Maintaining F-1 Status

It is essential to remember that you must take full legal responsibility for maintaining your status with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). That is, you are responsible for finding out, knowing, and following regulations.

The first step to understanding how to maintain your status is to attend the mandatory International Orientation. There, you will meet the International Student Center Faculty and Staff, and learn about your immigration obligations as an F-1 student.

If you take time when you first arrive to familiarize yourself with your obligations to USCIS, you should find it easy to maintain your legal status. If, however, you allow yourself to fall "out of status", it may be extraordinarily difficult to reinstate your F-1 status with USCIS. The process of reinstatement requires a lot of paperwork, and is expensive, and there is no guarantee that your status will be reinstated. If it is not, you could be required to leave the United States!

The best resource to assist you in maintainingstatus are the International Student Counselors in theInternational Student Center(C-102) at BCC. Every effort has been made to provide reliable and accurate information on the rules that govern student immigration classifications. When regulations change - as they often do - the International Student Counselors will have current information. Therefore, be sure that BCC ALWAYS has your up-to-date local address, phone number and email.

A Few Words of Advice for Students

If you have any questions or concerns about your status, check withone of the International Student Counselors immediately. Students who do not meet the full-time or normal progress requirements mayhave problems restoring their status. Therefore, if you believe your circumstances warrantextraordinary consideration, it is extremely important that you make an appointment with your International Student Counselor. We are here to help you and advise you.