Visa & documents
Maintaining F-1 status: staying a student in good standing, year after year
Getting the visa is the hardest single step, but keeping status is the one that lasts for years. Here is what US federal law asks of you — and what to tell your university international office before you act, not afterwards.
Overview
Five things that decide your status
| Area | The principle | Before you do anything |
|---|---|---|
| Full-time study | Enrol in and keep a full-time load every required term | A reduced load needs the international office to authorise it first |
| Your address | US rules require you to report a new address to the university within 10 days of moving | Report through the university system, not only to your residence hall |
| Your programme | Changing major or level, transferring, or needing more time all require an updated I-20 | See an international adviser before you file anything academically |
| International travel | Your I-20 needs a valid travel signature for you to re-enter | Get the signature before you book, not on the way to the airport |
| Working | Every kind of employment needs the right authorisation in advance | Do not accept a job or sign anything before asking the international office |
This page deliberately carries no credit counts, day counts or hour limits. Those thresholds are set by federal regulation, differ by degree level and by circumstance, and change over time — the number that applies to you is the one your international office confirms.
Source: studyinthestates.dhs.gov · ice.gov — SEVP/SEVIS · Updated Aug 22, 2026
Enrolment
Full-time enrolment: what counts
This is the requirement students most often breach, and usually for an ordinary reason: a failed course, a late withdrawal, illness mid-term.
The load depends on your level
The full-time requirement differs between undergraduate and graduate study, and intensive English programmes have their own convention. Ask the international office for the figure that applies to your programme during orientation week, then hold to it every term.
Online courses are limited
Federal rules limit how much online or distance coursework can count toward an F-1 student’s full-time requirement. Before you build a schedule with several online courses, check with the international office that it qualifies.
Summers and official breaks
Official university breaks usually do not require a full-time load, but that depends on whether it is your first term and on the university calendar. Confirm before you plan around it.
Dropping a course or reducing your load
Withdrawing from one course mid-term can put you below full-time and break your status without you ever leaving the country. Some reduced course loads are permitted — for documented medical reasons or first-term academic difficulty, for example — but they must be approved by an international adviser BEFORE you drop anything.
Reporting
Changes you have to report
The general rule: if something printed on your I-20 no longer matches reality, it needs reporting.
- 1
Within the required window
A change of address
Moving out of the halls, changing apartments, changing rooms — your actual residential address has to be updated in the university system within the window federal rules set. It is both the most common lapse and the easiest to avoid.
- 2
Before you change it
A change of major or level
Your programme and level are printed on the I-20. Changing major, or continuing to a higher degree, requires a new I-20. Talk to an international adviser before you complete the academic paperwork.
- 3
Before it expires
Needing more time to finish
Your I-20 carries an expected programme end date. If you need longer to graduate, the extension must be requested BEFORE that date. Asking after it has passed is a different and much harder conversation.
- 4
Before you move
Transferring to another school
Your SEVIS record has to be transferred to the new school properly and at the right time. Do not start at the new school and sort the paperwork out later.
- 5
When it changes
Personal details and dependants
A name change in your passport, a change in the situation of an F-2 dependant with you, or a change in your funding source are all worth telling the international office about.
Travel
A travel signature before every trip out of the country
Before you leave the US intending to return — home for the summer, a holiday, a conference — your I-20 needs a valid travel signature from an international adviser. Signatures have a validity period; ask the international office whether yours still covers the trip you are planning, and get a new one before you book rather than in the week everyone else is asking.
Source: travel.state.gov — Student Visa · i94.cbp.dhs.gov — I-94 record · Updated Aug 22, 2026
Before you fly back
- An I-20 with a valid travel signature
- A passport valid as required
- A valid F-1 visa for re-entry — if it has expired you must obtain a new one abroad before flying back
- Evidence that you are still studying: a recent transcript or enrolment verification
- Evidence of funding for the remainder of your programme
- A printout of your most recent I-94
Employment
Working while you hold F-1 status
The overriding rule: an F-1 student may not work without authorisation, and the authorisation has to match the kind of work. Doing it in the wrong order — take the job, ask afterwards — is one of the fastest ways to lose status.
On-campus employment
Usually the first kind of work available to an F-1 student. Hours are capped while classes are in session and the cap is more generous during official breaks, at levels set by federal regulation. Not every job that physically happens on campus counts as on-campus employment. Ask the international office before you accept anything: they confirm whether the job qualifies and what the current hour limit is.
CPT — training that is part of your programme
Curricular Practical Training is work or an internship that forms an integral part of your academic programme. It must be authorised by an international adviser and recorded on your I-20 before your first day, and it is tied to a specific employer and specific dates. Eligibility, when you can first use it, and how it interacts with later benefits are all case-specific — ask the international office early, not once you already hold an offer.
OPT — practical training in your field
Optional Practical Training is employment directly related to your field of study, most often used after graduation. Unlike CPT, OPT is adjudicated and authorised by a federal agency rather than by the university; you must file correctly and may only begin work once the authorisation is in your hands. Some fields have additional provisions. We do not print durations or filing windows here because they change and depend on your case.
What never to do
Accept payment for unauthorised work — including cash, including work for someone you know, including remote work for a company in another country without asking first. If you are unsure whether something counts as employment, ask before you accept it. That question is exactly what the international office is there for.
Source: studyinthestates.dhs.gov · ice.gov — SEVP/SEVIS · Updated Aug 22, 2026
Risks
What breaks status
Dropping below full-time without prior authorisation
A late withdrawal, stopping attendance mid-term, or simply not registering for enough credit.
Working without authorisation
Including small jobs, cash payments, and work for people you know.
Letting the I-20 expire without an extension
The programme end date on your I-20 is a real deadline, not an estimate.
Not reporting an address or programme change
Your SEVIS record no longer matches your actual situation.
Not checking in or not enrolling after arrival
Your SEVIS record can be marked as a no-show.
Breaking US law
Some offences bear directly on your right to remain. If you face a legal problem, get a lawyer and tell the international office.
Recovery
If you think you have broken status: what to do now
- 1
Same day
Contact the international office first
Do not wait to see what happens and do not ask friends first. An international adviser can see your SEVIS record and knows which options are still open.
- 2
At the same time
Assemble the documents and a truthful timeline
Write down exactly what happened and when, with the relevant paperwork — transcripts, medical documents, an employment contract. Be completely honest; concealing anything narrows your options.
- 3
On advice
Choose a route with your adviser
Depending on the case, the available routes differ a great deal and some carry tight deadlines. That is why the first step has to happen now, not next week.
- 4
Where needed
Consider immigration counsel
For complicated situations, an immigration attorney is the right professional. Neither the university nor our admissions office is a substitute for legal advice.
After graduation
After you complete your programme
When you finish your programme (or finish a period of post-completion practical training, if you use one), federal rules give you a grace period in which to leave the US, begin another programme, or change to another status. The grace period has a fixed length in the regulations and runs from a specific point in your record — ask the international office which point and which length apply to you, and ask before you graduate rather than after.
Source: studyinthestates.dhs.gov · travel.state.gov — Student Visa · Updated Aug 22, 2026
- A grace period is not work authorisation: employment benefits end under their own rules and are not extended by it.
- If you intend to continue to a higher degree or move to another school, the SEVIS transfer or the new I-20 has to happen within this window.
- If you leave the US before completing your programme, different rules apply — tell the international office before you book a ticket.
- Do not rely on what friends or online groups tell you. A day miscounted here is very hard to undo.
Maintaining status FAQ
How many credits count as full-time?
It depends on your degree level and programme, and it is set by federal regulation. We do not print a number here so that you never plan around a stale one — ask the A-State international office during orientation week and write down the figure that applies to you.
My F-1 visa expired but I am still enrolled. Is that a problem?
No, as long as you are maintaining F-1 status. The visa is travel permission; status is your standing while inside the US. You need a valid visa only to re-enter the country from abroad.
How many hours a week can I work on campus?
There is an hour cap set by federal regulation, tighter while classes are in session and more generous during official breaks. We do not quote a number because the applicable limit and how hours are counted can change — ask the international office before you accept a job.
Can I work remotely for a company in my home country?
That is a question for the international office, not one to reason out yourself. How a job is classified depends on several factors, and getting it wrong can affect your status.
How long is a travel signature valid?
Signatures have a validity period, and it can differ depending on your situation. Before each trip, show your I-20 to the international office and get a new signature if you need one rather than assuming.
Who should I ask when something unusual comes up?
The A-State international office (your DSO) first and above all, because they can see your SEVIS record. For complicated legal situations, an immigration attorney. Our admissions office helps you reach the right people and understand the process, but does not replace your university adviser.
Related
Read next
Arrival and entry
The port of entry, your I-94, and check-in with the international office.
→The F-1 visa interview
DS-160, the SEVIS fee, documents and how to answer.
→The I-20
Start date, end date, SEVIS number — every field explained.
→What the F-1 visa is
The student visa category: what it allows and what it does not.
→Life in Jonesboro
Housing, getting around, banking and the rest of the first year.
→Ask the admissions office
We connect you with the right people at the university.
→Ready to study in the USA at A-State?
Book a free 1-on-1 session with our admissions team — pathway, scholarships, documents and visa in one meeting.