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As you start your summer and prepare to apply to participate in optional practical training with U.S. Citizenship Immigration Services (USCIS), be sure to connect with your designated school official (DSO). You may only file the Form I-765, “Application for Employment Authorization,” for OPT within the 30-day period after your DSO: 

On Feb. 26, 2021, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced flexibilities for certain international students affected by delayed receipt notices for Forms I-765, “Application for Employment Authorization.” These flexibilities apply only to applications received on or after Oct. 1, 2020, through May 1, 2021, inclusive.

As an F or M student, upon arrival at a U.S. port of entry, you must have:

Upon completion of your program of study at a Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP)-certified school and any authorized period of practical training, you have a grace period during which you can stay in the United States. The length of your grace period depends on your visa type.

An annual vacation is an authorized break in a student’s studies that is taken once per academic year and lasts one term.  F-1 students are eligible to take an annual vacation after completing their academic year requirement at a Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP)-certified school and once every year after that.  Although it is most frequently taken during the summer term, it can be taken during another academic term, which is usually determined by a student’s school calendar.

On June 4, 2019, the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) published a policy guidance document on Form I-20 Issuance and School Use of Recruiters. This new policy guidance clarifies that for reasons of privacy, security and fraud prevention, the Form I-20, “Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Students,” must be issued directly by SEVP-certified schools to nonimmigrant students, their dependents or, for minors, their parent or guardian.

As the school year winds down for many institutions across the United States, some of your F-1 international students may be preparing to graduate. As a designated school official (DSO), use this time to familiarize yourself and your international students with important graduation reminders.Remind your F-1 students that they have a 60-day period once they finish their program of study. During this time, they can:

If you are participating in science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) optional practical training (OPT), you must regularly check in with your designated school official (DSO) throughout your training opportunity to maintain F-1 status.You are required to check in with your DSO to validate Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) information and report changes made to your Form I-983, “Training Plan for STEM OPT Students.”

As you start a new semester, it’s important to maintain your F and M student status.Your student status relates to the purpose for or reason why you want to come to the United States. If you take any action that detracts from that purpose, you risk losing your status and being sent to your home country.For helpful tips and reminders on how to maintain status while studying in the United States, visit these resources:

If you are an F or M student interested in transferring to a different Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP)-certified school, you must consistently maintain your student status, follow the correct transfer procedures and can only transfer to an SEVP-certified school.For more information about transferring, visit these resource pages: