F-1 Glossary of Terms
Designated School Official
A Designated School Official or DSO has been designated by Teachers College to provide recommendations and guidance to enrolled F-1 students regarding maintenance of nonimmigrant status, and to support timely and complete record keeping and reporting to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The DSO issues and updates Form I-20, identifies regulations, and interprets and applies regulations and policies related to F-1 students. The DSO at Teachers College can be found on the OISS website.
F-1 Visa
The F-1 visa is issued by a U.S. consulate overseas (ordinarily in your country of citizenship or permanent residence), and is presented upon arrival at a U.S. border or port of entry to the U.S. to pursue full-time study. Students from all countries except Canada are required to have valid F-1 entry visas in order to request admission as F-1 students.
The expiration date of your visa is not the same as the expiration date of your permission to stay in the U.S. You must have a valid F-1 visa to enter the United States as an F-1 student, but you may remain in the U.S. even if the visa expires as long as you maintain your F-1 status. The expiration date of your permission to stay is indicated on the Form I-94 (Arrival/Departure Record) and your Form I-20.
Before leaving on a trip outside the U.S., check the expiration date of your visa and the number of entries you are allowed. You may need to renew your visa while you are traveling abroad. Short trips (30 days or less) to Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean (except Cuba) do not require an unexpired visa for reentry into the U.S. However, if you apply for a visa in Canada or Mexico and your application is denied, you will not be allowed to re-enter the U.S. Discuss plans to apply for a visa in a country other than your own with one of the advisors at the OISS.
Form I-20
An I-20 (Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status) is issued to a student who has been admitted to a full-time program of study and has provided evidence of the ability to finance their education and living costs while enrolled at Teachers College. For you to begin or continue your studies, you must have a valid I-20 issued by Teachers College for your current degree program.
Do not discard an "old" I-20. All of your I-20's together are considered your "I-20-ID" and will be required by U.S. government agencies as proof of status. Keep all your I-20s together with your passport in a safe place. Keep a photocopy of each document in a separate safe place.
Page 2 of your I-20 is used to record curricular and optional practical training authorizations, reduced course load authorizations, and other information. You are required to present your I-20, valid passport, and F-1 visa to the border official in order to be admitted to the US.
If you are going to change your program, are admitted to a new degree program, or need to extend your on-going program (beyond the completion of studies date on your current I-20), you will need a new I-20.
I-901 SEVIS Fee
Regulations require all students who have been issued a Form I-20 pay the Student and Exchange Visitor Information Systems (SEVIS) fee. This fee must have been paid by the time of the applicant’s visa interview. More information regarding the SEVIS fee can be found on the Study in the States website.
I-94 Arrival/Departure Record
The I-94 is a record issued by a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) inspector to record your immigration status. It indicates your Admission/Departure Number, personal information, date of entry, and length of authorized stay in the U.S. The notation "D/S" on your I-94 stands for "Duration of Status." It means that you may stay in the U.S. as long as you are a full-time student making normal progress toward the specific educational objective (i.e., degree) indicated on your current I-20, until the date recorded on your current I-20.
If you entered the U.S. through a land border Port of Entry and received a paper I-94, it should be kept safely. If you lose your I-94, you must file an application for a replacement (Form I-102) along with the appropriate I-102 fee. Your I-94 is required for all official immigration and employment-related transactions, such as applying for employment benefits, or obtaining certification for travel or extensions.
Immigrant and Non-immigrant
An individual with a non-immigrant intent applies for temporary stay in the United States for a particular objective. Most individuals applying for a non-immigrant visa are able to establish their ties and residence in their home country. Those who have immigrant intent enter the U.S. with the intention to remain in the U.S. permanently.
Passport
Your passport is a document issued by your government and permits you to travel abroad. You are required to keep your passport valid for at least six months into the future throughout your stay in the U.S. Please review the expiration date of your passport, and contact your country's embassy or consulate to renew it at least several months before it expires.
SEVIS
SEVIS (Student and Exchange Visitor Information System) is an internet-based application that facilitates electronic reporting and monitoring of international students' records, as well as their dependents, in the United States. This application enables schools to transmit electronic information to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security throughout a student's program in the United States.