In addition to enrollment requirements, international students must meet certain other requirements to maintain legal visa status while they are studying at SDSU.
Learn about these other requirements:
All F-1 and J-1 students are required to have the following information in their SDSU web portal records at all times:
You are required to report any changes to your address or email within 10 days by updating it in the SDSU web portal. Updating your information in the web portal will automatically update this information in your SEVIS record.
Important: Failure to have an address, or to update it within 10 days, is a violation of your immigration status!
You are required to have a valid, unexpired passport at all times.
You are also required to have a valid, unexpired I-20 or DS-2019 valid at all times. You can check when your I-20/DS-2019 expires by looking at the program dates on page 1 of your I-20/DS-2019 or, if you are on Post-OPT, by looking at the dates on page 3.
You must apply for an extension of stay if you do not complete your program of studies at SDSU within the time specified on the I-20/DS-2019. The extension must be completed before the form expires.
Students applying for an extension of the I-20 or DS-2019 must complete and submit:
In addition, if you have previously extended the I-20 form, you must bring the following to your ISC extension of stay application appointment:
Review the information about Traveling Outside the U.S. before you travel internationally while you are a student at SDSU.
Traveling abroad without the proper documents (passport, I-20/DS-2019, etc.) or without a travel signature could make you ineligible to re-enter the U.S.
Students on OPT are still in F-1 status and will need certain documents to re-enter the U.S. after a temporary absence. Learn more.
F-1 and J-1 students are not allowed to work off-campus without work authorization. Doing any kind of work for any kind of remuneration without authorization is a violation of your visa status and will result in the loss of your visa status.
Please carefully review regulations on employment, speak with an advisor if you have questions, and apply for off-campus work authorization in a timely manner. Keep in mind that CPT can be processed within 5 days but OPT applications are approved by the USCIS and it can take up to 90 days for them to approve your application.
Find information on employment regulations and how to apply for work authorization for your visa category:
The California State University, including SDSU, requires all international students to maintain adequate health insurance throughout the duration of their visa status. Failing to maintain adequate health insurance will jeopardize your visa status.
SDSU automatically places an F-hold on your class registration each semester, so that you will be unable to register in classes until you acquire health insurance or provide proof of your own health insurance to the ISC. Learn more.
Students on the J-1 visa are also required to purchase insurance for their dependents in the U.S.
You must notify SDSU before you:
Before taking a leave of absence (LOA), international students should meet with an international student advisor at the ISC to discuss how it will affect their immigration status. A Leave of Absence involves temporarily terminating your visa status and you must follow certain procedures before leaving and coming back to the U.S.
If you are intend to leave your program permanently, you must make an appointment with an ISC advisor to inform us of your departure. We will end your F-1 or J-1 visa status for an authorized early withdrawal. After this, you will be able to re-apply for F-1, J-1, or any other visa status and then re-enter the U.S.
If you decide to transfer to another school, make an appointment with an ISC advisor to discuss your plans. The ISC can transfer your SEVIS record to the new school. (This is generally preferable to getting a new SEVIS record.) Complete the Transfer Out Form and submit it to the ISC, along with an admissions letter from the new school. If you have questions about the process or want to discuss the transfer date, you can discuss this during your appointment with an international student advisor at the ISC. You should also notify the Registar so that your credits can transfer to your new school.
If you leave your program without informing the ISC, your status will be terminated for failure to enroll and this will have a negative impact on your future travel to the U.S.