INTERNATIONAL STUDENT HANDBOOK


Preparing For Life In The United States

Immigration
As you will see below, immigration regulations can be very confusing and difficult to understand, even for the professionals who work with these regulations all the time. One very important responsibility of the International and Off-Campus Study Center is to advise you about immigration regulations. If you have any questions or doubts about what you can or cannot do according to immigration regulations, bring your questions to the International Center.

As a non-immigrant student planning to study in the United States, it is necessary for you to obtain a passport from your government and a visa from an American Consulate in your country.

Passport
You are required to have a valid passport issued by your government before applying for a visa. United States immigration law requires that your passport be valid for at least SIX months at all times while you are here. You may renew your passport in the United States by sending it to your country's embassy or consulate here.

Visa
You may apply for a visa at the nearest American Consulate. Before visiting the consulate, read carefully the immigration form I-20 that you received from DePauw. When applying for the visa, take with you the form I-20, your passport, documents certifying the amounts and sources of your financial support, as well as your letters from DePauw and your exchange program (if you are an exchange student). Upon arrival in the US, you must apply to enter with the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). The visa contains the following important information:
• Visa number
• Consular post where the visa was issued
• Type of visa (F-1)
• Issue date of visa
• Expiration date of visa
• Number of entries permitted during the validity period

F-1 Visa
Most foreign students attending DePauw are issued an F-1 visa. This visa is stamped into your passport at the American Consulate. The visa does not indicate how long you are allowed to stay in the U.S. after entering the country. The length of your stay in the U.S. is determined at the place where you enter the United States. An immigration officer (INS) at your port of entry will complete the I-94 Form that will indicate how long you may stay in the country. In most cases, the length of time will be written “D/S”, duration of status, which means you may stay as long as you are a valid student. That date will also be written on your I-20 form.

Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS)
The INS is the government agency in charge of all immigration matters. Probably the only contact you will have with an employee of the INS will be when you enter and leave the United States.

Status and Duration of Status (D/S)
You are considered “in status” for the time it takes to pursue a full course of study or engage in authorized practical training after completion of studies, plus 60 days to prepare for departure from the United States. You will find the expected date of completion on your I-20. Your I-94 is stamped “D/S”. “D/S” means that as long as you follow INS regulations you are in status until the completion date (plus 60 extra days).