Maintaining Immigration Status

Your immigration status depends on your primary purpose in the U.S. To maintain lawful status during your time at BU, understand the rules that apply to your specific immigration classification  and consult the ISSO before engaging in activities that might jeopardize your status.

If you violate your status, you may need to apply for reinstatement or re-enter the U.S. It’s crucial to consult an experienced immigration attorney promptly. Use your BU login to access a list of qualified attorneys and legal aid organizations.

Regulations and Responsibilities

F-1 Regulations and Responsibilities J-1 Regulations and Responsibilities

SEVIS Record & Registration

The Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) is a real-time electronic system that maintains records for individuals in F or J status. Each F-1 student and J-1 exchange visitor has a unique SEVIS record created by ISSO before issuing your immigration document. Your SEVIS number is located in the upper right corner of your immigration document.

Federal regulations require BU to update the Department of Homeland Security about every F-1 and J-1 student each academic term. We send information through SEVIS for new students once they have completed Initial ISSO check-in and have registered for classes. For continuing students, we update SEVIS records at the beginning of each term based on academic class registration.

More Information about SEVIS

Full-Time Enrollment Requirement

To maintain your F-1 or J-1 status, you must register for and complete at least 12 units each Fall and Spring term. Some schools or programs may require more or less than 12 units to be considered full time or to complete degree in a timely manner. Full-time enrollment is also required if you begin or finish your program during the summer. Dropping below 12 units without ISSO approval violates your immigration status and leads to SEVIS record termination.

Undergraduate students will see a “Class Drop” hold in their MyBU Student profile after the add deadline each fall and spring term, preventing self-drop of classes. To drop a class during the current term, submit a Drop Class request via the ISSOPortal for ISSO approval. If you do not wish to drop a class, no action is needed. The hold applies only to the current semester and does not affect class changes for future terms.

Additional Enrollment Guidelines

Program Extension

Your initial BU immigration document reflects the expected dates of your program or affiliation. Since your anticipated completion date may change due to reasons like changing majors or research developments, this is a normal part of academic progress. If you need more time to complete your studies or affiliation, the ISSO can guide you on your options and necessary paperwork for a program extension.

Request a Program Extension

Change of Program/Updating Immigration Documents

The ISSO issued your immigration document based on specific information from you and your school, department, or program. Your immigration document, either I-20 or DS-2019, must reflect your personal, funding and academic information accurately at all times. Please notify us in advance of any changes so we can advise you and update your documents as needed.

Important for J-1 Students: Your original DS-2019 specifies a field code for your program. Significant changes in program objectives (e.g., engineering to political science) may be restricted by U.S. Department of State regulations.

Dependents: Each F-2 or J-2 dependent must receive their own updated dependent document.

Academic Changes

• Change of Major
  If you change your major, the confirmation of your new program will be communicated to ISSO. We will issue you an updated immigration document proactively and will update you when the new document is available in your ISSOPortal.
• Change of Education Level
  If changing your education level (e.g., master’s to PhD), ISSO must confirm this before issuing a new document. Your current education level is indicated on item 4 of the I-20 or section 4 of the DS-2019.
• Change of Program
  If admitted to a new BU academic program (e.g., master’s in computer science to master’s in business administration), a new immigration document is required through the admissions process. 

Change of Address

F-1 & J-1 students are required to notify the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) within 10 days of any changes to their place of residence in the U.S. The ISSO will forward all address updates you report to SEVIS. Your address reporting location will vary depending on whether you are currently enrolled, or whether you have completed a program of study:

• During check-in and your studies, update your current and foreign immigration addresses in the MyBU Student Portal’s contact info section. Click here for instructions and address examples. BU will automatically send these updates to SEVIS during your program.
• After program completion (grace period, OPT, STEM OPT, or AT), update your contact information via the ISSOPortal.

J-1 Students with Outside Sponsorship

J-1 students with a DS-2019 not issued by Boston University must report address changes to their J program sponsor to comply with DHS requirements.

Students in all other immigration classifications should report address changes as appropriate through the USCIS website.

Change of Personal Information

• Change in personal details
  For changes to name, date of birth or other personal details, work directly with your ISSO Advisor and submit updated documentation, such as a new passport, through the ISSOPortal. Please note that legal name changes must be reported to USCIS within 10 days.
• Change in Source of Funding
  Provide an award letter or original sponsor support letter along with a bank statement. Documents must be in English and show amounts in U.S. dollars. Work directly with your ISSO Advisor and submit updated documentation through the ISSOPortal.

Leave of Absence

International students must maintain their approved status continuously. If you need to interrupt your program for any reason—such as family or medical issues, study/research abroad, suspension, or visa delays—contact the ISSO to understand the impact on your immigration status.

Leave of Absence

J-1 Bars and Restrictions

To preserve the J program’s purpose, certain restrictions may limit eligibility to return to the U.S. or change immigration status. These bars do not apply to all exchange visitors and depend on factors such as country of citizenship or permanent residence, field of study or research, funding source, current/prior J category, and length of U.S. stay.

We recommend that you contact your ISSO advisor to discuss the application of any bars or restrictions to your program.

Health Insurance for J-1 Exchange Visitors

If you are a BU-sponsored J-1 Exchange Visitor, DOS regulations require you to maintain health insurance covering yourself and any J-2 dependents for sickness or accident throughout your J-1 program. Failure to maintain or misrepresent coverage violates your J-1 status.

The BU Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) meets all J-1 requirements, including medical evacuation and repatriation for students. Students are automatically enrolled in BU’s Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) each year.

Public Charge

Public Charge is a general term for an individual who is indigent or sick person who must be taken care of at public expense. Liable to become a Public Charge is the term used in the United States to classify prospective immigrants who are denied entry due to their lack of sustainable living means.

A long-standing Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) public charge provision at INA 212(a)(4) establishes that applicants for a visa, admission, or adjustment of status are inadmissible to the United States if they are likely at any time to become a public charge. INA 212(a)(4) does not directly reference nonimmigrant applications for extension of stay (EOS) or change of status (COS), because they are not applications for a visa, admission, or adjustment of status. Agency policy guidance established by legacy INS in 1999 has therefore generally applied a formal INA 212(a)(4) review only to applicants for adjustment of status to permanent residence and in some cases, whether an alien is deportable on public charge grounds. See INS field guidance, published at 64 FR 28689 (May 26, 1999). That policy also narrowly defined “public benefits” to exclude past receipt of non-cash benefits (other than institutionalization for long-term care) or past receipt of special-purpose cash benefits not for income maintenance.

Every nonimmigrant seeking admission or extension or change of status must satisfy the inspector or adjudicator that he or she is capable of maintaining status and will not become a public charge. Therefore, international students and scholars are required to document sufficient sources of funding to cover tuition, fees and living expenses in order to be sponsored for the F-1 or J-1 status. They are also required to demonstrate sufficient private funding at the point of visa application so they will not become a public charge while in the U.S. especially because options for employment or for earning income to support these expenses are so limited in these categories.

Please see more details on the USDHS Public Charge Fact Sheet.