5/1/08
- OPT Changes - 4/23/2008
- F-1 reinstatement
- Change of status from H-1 to F-1 student
- Change of status from F-2 to F-1 student
- F-1/I-20 extension of stay
- Inviting an F-2 dependent
- F-1 students: Transferring schools
- Optional Practical Training for F-1 students
- Optional Practical Training for F-1 Undergraduate Students
- Optional Practical Training for F-1 Graduate Students
- J-type visa information
- Immigration updates
- Immigration resources / links
- Checking in with ISSS
- What is SEVIS?
- Maintaining your legal status
- How to get a Social Security Number
Here are some useful tips that can help you ensure that you maintain your legal status here in the United States:
Keep your passport valid at all times.
- Contact your embassy on what is required for a passport extension.
- Check this website periodically for helpful addresses and links.
Do not work illegally.
- If you are not sure what is legal, ask the ISSS staff.
- You may also refer to the Working On & Off Campus portion of this website for more information.
Register as a full-time student.
You must be registered as a full-time student during the academic year (fall and spring semesters).
- Rensselaer requires 12 credit hours each semester to be considered full-time.
- Teaching assistants may register for 9 credit hours and be considered full-time.
- USCIS requires you to successfully complete a full-time course of study each semester. This does not include summer.
- In certain rare cases, a new student in his/her first semester may be authorized by the ISSS Office and the English Language Coordinator to take less than 12 credit hours in order to do remedial English or academic coursework. Please note that you must request ISSS permission before you drop below 12 credit hours.
Apply for an extension of your current Form I-20 or DS-2019 at least 30 days before it expires.
- Students on F-1 visa should check item #5 of their Form I-20 for their expected graduation date.
- Students/scholars should check item #3 of their Form DS-2019 for their end date.
Keep the Registrar and ISSS Office informed of your current local address.
Last modified:
Jun 18,
2007