Introduction

According to the annual Open Doors report, published by the Institute for International Education, post-secondary institutions in the United States played host to more than half a million international students during the 2003–2004 academic year.

A student is typically classified as “international” if that student currently resides or plans to reside in the United States on a non-immigrant visa while studying at an institution approved by the Department of Homeland Security's United States Citizen and Immigrant Services (USCIS) (formerly the Immigration and Naturalization Service). The most common non-immigrant visas granted to international students are F-1 and J-1 visas. Students on F-1 visas are commonly enrolled in programs that have terminal objectives, such as a certificate or degree, while J-1 students are most often on short-term exchange programs and will return to their home countries to complete their diplomas or degrees. Thus, the focus of this article will be on F-1 international students, since that is the student most commonly seen by academic advisers.

Although this article is concerned with F-1 international students studying in post-secondary institutions in the United States, it is interesting to note that Canada hosts more than 130,000 international students annually. Academic advisers concerned with Canadian institutions can find very helpful information on Canadian government regulations for international students on the Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) website. Canadian regulations for international students are quite different from those of the United States. Academic advisers in U.S. institutions may encounter F-1 students who are transferring to or from a Canadian institution or planning to complete another degree program in a Canadian institution. Those advisers can refer their international advisees to the CIC website and to international student advisers on their campuses for further clarification and assistance.

Maintaining Immigration Status: Six Areas of Concern

Post-secondary institutions that admit international students have obligations to those students that include providing services to meet the unique needs of international students, informing international students of their academic requirements, interpreting and explaining the immigration regulations governing the international student's continued presence in the United States, and facilitating the successful attainment of the international student's academic goals.

While individual F-1 international students are ultimately responsible for maintaining their immigration status, helping them navigate the complex immigration policies and regulations is the main goal of the international student adviser. This task is delivered through orientation for newly arrived international students, interpreting and explaining USCIS regulations governing F-1 and other non-immigrant student visa types, reporting updated information on international student enrollment to the USCIS through the online Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), helping out-of-status students regain immigration status, and managing the large amount of documentation and paperwork required on each international student.

Providing comprehensive services to international students, however, is a shared goal in any institution that admits and enrolls such students. Academic advisers, student affairs professionals, residence life staff, faculty, and other employees of the institution who have regular contact with international students have been given the task of helping these visiting students navigate their way to academic, professional, and personal success. The consequences of falling out of status with the USCIS can be both expensive and time-consuming, since an out-of-status student may have to return to his or her home country in order to regain status. Some F-1 students who fall out of status leave their host institutions and never return, thus contributing to an undesirable attrition rate. This failure in retention is both a cultural and a financial loss for the institution, so it is in everyone's best interests to help F-1 students stay in status.

Academic advisers in particular have regular contact with international students and can benefit greatly from knowing the basics of the immigration regulations that influence the academic choices of F-1 international students. The following specific regulations can be of particular concern in academic advising.

1. Enrollment Issues

F-1 international students must be enrolled full-time, however full-time enrollment is defined at the institution that granted the student's I-20, which is the USCIS document that allows the student to remain in the U.S. for purposes of completing an academic program. For most undergraduates, that means the minimum number of credits in which they must enroll each term is twelve. Part-time enrollment may be allowed in certain circumstances; however, such exceptions are extremely limited. For example, F-1 students are allowed only one term of less than full-time enrollment for compelling academic reasons, such as English language difficulties or improper course placement, per degree program. Academic advisers may be called upon to help international student advisers document the circumstances compelling an F-1 student to take less than a full-time credit load. Full-time enrollment must be resumed the following term.

Another case in which less than full-time enrollment may be allowed is when the F-1 student is directly experiencing medical issues (i.e., not the medical issues of the student's spouse/partner or immediate family member). In such cases, the student must provide official documentation from a medical doctor, osteopath, or licensed psychologist. International student advisers are allowed to authorize up to twelve months of less than full-time enrollment for F-1 students with such documentation. Academic advisers counseling F-1 students with personal medical issues that require the student to be enrolled less than full-time should refer those students to their institution's international student adviser for further clarification and assistance.

Students completing the last term of their program of study can also receive authorization to be enrolled less than full-time. It is the F-1 student's responsibility to notify his or her international student adviser if it is the student's final term of study. Academic advisers may be asked to help international student advisers document the fact that it is, indeed, the student's last term. Also, graduate students who have completed all necessary coursework for their program and who are working on thesis/dissertation research may be enrolled for as little as one credit each term while they are completing their thesis/dissertation. Again, academic advisers, and in particular faculty advisers, may be asked by the international student advisers to assist in the documentation of these requirements so that the F-1 student can maintain immigration status.

F-1 international students are allowed to take classes at two different USCIS-authorized institutions simultaneously; however, different institutions may apply their own restrictions to this allowance. For example, F-1 students may be required to carry at least half of their full-time credits at the host institution, and they might be asked to provide proof of their enrollment at the other college or university to their host institution's international student adviser before the term of co-enrollment begins. Also, some baccalaureate institutions have co-admission agreements with community colleges in their area, but regulations governing F-1 students in co-admission programs can vary from institution to institution. Academic advisers should consult with international student advisers on their campuses to clarify their institution's particular restrictions.

Another issue concerning enrollment is that of distance education. F-1 international students are restricted to a maximum number of online and correspondence credits each term, which is currently one class or three credits. This restriction may be different from the institution's rules and can lead to confusion for the student. Academic advisers should encourage F-1 international students to consult with their international student adviser before enrolling in distance education courses.

2. Course Completion Issues

Since F-1 international students are required to maintain full-time enrollment each term, dropping or withdrawing from courses, or simply failing to attend classes, can have serious consequences on the student's immigration status. Likewise, failure to complete course credits due to failing grades (F and No Pass), incompletes, and other institution-specific grade assignments that result in no credit for the course, might result in the F-1 student falling out of status. F-1 international students are also expected to maintain satisfactory progress toward the completion of their program; thus F-1 students experiencing grade-point average issues might also face losing status. This creates an added stress on top of that created by the grade-point average problem. Academic advisers can benefit academically struggling F-1 international students by identifying campus resources that will contribute to the student's academic success and thus help the student maintain immigration status.

3. English Language Issues

In most cases, post-secondary institutions that admit F-1 international students whose first language is not English require official score reports from either the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing Service (IELTS). Some institutions administer their own English language placement tests either in lieu of or in addition to these tests. Of course, requirements may vary among institutions, and academic advisers should be aware of their institution's admissions requirements regarding English language proficiency. While test scores are beneficial as benchmarks for admissions purposes or initial placement in courses, they do not assure that students will not experience issues related to English language difficulties once they are enrolled in courses at the institution.

Struggles with the English language can affect an F-1 international student's immigration status. Failure to adequately comprehend lectures and reading assignments or to appropriately communicate ideas in speaking or writing can lead to poor grades and possible failure of a course, thus affecting immigration status, not to mention academic standing. F-1 students experiencing issues with the English language may desire to take English classes for non-native speakers but be restricted from doing so without special permission from an international student adviser. Conversely, F-1 students needing additional support for English language difficulties may be resistant and hesitate to adjust their programs of study accordingly, seeing English as a second language (ESL) classes as a waste of time and/or money. This resistance contributes to a downward spiral that could result in course failure or incompletion, thereby affecting the student's immigration status. Faculty and professional academic advisers can help F-1 students who are struggling with English to access campus resources that will contribute to their success, and they can work with international student advisers to help these students adjust their programs of study accordingly so the students will not find themselves out of status.

4. Change of Program

When an F-1 international student is admitted to a U.S. college or university, the institution grants the student an I-20, which the student uses to obtain the F-1 visa at a U.S. embassy or consulate in the student's home country. The I-20 states the student's intended program of study and degree type. Information on the I-20 is reported to the USCIS through SEVIS. If an F-1 student changes his or her program of study without properly notifying the institution's international student office, the information on the student, which is reported regularly through SEVIS, could capture the attention of USCIS authorities. If it is determined that the F-1 student was taking coursework not appropriate for the program of study indicated on his/her I-20, the student may be declared out of status. Therefore, it is very important that academic advisers urge F-1 international students to report changes in major and other alterations in the student's program of study to the institution's international student advisers so that proper reporting and documentation can be arranged in a timely manner.

5. On- and Off-Campus Work

Advisees routinely ask their academic advisers about employment opportunities both on and off campus. Although F-1 international students are required to provide proof of financial resources for their first year of study in the United States before they can be granted an I-20 from the institution, many of these students find themselves to be in financial need after arriving on campus. For F-1 international students, working in the U.S. can be a delicate issue. On-campus employment is allowed, with the international office's permission, for a maximum of twenty hours per week (more during summer/vacation terms). However, off-campus employment authorization is very difficult to obtain and requires extensive documentation, which international student advisers are best qualified to navigate. F-1 students participating in unauthorized off-campus work face very serious repercussions if discovered by USCIS authorities.

6. Practical Training

Practical training is defined as employment in a student's major field of study. F-1 students are eligible for practical training authorization if they have been enrolled full-time for nine consecutive months prior to the beginning of the practical training. There are two types of practical training: curricular and optional.

Curricular Practical Training (CPT) allows F-1 students to complete an internship, co-op, practicum, or professional experience that is listed as a course requirement in the student's major field of study. It may be full- or part-time, and it must bear credit toward degree completion. F-1 students who complete twelve months of full-time CPT are not eligible for any Optional Practical Training authorization. Students can be exempted from the nine-consecutive-month rule if their program of study requires that all students begin the practicum/internship before the required waiting period for international students has ended.

Optional Practical Training (OPT) is available to F-1 international students who have (1) been enrolled full-time for nine consecutive months, (2) completed their degree program, and (3) not used twelve months of full-time CPT previously. The work must be directly related to the student's field of study. Twelve months of OPT are available, although some restrictions may apply.

Both CPT and OPT require detailed and often extensive documentation of which international student advisers are well-aware. Academic advisers, however, are often asked to assist with the documentation by verifying program requirements and degree completion.

Conclusion

One of the most gratifying aspects of advising students in higher education is seeing one's advisees successfully complete their degree programs and begin the next phase of their life. Seeing F-1 international students in this transition is bittersweet: We appreciate their accomplishments and their contributions to our campuses, yet feel saddened by the fact that we may very well never see these students again as they return to their home countries to share what they have learned and experienced in our country.

Helping F-1 students maintain their immigration status and successfully attain their academic goals are objectives shared by both international student advisers and academic advisers. The more we can understand each other's roles and collaborate with one another, the better we can provide services to our international students, thereby contributing to higher international student retention rates and enriching our campus climate through the valuable human resources that international students bring to us.