Maintaining status
Immigration Regulations can change with very little notice. Check with International Students and Scholars Services if you have any immigration questions.
DO NOT RELY ON YOUR FRIENDS FOR IMMIGRATION ADVICE
Students in F-1 or J-1 status must maintain status at all times. If a student is not in status, s/he is not eligible for any of the benefits of student status, including on-campus and off-campus employment. Being out of status can have serious consequences in the future, especially if you are planning to apply for permanent residency (green card).
If you complete a term with less than full-time registration, you are out of status AS OF THAT TERM. If you are out of status, you must apply for reinstatement to status with the USCIS or leave and re-enter the U.S. for the purpose of reinstatement. Registering for more than full-time enrollment the following term does not make up for a previous term when you were enrolled for less than full-time.
To maintain student status, a student must do the following:
- be registered full-time throughout the quarter; undergraduates must be registered for at least 12 credits each quarter and graduate students must registered for at least 9 credits each quarter
- not work off-campus without written permission from the ISSS or USCIS
- not work on-campus more than 20 hours per week when classes are in session; Please note: on-campus means any of the Drexel University campuses and DOES NOT include the University of Pennsylvania campus unless you have CPT or OPT authorization to work there.
WORKING OFF-CAMPUS WITHOUT THE WRITTEN AUTHORIZATION OF ISSS OR USCIS WILL MAKE YOU OUT OF STATUS. USCIS WILL NOT APPROVE A REINSTATEMENT TO STATUS PETITION FOR UNAUTHORIZED EMPLOYMENT.