Traveling Into The Country

Each F-1 International student receives a Form I-20 to obtain the F-1 Visa and to maintain their immigration status as a student in the United States.

There is a section on the Form I-20 just below the “SEVIS ID” which provides important demographic data about the nonimmigrant student.  This section is very important to international students because it describes their names, country of origin, and date of birth.

The Designated School Officials (DSO) of BGSU follow strict guidelines in creating your nonimmigrant record.   The name standards are to ensure that we are in compliance with machine-readable passports.  Most countries in the world will require international travelers to possess the machine-readable passport in the near future.   

The machine-readable passport has two zones:

Visual Inspection Zone (VIZ)
Machine-readable Zone (MRZ)

You should carefully inspect your Form I-20 to ensure that it matches your passport.  Your DSO will match the fields to the MRZ and there will be no special characters in your Form I-20. Your

Designated School Officials can change the following fields in the SEVIS (Form I-20) record;

SURNAME/PRIMARY NAME
GIVEN NAME
PREFERRED NAME
PASSPORT NAME
COUNTRY OF BIRTH
COUNTRY OF CITIZENSHIP
DATE OF BIRTH
ADMISSION NUMBER
ISSUE REASON

Frequently Asked Questions:

Question:  What if I believe there is incorrect information listed on my Form I-20?
Answer:  If you believe there is incorrect information on your Form I-20, please submit the Request for I-20 Update to iss@bgsu.edu. Ensure that you upload a copy of the required documents with your Form such as the passport information page if the Form requests it.

Question:  Why is my LEGACY NAME different of the Form I-20 and why do my Designated School Officials (DSO) say they cannot change it.
Answer:  The DSO cannot change your LEGACY NAME.  This is the name that you were previously known by in the immigration system.  Prior to the new, stricter naming conventions, Designated School Officials entered student names in differing manners.  This sometimes caused confusion and duplicate records.  The LEGACY NAME section of your Form I-20 assists officials in ensuring that you are the individual listed on your documents.  Your DSO cannot change this field and there is no cause to be concerned about the field on your Form I-20 if it does not match your passport.

Question:  Why does my ISSUE REASON say “Transfer Pending” or “Initial”?
Answer:  The ISSUE REASON is just that, the reason that the BGSU DSO created a Form I-20 for you.   After the term start date, your DSO will register your immigration record in the SEVIS system.  There is no reason to be concerned about this information on your Form I-20.  If a new Form I-20 is printed for you at any time during your enrollment at BGSU, the new issue reason will be recorded in the immigration system and on the Form I-20.  You do not require a new Form I-20 for travel as long as you obtain a travel signature from your DSO prior to departing the United States.

Resources:

For a complete description of how your DSO enters your name on your Form I-20, check the Department of Homeland Security guidelines at this website:

https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/sevis-help-hub/getting-started/create-and-manage-initial-student-records/sevis-name-standards

MAINTAINING F-1 VISA STATUS

Below are guidelines that international students should follow to make sure their F-1 status remains valid.  Although other situations not mentioned here may lead to the loss of status, following these guidelines will help you to avoid many unnecessary problems.

Basic Guidelines for Maintaining F-1 Visa Status:

1. Enrollment.  Must be full-time each semester.  Full-time enrollment is to enroll and complete 12 units each semester for undergraduate and 8 hours for graduate students.  For immigration purposes, students may not drop below 12 units per semester (W’s do not count towards the 12 units).  No more than the equivalent of one online course per semester may be taken.  An online course is defined as 100% technology based.  BGSU courses that are considered online courses for the purposed of this regulation are defined in the Instruction Mode of the course catalog as 100% online are listed as "Distance Learning".  
2. If you do need to enroll for less than full-time, there are some limited situations in which you may.  Please fill out the Petition for Authorization to Drop Below a Full Course Load at this link
3. I-20 Document expiration and validity.  Request an “Extension of Program” of your I-20 if your completion date will expire, 60 days prior to expiration.  The completion date can be found in item #5 of your I-20 form.  
4. Keep your address up-to-date at all time 
5. On campus employment.  Limit employment to 20 hours per week during the academic year while maintaining I-20 full-time status.
6. Off campus employment.  Do not work off campus without permission.  Work permission for F-1 is difficult to obtain unless authorized by USCIS.
7. Attend the school noted on I-20.  You must have a current, valid I-20 from the school you are attending.  If you transfer to or from another school, see below.
8. Transferring schools.  If you transfer to another school, you must obtain an I-20 from that school.
9. Passport.  Keep it valid at all times.  If your passport will expire within the next six months, call your home country’s embassy in the U.S. to find out how to extend the validity.
10. Keep an updated address at BGSU Admissions and the CIP.
11. Keep updated health insurance.

The immigration officer at the U.S. port of entry makes a decision on your admission, the length and conditions of your stay, and will record the terms of your admission on the form “Arrival/Departure Record” (I-94 Form) as well as in your passport.

The I-94 Form is a small white card. The immigration officer usually staples this form into your passport. In certain visa categories such as students and exchange visitors, the alien may be admitted into the U.S. for as long as the person is still doing the activity for which the visa was issued, rather than being admitted until a specific departure date. This is called admission for "duration of status".

Students arriving on F-1/J-1 visas are generally admitted for “Duration of Status.” It is indicated on the Form I-94 as “D/S” (Duration of Status). It means they are authorized to stay in the U.S. while maintaining their visa status (enrolled in a full course of study, engaged in practical training or in their post-completion grace period).

The I-94 form also has a number that the immigration officer will use to keep track of your entry/exits. Make sure that you do not lose this card! Every time you leave the U.S., you must return the I-94 form to the immigration officer. Upon your re-entry, you will receive a new one. As an exception, you can keep your current I-94 form when you travel to Canada, Mexico, or certain adjacent islands for 30 days or less. However, it is always advisable to verify this at the border.