International Student Services

U.S. Government Regulations

Documents
Passport
Visa
Form I-94
Form I-20


Passport
You should keep your passport valid at all times. Your passport is your government's permit for you to leave and re-enter your own country. Check the expiration date of your passport. Federal law does not allow a F-1 visa holder to enter the United States or to be employed in the United States if the passport is expired.

Renewing your passport:
Contact your own consulate or embassy in the U.S. to renew your passport. The officials there will tell you what forms and fees, if any, are required. You can find out the contact information for your embassy by going to: http://www.state.gov/s/cpr/rls/fco/

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Visa
The visa stamp put in your passport by the U.S. Consulate is to enter the U.S. It does not show how long you can stay here. It can expire while you are in the US without loss of your status, but must be valid to enter the U.S. To determine how long you can stay in the US, check your I-20 form, item number 5. You must be enrolled as a full-time student in order to maintain your status.

Renewing your U.S. visa for re-entry:
It is not possible to renew an F-1 visa while you are in the U.S. If the visa has expired and you are planning on traveling outside the U.S., it is necessary to renew your visa before you return.

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Form I-94 (Arrival/Departure Record)
The I-94 (white card) shows that you have been admitted to the U.S. The I-94 is usually stapled onto the U.S. visa page of your passport. It contains an eleven-digit identifying number (called your departure number) the USCIS uses to keep track of your arrival and departure from the United States. The USCIS sometimes refers to the "departure" number as the "admission" number.

Expiration
There should be a date stamped on the I-94 indicating the date that you arrived in the U.S. You should also see that "D/S" is written below the date stamp. This "D/S" indicates "duration of status" which means that you are admitted for the length of your program of study, plus any period of Optional Practical Training, plus 60 days.

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Form I-20
The I-20 is issued for the program and level of study you are presently pursuing. If you graduate before the completion date indicated on your I-20 you are considered to have completed your program of study and your I-20 is no longer valid. The third page of the I-20 contains spaces for information about your employment authorization and travel signatures by a Designated School Official (DSO).

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