F-1 and J-1 Students

Enrollment Issues

• Cancellations/Withdrawals - International Students MUST have BIO approval before taking steps to reduce their enrollment, including canceling or withdrawing. If students withdraw/cancel without meeting with a BIO advisor, this has an immediate and direct impact on their visa status and can limit their future options for return.
• Reduced Course Load - Students who require a Reduced Enrollment of less than full-time units must consult with BIO in advance to determine their eligibility for reduced Course Load authorization. Immigration regulations are limited to very specific academic or medical reasons for reduced enrollment. Please also remember that DSP accommodations do not fulfill BIO's documentation requirements, and those students will also need to follow BIO's process as well! 
• Enrollment - BIO must report that all international students are properly enrolled full-time OR are on Filing Fee/In Absentia within the first 30 days of the semester. We will shortly begin running reports to send reminders to students who are not enrolled. If possible, please ensure that your international grad students are enrolled in full-time units OR have their Filing Fee/In Absentia requests processed as soon as possible to avoid problems with validating their visa records.
• Spring or Fall Filing Fee/In Absentia Students - Please remember to refer international students to BIO to discuss their Filing Fee or In Absentia plans and visa options.While these are both considered legitimate registration statuses for visa purposes, there are logistical issues related to travel and employment that are critical for students to discuss with BIO as they make their plans for the FF/IA term and beyond.

Off-Campus Internships & Employment

International Student off-campus employment options are very limited, and must be authorized in advance! BIO has a 3 business day processing time for student requests, and no backdating is available. Please be aware that students beginning off-campus employment before receiving work permission from BIO is a serious violation of visa status! Any international students who wish to have Spring or Summer internships/off-campus employment directly related to the field of study must determine their eligibility for F-1 Curricular Practical Training (CPT) or J-1 Academic Training (AT) and submit the full and complete documentation requests to BIO in advance. Make sure that students download forms directly from the BIO website, and many forms have been revised recently with important changes.

Completing Degrees in Spring or Summer

Students completing in Spring or Summer have specific timelines and rules regarding completion and post-completion benefits.

• Students Completing Degrees in Spring 2020 - Please advise any students completing their degrees in Spring 2020 to check in with BIO if they are unsure of their post-completion plans, options, and timing. 
• Undergrad Students completing degrees in Summer - Undergrads who plan to complete in the Summer must be enrolled in Summer units. Final units cannot be 100% online coursework!
• Graduate Students completing degrees in Summer - Graduate Students, particularly our PhD students are a bit tricky for BIO for visa purposes, and often (but not always!) require that a student be enrolled for final unit(s) during the Summer even if the university would allow them to complete and file without enrollment. If you have any graduate students with plans to complete degrees in Summer, please be sure that you refer them to BIO to strategize their degree timeline and post-completion visa options as soon as possible. Each case is unique, so it's critical that these students meet with a BIO advisor before finalizing plans.
• Employment for Students completing degrees in Summer - If students are graduating in the Summer, this may impact their ability to work on- or off-campus more than 20 hours per week. Generally, if Summer is a student's final term, they will be limited to part-time work (50% appointments) during that final term, unless they will be using their post-completion employment authorization. Again- please have them check with BIO to confirm the best summer employment strategy and options.