GO TO SCHOOL FULL-TIME: F-1 Students are required by law to attend school full-time. If you are a credit College student, this means you must be registered for at least 12 credits (020 and 030 ESL courses count toward total credits) for the fall and spring semesters.

You must not drop below full-time status during the semester. If you feel you need to drop below full-time, you must first speak with an advisor in the Office of International Student Affairs. Occasionally, it is possible to temporarily go to school part time. This is rarely possible, and must be documented and reported in the SEVIS tracking system.

KEEP YOUR I-20 VALID: It is the students’ responsibility to make sure that the I-20 is valid. You are required to apply for the extension on your I-20 prior to its expiration date. You should submit your application at least 30 days before the I-20 expires so that the process can be completed in a timely manner.

KEEP YOUR PASSPORT VALID: It is your responsibility to make sure that your passport is kept current.  If you need to extend your passport, you must contact your country’s Consulate in the United States.

NOTIFY THE ISA OF ANY CHANGES TO YOUR I-20: You are required by INS regulations to inform the ISA Office of any changes to your I-20 prior to the changes taking effect. These changes include: change in major, change in degree level and change in legal name. You will need to apply for a new SEVIS I-20 at the time these changes take effect.

NOTIFY THE ISA OF CHANGES IN NAME AND ADDRESS: Students are required to notify the ISA of any legal changes in name and address within 10 days of the change so that they may be reported to the USCIS. The address provided must be the physical location where the student resides. If the student is unable to receive mail at the physical location, the student must provide both a mailing address and a physical address.

ALWAYS INFORM THE ISA OF ANY TRAVEL PLANS: If you plan on traveling outside the U.S. you will need a signature on the back of your I-20 in order to re-enter the country. If you have an expired visa stamp you will have to apply for a new one at the U.S. consulate/embassy in the country you will be visiting. If you plan on traveling, you should contact the ISA two weeks prior to your departure.

NEVER ACCEPT EMPLOYMENT WITHOUT CONSULTING THE OFFICE OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENT AFFAIRS: Before you can accept employment off campus, you are required to first obtain authorization from the USCIS. Working without authorization is a deportable offence. You may work part-time on-campus without BCIS authorization.

TRANSFER STUDENTS MUST SUBMIT A COMPLTED I-20 APPLICATION TO THE ISA PRIOR TO REGISTERING FOR CLASSES: If you are coming to NCC from another U.S. institution you must notify the ISA immediately so that we can process your I-20 correctly. You will be given a new I-20 within the first 2 weeks of school.

YOU HAVE 60 DAYS FROM YOUR TIME OF COMPLETION OF STUDIES TO NOTIFY THE USCIS OF YOUR PLANS: The BCIS allows you a 60 day grace period from the time you complete your studies to be admitted into a new program, change your non-immigrant status or depart the U.S.

ALWAYS TALK TO THE ISA FIRST ABOUT YOUR IMMIGRATION STATUS: During your stay in the U.S. you will hear a lot of rumors concerning immigration from your peers. Before making any assumptions regarding your immigration status, you should always visit the ISA first. It is best to call and make an appointment in advance, so that we can serve you better.