Maintaining Student Status: Contact Your DSO Within 30 Days of Arrival, Keep a Full Course Load, and Never Work Without Authorization
Study in the States, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's official program for international students, restates the basic rules for maintaining F and M status: students may enter the United States no more than 30 days before their program begins, must contact their designated school official (DSO) immediately upon entry, and must check in again no later than the program start date listed on the Form I-20.
While studying, students must attend all classes, maintain normal academic progress, and pursue a full course of study each term. Talk to the DSO before dropping a class, and request a program extension before the I-20 end date if more time is needed. F-1 students become eligible for annual vacation only after completing one full academic year.
Employment and practical training require authorization first: working without authorization means being forced to leave the United States immediately and possibly being unable to re-enter. After completing a program, F students have 60 days to depart or arrange a transfer, a new education level, or a change of status; M students have 30 days. Changing a major, transferring, moving, taking leave, traveling abroad, or requesting an extension all start with a conversation with the DSO. (Source: Study in the States, U.S. Department of Homeland Security)
Source: Study in the States, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图片来源：Wikimedia Commons「Three walking students, Tulane University New Orleans」（Tulane Public Relations 摄，CC BY 2.0），图中为 Tulane 大学校园里的学生 Image: Wikimedia Commons "Three walking students, Tulane University New Orleans" (by Tulane Public Relations, CC BY 2.0)
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