International Students-General Information dhsregulation

Department of Homeland Security Regulations for International Students

Visa Regulations

Overview of DHS Regulations
Check-In
Full-time Enrollment
Health Insurance
Temporary Travel outside the U.S.
On-Campus Employment
Transferring Schools
Preparing to Leave the U.S.
Commonly Used Immigration Terms

Again, please be aware that if you intend to study at UCLA Summer Sessions, you must enroll in at least 8 units and obtain the F1 visa - you cannot attend UCLA Summer Sessions as a tourist or as part of the visa waiver program.

Overview of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Regulations

To maintain legal F-1 student status at UCLA, you are required to:

Complete the mandatory check-in procedure.
Maintain full-time enrollment (eight units per six-week session) and earn a passing grade in all your courses. All courses must be taken for credit.
Purchase health insurance for the duration of your studies.
Conform with regulations for travel outside of the U.S. and keep your passport valid for six months beyond the summer sessions program.
Accept no off-campus employment without written permission from the Department of Homeland Security; work no more than twenty hours per week on campus while attending school on a full-time basis.
Notify the International Education Office before you transfer to another U.S. school.
Leave the U.S. or transfer to another U.S. school within sixty days after the completion of your program.

Check-In

ALL new and transferring F-1 students must check-in with the International Education Office (IEO) within 10 days of their arrival at UCLA. When you come to the IEO office (B300 Murphy Hall), please bring your passport, I-94 (white card received at the port of entry) and UCLA I-20 so we can verify that you have arrived and are in the correct status to begin your studies. Failure to check-in in person with the documents listed above WILL cause delays in processing any future requests for you until it is resolved. In some cases, the problem could also result in a loss of F-1 status due to specific reporting requirements in SEVIS that could not be met because we were not able to verify your presence at UCLA with the proper F-1 student visa status.

Full-time Enrollment

In order to comply with Department of Homeland Security regulations for F-1 student visa holders, you must complete at least eight units per six-week period of study. If for some medical or emergency reason you are unable to attend full-time study, you must contact an advisor at the International Education Office (1332 Murphy Hall) immediately. In exceptional and rare circumstances an advisor can approve a course load of fewer than eight units only if you have an illness or other medical condition (substantiated by a physician's statement).

Health Insurance

All international F-1 students are required to purchase a health insurance policy for the duration of their studies. This is for your protection because medical care in the U.S. is very expensive.

Temporary Travel outside the U.S.

If you plan to travel outside of the U.S., you must meet with an advisor two weeks before you plan to leave, in order to have your I-20 signed. The advisor will review your enrollment, I-20 and passport to make sure that you will be allowed to re-enter the U.S.. Travel signatures will only be issued to current, full-time students. Please note that once you have completed your courses, you will not be eligible to receive a travel signature. All traveling outside of the United States should be done prior to completion of study.

On-Campus Employment

As an F-1 student, you are eligible to work on campus for up to 20 hours per week. To apply for on-campus employment, go to 219 Kerkhoff Hall. If a department is hiring and is interested in you, a representative will contact you for an interview. You will need to have a social security card in order to get paid for your work. If you do not have this card, please contact your international adviser for information on how to apply for one. Please understand that employment opportunities are limited and you should not rely on a job to support yourself while you are a student at UCLA.

Transferring Schools

Contact the UCLA International Education Office, (310) 267-4880, before you transfer to another U.S. school.

Preparing to Leave the U.S.

The Department of Homeland Security requires you to leave the U.S. within 60 days of your program completion date. You may use this time for travel within the U.S., but you must leave the U.S. within the 60-day period.

Example: Your last day of study in Session A is August 1. You have 60 days, until October 1, to leave the U.S. From August 1 to October 1 you may travel within the U.S. but you may not travel to another country (including Canada and Mexico) and return to the U.S.

Commonly Used Immigration Terms

Department of Homeland Security
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is responsible for administering and enforcing the regulations related to immigration and non-immigration policies.
I-20
The Certificate of Eligibility for Non-Immigrant (F-1) Student Status. This document is evidence of your admission to the school which issued the I-20. It is issued so that you can apply for an F-1 visa at a U.S. embassy or consulate. Your I-20 is proof of your status and should be kept with your passport.
F-1 Visa
A Non-Immigrant student visa. This is an entry visa issued to "bona fide students qualified to pursue a full course of study" at an academic or language institution authorized to admit international students. The visa is issued at a U.S. embassy or consulate. It indicates the date of issue and date of expiration. If you have not yet completed your program and the visa has already expired, you do not have to renew it until you leave the U.S. and plan to return. F-1 visas are not renewed within the U.S.
B1/B2 Visa
The visitor's visa for business (B1) or pleasure (B2). (UCLA will not accept students with this visa category. Make sure you apply for the F-1 visa if you want to take classes during the summer).
I-94 Card
The arrival/departure document in your passport, commonly known as the "white card" . This is issued at the port of entry when you present your I-20 to the Department of Homeland Security officer. The arrival portion is kept by Department of Homeland Security and the departure portion is stapled on the F-1 visa page in your passport to show your status.
D/S
Duration of Status. This is written by Department of Homeland Security on the I-94 card and indicates that your stay is valid for the duration of your program and as long as you attend school on a full-time basis.
WT
Visa waiver (green I-94). This I-94 does not allow you to attend school on a full-time basis or remain in the U.S. past the date indicated on the card.
In Status
You are considered "in status" if you are attending school on a full-time basis. For UCLA Summer Sessions this means eight units per six week session, making satisfactory progress toward completing the coursework and keeping your health insurance current.
Out of Status
When you fail to meet F-1 visa requirements, for example, by attending school less than full-time, or UCLA requirements you are considered out of status and may lose your right to study at UCLA or to stay in the United States.
Reinstatement
To return to F-1 student status, you may apply for reinstatement, a procedure whereby you will be required to explain to an Department of Homeland Security officer why you failed to comply with the F-1 regulations.

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