Immigration 101: Student Regulations UF International Center

1. Immigration 101: Student RegulationsUF International Center

2. Housekeeping • Break • Restrooms • Cell phones, pagers, or text messaging • Evaluation at end of session • Workshop counts toward Pro3 certification • Do not need to do anything to get credit; it will be given automatically • Roster completed at end of class today

3. University of Florida International Center (UFIC) • International Student Services (ISS) • Incoming international degree students • Study Abroad Services (SAS) • Students wishing to study abroad and incoming exchange students • Exchange Visitor Services (EVS) • Visiting faculty and International faculty • Visiting exchange students • International Program Development (IPD) • Internationalizing the curriculum, grant writing, international photo contest…

4. International Student Services Staff • Debra Anderson, Coordinator • Patricia Alba, F Student Advisor (A-C) • Ethel Porras, F Student Advisor (D-J) • Scott Davis, F Student Advisor (K-L); J Advisor- UF Sponsored • Candice DeBose-Tyson, F Student Advisor (M-Q) • Jessica Kelly, F Student Advisor (R-T) • Martine Angrand, F Student Advisor (U-Z) • Yanina Morero, Coord. Management Analysis • Maryshelly Quinones, Insurance Advisor

5. Immigration 101: Objectives • Understand steps necessary to process I-20 for new International Students • Acquire practical knowledge of immigration requirements and terminology • Develop a working knowledge of UFIC/ISS and to whom staff can go for assistance and guidance

6. Immigration 101: Agenda • Terminology • Admission/Application Process • Maintaining Legal Immigration Status • Social Security Process

7. Terminology

8. Immigration Terminology: Visa Types Today’s focus! • F1/F2 – Student/dependent • J1/J2 – Student, scholar/dependent • B1/B2 – Visitor and/or potential student • E1/E2 – Treaty trader, investor, specialty worker/dependent • H1-B/H4 – Temporary worker in specialty occupation/dependent • L1/L2 – Intracompany transfer/dependent

9. Immigration Terminology: Documents • I-20 – Form used by student/dependents to obtain an F1/F2 visa • DS-2019 – Form used by scholars, exchange students, students & dependents to obtain a J1/J2 visa • I-94 – Admission/departure card • AR-11 – Address report form • I-515 – Notice to student or exchange student for minor infractions at Port of Entry (POE) * *See examples in supplementary packet

10. International Fun Facts! • Do you know…? • When did the first international student attend UF? • 1906-1907 • That first international student was a citizen of what country? • Russia • In 2010, what was the total number of international visa holders at UF? • 5393 • How many of those were F/J visas? • 5156

11. International Fun Facts! • Do you know…? • How many different countries are represented at UF by international students? • 131 countries • What are the top 5 countries with the most international students at UF? • 1) India 2) China 3) S. Korea 4) Taiwan 5) Turkey • What program has the most international students? • Engineering (2426)

12. Admission/Application Process

13. Admission/Application Process Admission/Application Requesting Form I-20 Processing Form I-20 Student Arrival/Check-In Reporting Requirements

14. Admission/Application

15. Admission/Application Submit supporting documents (electronic submissions only) Transcripts/credentials, test scores, recommendation letters, resume/statement of purpose, etc., are submitted to appropriate offices Certificate of Financial Responsibility/Proof of Funds is submitted to UF International Center CFR is not required for granting admission CFR is required for processing I-20 once student is admitted

16. Admission/Application (cont.) Admission Letters Department mails official admission letter to student once the admission is official in the university student records system Beware of conditional admission and how it can impact visa application process for international students Once admitted, UFIC will receive notification Undergraduates: List from Admissions Office Graduates: List from GIMS system

17. Admission/Application (cont.) GIMS: Graduate Information Management System Database for tracking graduate students Available to graduate staff, academic departments, graduate students, UFIC For access to database, contact the Graduate School For more information on using GIMS, attend Pro330 A Guide to Graduate Education

18. Request I-20

19. Request I-20 Identifying international student in student records (NERDC) UFID, name, birth date Application status Residency status, nationality College classification, major, degree

20. Request I-20 (cont.) Verifying information for international student (NERDC) Admitted Resident “A” Nationality not US

21. Request I-20 (cont.) • Verifying information for international student (ISIS)

22. Request I-20 (cont.) Requesting I-20 for international graduate student in GIMS (UFIC tab in GIMS main menu) Student admitted Input financial information (UF Sponsored) Assistantship Fellowship Assistantship/Fellowship combinations Achievement Award (Engineering Students) Latin American Scholarship (min $500; state funds) Scholarships

23. Request I-20 (cont.) Assistantship or Fellowship Achievement Award

24. Request I-20 (cont.) Additional Information

25. Request I-20 (cont.) Indicate if department would like to pick up I-20 Contact Person/ Phone Number/ Email If not, I-20 will be mailed to student • Click “Submit Changes” request the I-20

26. Request I-20 (cont.) Points to consider when requesting I-20 Departments can request I-20s only for their students Students admitted to more than one department must choose which major to pursue Student Records must be updated accordingly I-20 can be issued for only 1 major I-20 can be requested only one time in GIMS For changes to the request, contact UFIC Document Preparation Specialist by email

27. Request I-20 (cont.) Deferred vs. Re-admitted Students Deferred Defer admission from one term to another Have NOT attended UF If I-20 was previously requested, send notice to UFIC Document Preparation Specialist by email

28. Request I-20 (cont.) • Deferred vs. Re-admitted Students • Re-admitted • Former Students: Department sends copy of admission letter to UFIC • Should not be entered in GIMS • UFIC tab in GIMS is geared for new students • Current UF Students admitted to a new program • Visit UFIC for an appointment with an Advisor

29. Process I-20

30. Process I-20 • Funding • Certificate of Financial Responsibility/Proof of Funds • UFIC will check available funds for first year • For graduate students – $45,205 • For undergraduate students – $43,790 • UFIC will verify the following • Names of Account Holders (English) • Letter/Statement Dates • Amounts/Currency • Bank Stamps/Seal/Letterhead • UFIC will contact student if information is missing or incomplete

31. Process I-20 (cont.) • Funding • Certificate of Financial Responsibility/Proof of Funds

32. Generating I-20 Student Form Biographical information and mailing address that will be used to generate the I-20 in SEVIS SEVIS: Student and Exchange Visitor Information System Federal Database for tracking all F and J international students and exchange visitors Student will received an email requesting the Student Form once UFIC verifies that the student is ready to receive an I-20 Student Form should be submitted electronically Process I-20 (cont.)

33. Process I-20 (cont.) Generating I-20 (cont.) UFIC imports the information into the database once the form is received I-20 will be issued and mailed by express mail (unless department picks up I-20, as indicated in GIMS) Student confirms the address to mail I-20 Student receives email with package tracking information

34. Student Check-In

35. Student Check-In • Once the student enters the US • The student must check in with UFIC within 30 days of program start date. Transfer student must check-in within 15 days. • Will need to provide: passport, visa, I-20, I-94 • UFIC will check for holds • It’s My Responsibility Form • Student is informed of immigration regulations, insurance, and credential requirements • UFIC will register student in SEVIS database once the semester starts for federal tracking

36. Student Check-In (cont.) • Holds • Immunizations Hold • Contact the Student Health Care Center in the Infirmary Building • Emergency Contact Information Hold & • Registration Preparation Hold • Student responsible for clearing each semester in ISIS

37. Student Check-In (cont.) • Holds • Insurance Hold • Proof of health insurance for all F1, J1, and J2 visa types is mandatory. More information about the insurance requirements and acceptable insurance plans is located in the International Student Services website: http://www.ufic.ufl.edu/issresources/insurance.htm • Other Holds • Contact the department listed in the hold description

38. Reporting Requirements

39. UFIC receives weekly information from the Registrar’s office to be reported to SEVIS electronically: Enrollment * Local Home Physical Location Address (No PO Box) Major Information is reported as long as the student is registered for classes Reporting Requirements * Under enrollment is also monitored electronically but student has to obtain prior authorization from UFIC

40. Activity!

41. Maintaining Legal Immigration Status

42. Maintaining Legal Immigration Status • Enrollment requirements • Employment requirements • Other requirements

43. Enrollment Requirements

44. Enrollment Requirements • Enter the United States– no more than 30 days prior to start of classes • Attend school listed on I-20/DS-2019 • Pursue a “full course of study” • Undergrads: 12 credits Fall/Spring/Summer • Summer credits depend on admission date • Grads: 9 credits Fall/Spring • Summer credits depend on admission date • Summer is considered vacation and students need not register unless required by assistantship/department policy

45. Enrollment Requirements • Exceptions to full course requirement • Initial difficulties with the English language • Initial difficulties with reading requirements • Unfamiliarity with U.S. teaching methods • Improper course level placement • Student in final semester and needs less than full-time enrollment to complete the course of study • Medical – 1 year limit * ** *Allowed only in first year **Allowed only one time in course of degree

46. Enrollment Requirements • Exceptions to full course requirement • Master’s/PhD Thesis Credits – if not on appointment may register for minimum of 3 credits • Temporary Leave of Absence • Less than 5 months • More than 5 months • Travel outside US for field work • Less than 5 months • More than 5 months

47. Enrollment Requirements • Monitoring student’s full course load requirement – drop/add procedure • To inform the student when they would be dropping below the required number of credits and the consequences of going out of status • Drop/Add form or some sort of written documentation must be brought to UFIC in order to review student’s credit level to ensure the student maintains immigration status

48. Employment Requirements

49. Employment Requirements • Must abide by employment authorized in the regulations at 8 C.F.R. 214.2(f)(9) or 214.2(f)(10) • F1 is automatically authorized for on-campus employment. J1 must have authorization from UFIC or sponsoring agency • On campus only/grant positions • 20 hours per UF work week (Fri-Thurs) fall/spring semesters • Full time during breaks and summer vacation

50. Employment Requirements • Other employment opportunities for F1 students • CPT (Curricular Practical Training) is internships and practicum, done during the program of study, which must be authorized by UFIC • OPT (Optional Practical Training): 12 month of employment allowed upon completion of the student’s degree program; employment is authorized by DHS