Maintaining Your Immigration Status
- Keep passport valid for six months beyond expiration date
- Maintain full-time academic student status, which is a minimum of 12 hours for undergraduates or 9 hours for graduates.
- Obtain appropriate permission to work on or off campus
- Apply for program extension if more time is needed PRIOR to expiration of I-20 or DS-2019
- Keep your local mailing address up to date on My UNC Charlotte
- Follow procedures for transferring to another U.S. institution
Please view our handout on Academic Dismissal Effects on Immigration Status for F-1 and J-1 Students for more on your rights and responsibilities.
Failure to Maintain Status and Unlawful Presence
Failure to maintain status in the U.S. could result in Unlawful Presence which carries 3 and 10 year bars for re-entry to the U.S. Read USCIS's August 9, 2018 Accrual of Unlawful Presence memo.
Websites To Visit
- USCIS
- U.S. Department of State
- Foreign Consulates in the United States
- Foreign Embassies in the United States
- Charlotte USCIS
- United States Visas
Use your @uncc.edu email account
The ISSO will notify all F1 and J1 students of any immigration-related reminders or updates by sending an email to his/her @uncc.edu email account. It is the student’s responsibility to read these emails if they want to have the latest, most accurate information.