ReOrientation for Continuing DU Students

1
Re-Orientation forContinuing DU Students

• STEP 1
• Read the following information and the Rules and
  Regulation website.
• Sign the Acknowledgment of Responsibility Form.
• STEP 2
• Bring the original, signed Acknowledgment of
  Responsibility Form and a copy of yours and any
  dependents passport, visa, I-94, I-20 or DS-2019
  to a Re-Orientation session. If you are
  graduating in or before June 2003, do NOT attend
  any Re-Orientation session. See instructions on
  page 3.
• Check the draft of your new SEVIS I-20 or DS-2019
  form at the Re-Orientation session.
• STEP 3
• Pick up your new SEVIS I-20 or DS-2019.

2
Re-Orientation Session Schedule

• LAW/TAX
• Tues. 3/26 9am-1pm (P-034)
• Wed. 3/27 noon-4pm (C-89)
• All others at I-House
• Mon. 4/28 7am-4pm
• Tues. 4/29 7am-4pm
• Wed. 4/30 9am-7pm
• Thurs. 5/1 9am-7pm
• Fri. 5/2 9am-7pm

3
Students Who Do NOT Need to Participate in a
Re-Orientation Session

• March/May/June graduates who are leaving the U.S.
  for good
• You must leave the U.S. within 60 days (F-1) or
  30 days (J-1) of the completion of studies at DU.
  No SEVIS I-20/DS-2019 is necessary to leave the
  U.S.
• March/May/June graduates transferring to another
  institution in the U.S.
• You should ask your new institution to issue your
  SEVIS I-20/DS-2019 for you within 60 days (F-1)
  or 30 days (J-1) of completion of studies at DU.
• May/June graduates continuing at DU in another
  program
• You must be admitted to the new program within 60
  days (F-1) or 30 days (J-1) of the completion of
  your current program. When admitted and after you
  have finished your current program, you will be
  issued a SEVIS I-20/DS-2019 for your new program
  by ISSS. ISSS will contact you when the
  I-20/DS-2019 is ready.
• May/June graduates who have already been given a
  SEVIS I-20/DS-2019
• Please read this re-orientation information, the
  Rules and Regulations website http//www.du.edu/in
  tl/isss/rules.htm, and sign the acknowledgment
  form (download from http//www.du.edu/intl/isss/ac
  kreo.pdf). Return the acknowledgment form to ISSS
  as soon as possible.
• May/June graduates who want to apply for OPT
• Please apply for OPT at least 3 weeks before the
  completion of your studies. When applying, please
  read this re-orientation information, the Rules
  and Regulations website http//www.du.edu/intl/iss
  s/rules.htm, and sign the acknowledgment form
  (download from http//www.du.edu/intl/isss/ackreo.
  pdf). Turn in the acknowledgment form as a part
  of your application.
• DU graduates already on OPT (graduated in March
  and before)
• Please fill out a SEVIS Data Form if your dates
  of authorized OPT go beyond August 1, 2003. Make
  sure to include a copy of your EAD card.

4
SEVIS

• SEVIS, which stands for the Student and Exchange
  Visitor Information System, is what is commonly
  referred to in the press as the "foreign student
  tracking database." Based on legislation from
  1996 (IIRAIRA, the Illegal Immigration Reform and
  Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996), SEVIS is
  the system that INS and the Department of State
  uses to track international students and scholars
  in F, J, and M (vocational programs) immigration
  status and their dependents.
• It tracks individuals from the time of the
  production of the initial visa document (the I-20
  for Fs and Ms, the DS-2019 for Js) to the
  students program completion, departure from the
  U.S., or a period of employment or attempted
  employment after the completion of studies. Some
  examples of what information is reported are
  enrollment, employment authorization, changes in
  personal, education, or financial information,
  and violations of student status.

5
SEVIS I-20/DS-2019

• Required after August 1, 2003
• Printout of information reported to SEVIS
• Has barcodes to be scanned at consulates and
  ports of entry
• 3 pages, no School copy
• Forms issued to student and each dependent
• Form will be signed for travel the signature is
  valid for 9 months

What Is Reported to SEVIS?

• Enrollment each term
• Changes in personal, educational, financial, and
  dependent information
• Authorization to reduce course load
• Employment authorization
• Completion of study
• Violations of status

6
Change of Address

• Students must notify the school of any change of
  address within 10 days of the change.
• DU students must use MyWeb to notify any change
  of address (other methods are not considered
  official). See our website http//www.du.edu/intl
  /isss/address.htm for instructions.
• Both U.S. address (called Mailing Address) and
  foreign address (called Home Address) must be
  kept up to date.
• Must use physical address, not a P.O. Box, DU
  department, or company address.

Other Changes

• Students must report other changes such as
  changes in name, citizenship, educational level,
  major, completion date, source of funding,
  dependent information to SEVIS through ISSS in
  collaboration with other DU offices.
• It is your responsibility to obtain a new SEVIS
  I-20 or DS-2019 reflecting the change in a timely
  manner. New financial documents must be submitted
  for new SEVIS I-20 or DS-2019.

7
Maintaining Full Course of Study

• 12 credits for undergraduates, 8 credits for
  graduates
• Must be full-time fall, winter, spring
• Only one class, or three credits, of on-line
  courses are allowed per term to count towards the
  full course of study requirement
• Must obtain ISSS approval PRIOR to reducing
  course load
• Reduced course load limited to academic
  difficulties (once), medical reasons (12 months),
  final term (once)
• Students who have completed all coursework and
  are on dissertation or thesis status must enroll
  in continuous enrollment

Departure from DU

• If transferring to another school, must notify
  ISSS within 30 days of the last day of enrollment
  at DU
• If terminating studies before completion, must
  obtain ISSS approval for 15-day grace period to
  leave the U.S.
• If completing studies, F-1 students have 60 days
  and J-1 students have 30 days to leave the U.S.

8
Completion of Study

• Apply for graduation in time! (Usually the term
  before you intend to graduate.)
• Do NOT fail or receive incompletes for your final
  classes! (This may present serious problems for
  you, particularly if you were authorized for a
  reduced course load for a final term or applied
  for employment authorization after completion of
  study.)

Optional Practical Training

• Must apply to INS before completion of studies
• Must keep reporting change in address through
  MyWeb
• Eligible for another 12 months when beginning
  study at another educational level (e.g.
  Bachelors to Masters, Masters to Doctorate)
• Automatically terminated when transferring to
  another school or beginning study at another
  educational level

9
Change of Status
Dependent Status

• F-2 and J-2 dependents will possess their own
  I-20 or DS-2019
• F-2 Not allowed to study in a post-secondary
  degree program
• F-2 Study allowed only as part-time, avocational
  or recreational

• Notify ISSS if you change your status from F or J
  to another status as soon as it is approved by
  INS
• Submit a copy of proof of new status along with
  your name and student ID number

Violation of Status

• Failure to maintain your status may result in
  deportation from the U.S. and a bar from
  returning for an extended period of time.
• If you are out of status for more than 5 months,
  you will most likely need to leave the U.S. and
  re-enter to regain proper status.

10
Stay Informed

• ISSS sends a weekly newsletter called The Globe
  to your DU e-mail address to notify you of events
  and any changes in immigration regulations.
• If you do not check your DU e-mail address very
  often, forward it to an e-mail address that you
  check often.

Read the Rules and Regulations Website

• Please read the newly revised Rules and
  Regulations Regulations website
  http//www.du.edu/intl/isss/rules.htm

Sign the Acknowledgment Form

• Download and sign the Acknowledgment of
  Responsibility form from the website
  http//www.du.edu/intl/isss/ackreo.pdf

Step 2 Come to a Re-Orientation Session

• Bring your original, signed Acknowledgment Form
  along with a copy of yours and any dependents
  passport, visa, I-94, and I-20 to a
  Re-Orientation session.