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International
Students
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Welcome to Wingate University. We
hope that your study-abroad experience will be a positive opportunity for
growth and development. You are an important part of our campus life and
each of you brings diverse cultural perspectives that enrich our
community. Please take advantage of every opportunity to share your
experiences with other students, staff, and faculty.
Being an international student
brings a unique set of obligations and considerations. An F-1 visa means
that you are here to study under guidelines established by the United
States
Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). It is very important
to follow these guidelines, especially after the events of September 11.
This guidebook should answer some of the most frequently asked questions
about international student regulations and policies. If you have more
questions or do not understand something please contact the appropriate
school official.
Designated School
Officials (DSOs)
Nicci Brown,
Director of International Studies
(Primary DSO, or PSDO),
(questions relating to USCIS, employment, SEVIS)
704-233- 8125 or
brown@wingate.edu
You will find that
there are many other students, staff, and faculty on campus who will be
glad to help you, whether you need a ride to Wal-Mart or someplace to stay
over a holiday. It is up to you to ask!
SEVIS:
What is it?
Beginning August 1,
2003, all international students must have a record in the Student and
Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS). Each semester, the PSDO (Nicci
Brown) must confirm with the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration
Services (USCIS) that each international student has enrolled at Wingate
for full-time studies and is otherwise "in-status" (see page 4).
The PSDO creates a record for each student and reports on his/her status
each semester in SEVIS, the online reporting system maintained by USCIS.
Other things must
be reported in SEVIS also. You must meet with the PSDO to request the
following:
- Authorization to
reduce your course load to part-time
- Program
extension (extending your studies past four years)
- Off-campus
employment
- Reinstatement to
status (if you have violated any of the conditions of maintaining
status)
- Transfer to
another U.S. college or university
- Reporting of a
new address
All of this
information will be put into SEVIS and a new I-20 will be generated.
Students cannot access the database; information can only be
updated/requested by a DSO.
Staying
"In Status"
Before your I-20
can be signed each year, the DSO will check to make sure that you are
"in status" as far as the USCIS is concerned. To maintain your
F-1 student status:
- You must be a
full-time student. Full-time means 12 hours or above for an
undergraduate student. Permission to drop below 12 hours may be
granted under very limited circumstances in advance; see
PSDO
- You CANNOT
work off-campus without written permission from USCIS. See PSDO at
least 3 months before you would like to work to begin the
application process – USCIS is very strict about letting
international students work off-campus.
- You may only
work a maximum of 20 hours per week on campus. The applies during
a regular semester; you may work full-time between semesters (i.e.
over the summer) as long as you are registered for the next semester
and intend to resume your studies at Wingate
- Do not let
your I-20 expire or become out-of-date. Item #5 on the I-20 shows
you how long your I-20 gives you to complete your studies. If you need
longer than that, you must file for an extension (see PSDO) at
least 30 days before the expiration date. Also make sure your
major is listed correctly. If your major or the time you need to
complete your degree changes, you must notify PSDO. Your I-20
gives you permission to attend Wingate University only. If you would
like to transfer, you will need a new I-20.
- Do not let
your passport expire. If the expiration date is six months away,
call your home country’s embassy in the U.S. to see what you must
do.
- Notify PSDO
any time your permanent address changes. You should also make sure
that she has your current email address, campus box, and phone number
at all times.
What
if I fall out of status?
In some cases, you
can file for re-instatement to F-1 student status with USCIS; there will be
a fee (see PSDO). If your appeal is not approved, you will have to return
to your home country within 30 days. The longer you wait to apply for
re-instatement if you have violated any of the above conditions, the less
likely your application will be accepted. You may even be barred from
re-entering the U.S. for several years.
Leaving
and Returning to the U.S.
Before you leave
the United States to go home or to travel, be sure that your I-20 has a
current DSO signature. The back of your I-20 should be signed and
dated by either Stacey Harris or Nicci Brown; the signature shouldn’t be
more than one year old on the date that you expect to return to the United
States. We recommend that international students have their I-20 signed at
the same time each year – usually at the end of the spring semester.
What
if I forget to get my I-20 signed?
When you go through
customs at a U.S. airport, the official may let you back in the
country. He/She may issue you a temporary form allowing you to stay in the
U.S. for 30 days while you get together the necessary paperwork to be
officially re-admitted. If this happens, bring the form to PSDO immediately.
Make sure you have
the following documents ready to present to customs:
- Valid passport
- Valid F-1 visa
stamped in your passport. It is legal to remain in the U.S. with an
expired F-1 visa as long as you are in status and have a valid I-20,
but if you leave the country with an expired F-1 you will not be able
to re-enter the U.S, except for trips of less than 30 days to Mexico
and Canada
- Valid I-20 with
a current signature
- Valid I-94
Employment:
On-campus and Off-campus
Students should be
very careful about working off-campus. A violation of USCIS regulations
regarding international student off-campus employment may jeopardize your
opportunity to work in the U.S. in the future or obtain legal resident
status. When considering applying for an Employment Authorization Document
(EAD), always consult with the PSDO to determine eligibility and go over
procedures in detail.
On-campus
You do not need
special permission from a DSO to work on-campus. To find out what kinds of
campus jobs are available, see someone in the Office of Financial
Planning. You will need to get a social security number to get paid (see
page 8). You may work no more than 20 hours per week while school is in
session. You may work up to 40 hours a week during breaks.
Off-campus
Students may work
off-campus only under limited circumstances. Off-campus work authorization
must be granted by USCIS. To get this authorization, you should see the
PSDO at least three months in advance of the date you would like to
start working. You must have been a student at Wingate for at least nine
months before you can apply for any of the below options. It takes at
least three months to get a work authorization card from USCIS, so plan
ahead (CPT is the only exception – see below.) These are the
situations under which you can apply for an off-campus work permit:
1. Curricular
Practical Training (CPT). This type of employment is usually
done via a paid internship that is required of your degree program. The
purpose of CPT is academic, not financial. To be eligible for CPT, your
academic advisor must submit a letter stating that the employment is
either an integral part of your degree program or is required as part of
an academic course, and include the course name and the number of credit
hours you will receive for the work experience. You will also need a
letter (on company letterhead) from an employer stating: a) Your
job title/job description; b) Exact start/end dates; c) Hours
per week; and d) Employment address/phone number. You must
have written permission from the PSDO on your I-20 BEFORE beginning CPT
employment. You should submit this paperwork at least two weeks before the
beginning date of employment. CPT authorization must be renewed each
semester. Although there is not a limit to part-time hours of CPT,
students should keep in mind that 12 or more months of full-time CPT will
cancel out post-completion OPT.
2. Optional
Practical Training (OPT). Students generally apply for OPT over
summer break and/or after graduation. Although the employment must be
related to the major program of study, OPT is not as strictly academic as CPT. You do not have to receive academic credit to engage in OPT
employment. You must apply to USCIS (through the PSDO) for OPT at least
three months before the proposed date of employment (You can apply up to
120 days before your proposed employment start date.) Students are given a
total of 12 months of full-time OPT, so if you use three months of OPT one
summer you have nine months left, etc. Many students wait until graduation
to take advantage of the full 12 months at once. You may travel outside of
and return to the U.S. during post-completion OPT with a valid work
authorization card from USCIS. NOTE: USCIS charges a $175 fee to apply for
OPT.
3. Severe
Economic Hardship. Students may apply to work off-campus by proving to
USCIS that there is a serious economic need to do so. USCIS will need to see
documentation of an unforeseen and drastic change in the student’s
financial situation that did not exist when the student was first given an
I-20. Examples might include a severe devaluation of the student’s home
currency, political changes in the home country that have displaced the
student’s means of financial support, or other unforeseen changes in the
student’s finances (like unforeseen medical expenses). You should
include a personal letter explaining the situation and any other
documentation you can provide (like bank statements, newspaper/internet
articles, copies of medical bills, etc.) Your sponsor/parent may also wish
to submit a letter explaining the reason(s) for the change in financial
ability to support you if appropriate. Economic Hardship must be renewed
each year. NOTE: USCIS charges a $175 fee to apply for Economic Hardship.
Health
Insurance
Wingate University
and the federal government require that international students have health
insurance for the duration of their studies. Even though you may already
have health insurance in your home country, it may not cover you in the U.S. If it
does, coverage is probably fairly limited and would not cover expenses
such as medical evacuation (which could literally cost tens of thousands
of dollars). You should know that health care in the United States is very
expensive. Just one night’s stay in a U.S. hospital can cost up to
$10,000.
Because appropriate
medical coverage for international students is so important, students are
automatically enrolled in a policy through HTH Worldwide. This policy was
chosen after extensive research into the best, most cost-effective policy
for our international students. You will be automatically enrolled each
year. Coverage begins in August and ends in May, the length of the normal
academic year. A charge of $477 will be billed to your account each fall.
If you are planning to stay in the U.S. for more than nine months, you
will need to purchase additional coverage ($53 per month).
HTH maintains an
excellent website at
http://www.hthstudents.com/ if you would
like more information. You will be assigned a Username and Password to
access personal information.
Social
Security Cards
Every U.S. citizen
is issued a social security number for identification purposes by the
government. We use this number to fill out tax forms, to apply for loans,
to get a driver’s license, etc. International students will need a
social security number to work on-campus (or off-campus -- see "Employment"
above.) A new policy by the Department of Motor Vehicles also says
that you must have a social security number to get a driver's license. You do
not need a social security number to open up a bank
account.
You must have a job already
lined up to get a social security card. Once you have a job,
these are the things you'll need:
- A letter from your employer.
(Print this
sample letter to give
to your employer as an example of what information must be included
be in the letter.)
- A letter from Nicci Brown.
- Your I-20, I-94,
passport, & visa
- A completed
Social Security Card Application.
You can also get the application in Nicci Brown's office, or at the
Social Security Office.
Once you get everything together, you will need to take the documents to
the Social Security Office in Charlotte (or Wadesboro):
Suite
300, 5800 Executive Center Drive
Charlotte, NC 28212
(800)
772-1213
Office Hours:
Helpful
Websites
USCIS
http://www.bcis.gov/graphics/index.htm
eduPass: General
information for studying in the U.S.
http://www.edupass.org/
Foreign Embassies
in Washington D.C.
http://www.embassy.org/embassies/
Foreign Embassies:
Websites
http://www.state.gov/misc/10125.htm
Green Card Lottery
http://usagcls.com/index.asp?Prom=googleGCL.html
Social Security
Administration (frequently asked questions)
http://ssa.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/ssa.cfg/php/enduser/std_alp.php?p_cat_lvl1=16
U.S.
Embassies/Consulates Overseas
http://www.state.gov/www/regions_missions.html
International House is a non-profit organization established in 1981, dedicated to serving the international community of Charlotte and encouraging cross-cultural communication and understanding.
http://www.ihclt.org/mission.asp
