INTERNATIONAL STUDENT HANDBOOK


IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS

Every foreign student is required to make a photocopy of the following documents and leave them in a safe at the International Center. You are also advised to make photocopies for yourself and kept them in a place separate from the original documents.
• I-94
• Identification page of the passport
• Visa
• I-20, front and back pages

Below is a description of some important immigration documents:

I-94
When you arrive in the US, an INS official issues you a Form I-94 (small, white card containing the arrival/departure record). This is an important document that you should protect as much as your passport. The I-94 is usually stapled to the passport on the same page as the visa. Do not lose it because you must surrender it when you leave the country. It contains the following information:
• Name, citizenship, date of birth
• Admission/departure number
• Port and date of entry to the US
• Type of visa (F-1)
• Expiration date of authorized stay in the US, usually D/S

I-20
This is the Certificate of Eligibility issued by a U.S. school to an alien. The I-20 shows that the foreign student is eligible to study at the school that issued the I-20. A student is admitted to the United States for the time shown on the I-20. Generally this is the time it takes to pursue full time study in one degree program plus 60 days following completion of the program. An international student’s status is conditional upon the student’s keeping his passport valid for six (6) months into the future. The I-20 is an extremely important document. Keep it with your passport, visa, and I-94. Never let your I-20 expire. You need your I-20 with either Lesley Davis or Ann Rambo’s signature on it to reenter the U.S. after temporary absence for vacations, travel, going home, etc.
It is the only document you need to show within the country if you are ever asked about your authorization to be here. Recorded on it are transfers from one program to another, transfers from one school to another, approved employment, and extension or change of status.

DSO
Ann Rambo and Lesley Davis are the Designated Student Officials for student in F-1 status. That means they will sign your I-20 when necessary and help you with immigration issues.

Please note:
A visa and an I-20 form are different. The Form I-20 says that you have permission to stay in the U.S. for the duration of your status as a student or, in other words, for the time it takes you to complete your current educational program. This is different from the visa. A visa shows that you have permission to apply to enter the United States. If you do not plan to leave the U.S. for a temporary absence, it does not matter if your visa expires; the Form I-94 and the 1-20 are more important documents while a student is in the U.S. However, see the paragraph below about travel outside the United States.

Travel outside the United States
To travel outside the United States and return, a student needs a:
• Valid passport
• Valid visa
• Properly endorsed page 4 of a properly issued Form I-20. This means that either Ann Rambo or Lesley Davis needs to sign your I-20 before you travel outside the U.S. If your I-20 is lost, stolen, or damaged, you will need to get a new one. Please come to the International Center if your I-20 needs to be replaced. Always keep all copies of your I-20 forms. Do not throw even the old ones away.
If an international student wishes to leave the United States temporarily and then return to continue his or her studies, it is important to find out whether the visa will be valid for reentry into the United States. If the visa is not valid for more than the original entry, or if its period of validity has expired or will expire before the student returns, he or she will need to secure a new visa from the American consul abroad. Students from certain countries are required to obtain a new visa only from the American consul in their own country.

To visit Canada or Mexico and some contiguous islands:
Many international students at DePauw University want to visit Canada or Mexico while they are here. To do so, you will need a valid passport, a visa and the endorsed Form I-20. In addition, students from certain countries may need a Canadian visa. Visit the International Center for the latest information on which countries require that you to have a visa to visit Canada.

Important Reminder: Before you travel outside the United Sates, bring your I-20 to the International Center for us to sign. Do not go to Canada even for a short stay without a signed I-20, your passport, I-94 and visa.

Maintaining Status
To maintain your immigration status (F-1), you must carry a full course of study (minimum of three DePauw credits) in both semesters of the academic year. You do not need to enroll in summer school. If you fall below the minimum number of credits, you will be considered “out of status” by Immigration (INS). You must apply to INS to be reinstated to status. Come to the International Center for help in this matter.

Some students nearing the end of their authorized stay in the U.S. find that they need extra time to complete a degree program. In this case, a student will need to extend his stay or fall “out of status”. Again, come to the International Center to do this.

When a student has violated his status to such a degree that the Immigration and Naturalization Service must take action, the student may be subject to deportation or “removal”. Or, the student may be given the privilege to “voluntary departure” within a certain stated time, usually thirty days. In this case, the INS will stamp the I-20 ID “under docket control”. The student then has thirty days in which to leave the country.

Note: Do not lose your passport or I-94 form. If you lose them or if they are stolen, come to the International Center immediately. Make copies of these documents for your own protection!

Social Security
There is an increasing tendency in America to require everyone to have a social security number and card, even if it is not used for actual social security (retirement) benefits. In the case of foreign students, the number becomes a sort of identification, especially for banking and tax purposes. You are not subject to social security taxes, but you are subject to federal and local income taxes that are usually withheld from any earnings you receive in the US. International students must appear in person and present their passport, I-94 and I-20 to an examining officer in order to receive a card and number. A Social Security Officer will come to DePauw soon after your arrival to process your applications. The International Center at DePauw will tell you when the Social Security Officer is on campus. Do not miss that appointment! There is no local Social Security office and it is difficult to get a social security card after the date of the appointment. Details will be given to you after your arrival.

On-campus Employment
Foreign students in F-1 status are allowed to work part time on campus during the academic year and full time during vacation periods. Immigration regulations say that F-1 students may work no more than twenty hours per week when classes are in session. Students usually work between eight and twelve hours per week. Jobs on campus generally pay minimum wage.

Taxes
All international students who have worked in the United States must fill out Federal Income Tax Returns. You will send these forms with any money you owe to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) by April 15 of each year. If you are working on campus, you will receive a record of your earnings, called a W2 Form, in January. The International Center will have the necessary forms and instruction booklets early in the second semester and we will all gather on a specified date in the spring, before April 15, to do our taxes together. Keep in mind that any financial aid you receive above tuition and fees is also considered “income” and is taxable at 14%.