{"id":4340,"date":"2026-08-20T09:53:21","date_gmt":"2026-08-20T13:53:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/isso\/?page_id=4340"},"modified":"2026-08-20T10:05:26","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T14:05:26","slug":"fall-2026-student-reminders","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/isso\/fall-2026-student-reminders\/","title":{"rendered":"Fall 2026 Student Reminders"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Please review the information below for important reminders regarding\u00a0<a href=\"\/isso\/international-students\/maintaining-immigration-status\/\">maintaining status<\/a>\u202ffor new students and continuing F and J students. Please read our updated summaries of\u202f<a href=\"\/isso\/international-students\/maintaining-immigration-status\/f-1-student-regulations-and-responsibilities\/\">F-1 student\u202f<\/a>and\u202f<a href=\"\/isso\/international-students\/maintaining-immigration-status\/j-1-student-regulations-and-responsibilities\/\">J-1 student\u202f<\/a>regulations to learn more!<\/p>\n<nav class=\"toc-wrapper\" id=\"toc\" aria-label=\"Page Section Navigation\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"toc-heading toc-nav-toggle\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Toggle Page Contents Navigation\" aria-expanded=\"true\">Page Contents<\/span><\/nav>\n<h2>Entering the US this Fall<\/h2>\n<p>Whether you are a new student arriving to the US for the first time or are a continuing student returning to campus from your summer break, it is vital that you present yourself at the port of entry with all required documentation to ensure a smooth and successful entry to the US. You may have heard that there are some regulatory changes scheduled for September that will be important for you with the <a href=\"\/isso\/2026\/07\/17\/new-usdhs-rule-eliminates-f-and-j-d-s\/\">Elimination of Duration of Status<\/a>. If you arrive before the effective date of September 15, 2026, nothing will change about your arrival.<\/p>\n<p>During this time of increased vetting of F-1 and J-1 students, please review the\u00a0<a href=\"\/isso\/resources\/current-travel-advisory\/\">Current Travel Advisory<\/a>\u00a0and remember that you are required to present the following documents:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Your passport, valid for at least 6 months into the future<\/li>\n<li>Your valid F-1 or J-1 visa (except for Canadian citizens)<\/li>\n<li>Your most recent I-20 or DS-2019 that is printed, signed on the first page<\/li>\n<li>For continuing students, you must also have a valid travel signature that is less than 12 months old on your I-20<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In addition to these required documents, ISSO recommends being prepared to present the following documentation if requested:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Evidence of your full-time enrollment for Fall 2025 printed from MyBUStudent<\/li>\n<li>Unofficial transcript printed from MyBUStudent<\/li>\n<li>Printed\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.fmjfee.com\/i901fee\/index.htm?content=status\/checkStatus\">I-901 SEVIS fee receipt<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Printed copies of your funding sources such as scholarships or bank statements<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>ISSO continues to monitor news and updates to immigration policy from the federal administration. In the event of changes that impact F-1\/J-1 students, ISSO will update the\u00a0<a href=\"\/isso\/federal-actions\/\">dedicated page<\/a>\u00a0on our website and reach out to the community to offer information sessions. Students are always welcome to reach out to ISSO with questions.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Update Your Addresses in the MyBU Student Portal<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It is critical that you understand the different addresses on the MyBUStudent Portal keep each address updated correctly. If you live in on-campus housing, your dormitory address will populate automatically. Please confirm it is accurate. If you live off campus, it is critical you keep the address field called \u201cCurrent\u201d up to date as this is the address that ISSO will use to report your address to SEVIS. Immigration regulations require that you\u202f<a href=\"\/isso\/international-students\/maintaining-immigration-status\/#change-of-programupdating-immigration-documents\">update your address<\/a>\u00a0within 10 days of a move so you must keep your immigration-related addresses in the MyBUPortal up-to-date throughout the duration of your program. When updating your address, please refer to\u00a0<a href=\"\/isso\/files\/2026\/06\/MBS-Address-Instructions-08282024.pdf\">ISSO instructions<\/a>\u00a0to ensure accurate formatting.<\/p>\n<h2>Initial ISSO Check-in\u202ffor New Students<\/h2>\n<p>All international students beginning a new program and F-1 students returning to campus after a leave of absence will be required to complete\u202f<a href=\"\/isso\/international-students\/check-in-with-isso\/\"><em>Initial ISSO check-in<\/em>\u202f<\/a>remotely through the\u00a0<strong><u><a href=\"https:\/\/issoportal.bu.edu\/_portal\/\">ISSOPortal<\/a>.<\/u><\/strong>\u00a0You will be required to upload copies of your US immigration documents to notify us of your arrival in the US so we can activate your SEVIS record. You should only complete Initial\u202f<em>ISSO check-in<\/em><em>\u202f<\/em><strong>after<\/strong>\u202fyou have entered the US. Students beginning a new program of study will receive separate email messages with additional details about\u202f<em>Initial ISSO check-in<\/em>.<\/p>\n<h2>SEVIS Reporting for Continuing Students<\/h2>\n<p>Boston University is required to confirm your enrollment to the US Department of Homeland Security through the Student Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) at the start of each semester. The ISSO will rely on your academic registration data to automatically update your SEVIS record for fall. You do not need to take any additional steps provided you are academically registered.<\/p>\n<h2>Enrollment Requirements<\/h2>\n<p>Remember that you must be enrolled\u202f<a href=\"\/isso\/international-students\/maintaining-immigration-status\/#full-time-enrollment-requirement\">full-time<\/a>\u00a0and making normal academic progress in your degree each semester. For most students, full-time is a minimum of 12 credits. Some graduate student programs may have different full-time equivalents or there may be a situation where you are considered to be full-time with less credits such as during dissertation. If this is the case, you must work with your academic department and be designated full time under \u201cApproved Academic Load\u201d in MyBUStudent to maintain valid student immigration status.<\/p>\n<p>Students are only allowed to take one online course each semester towards the 12-credit enrollment minimum so students seeking to enroll in an online course must enroll in at least 8 credits of in-person instruction. If it is your last semester and you need less than 12 credits to graduate, you should enroll in at least one on-campus course and request authorization for\u00a0<a href=\"\/isso\/international-students\/maintaining-immigration-status\/reduced-courseload-rcl\/\">a\u202fReduced Course Load<\/a>\u202ffrom your ISSO advisor prior to the start of the semester.<\/p>\n<p>Please also be aware that MyBUStudent has technology features that will allow students to drop or withdraw from courses without additional authorization. If you drop or withdraw from courses on your own dropping your total credits to less than full time enrollment, that is a violation of your F-1 or J-1 status and will result in a termination of your SEVIS record.<\/p>\n<h2>On-Campus Employment<\/h2>\n<p>Immigration regulations allow international students to work a maximum of 20 hours per week on-campus during the regular semester. If you have multiple jobs, you are still restricted to a maximum of 20 hours per week. The consequences of exceeding the 20 hour per week limit are severe so it is important you pay attention to your hours each week. You can read more about being hired to work on-campus\u202f<a href=\"\/isso\/international-students\/on-campus-employment\/\">on the ISSO website<\/a>. If you have not worked on-campus before, you will need to complete an\u202fI-9 Employment Eligibility\u202fform\u00a0before you begin work. If you do not have a\u202f<a href=\"\/isso\/resources\/u-s-tax-information\/social-security-card\/\">Social Security Number<\/a>, you will need to apply for one after you secure a job.<\/p>\n<h2>Off-Campus Employment<\/h2>\n<p>Immigration regulations intentionally limit employment options off-campus during the academic year so you can concentrate on your full-time coursework. You can learn about eligibility requirements and the application process from the\u00a0<a href=\"\/isso\/international-students\/off-campus-student-employment-training\/\">ISSO website<\/a>. The consequences of beginning employment without authorization are severe so, it is critical that you obtain specific authorization BEFORE you begin any employment opportunity.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>F-1 students may qualify for\u00a0<a href=\"\/isso\/international-students\/off-campus-student-employment-training\/curricular-practical-training-cpt\/\">Curricular Practical Training<\/a>\u202ffrom the ISSO for academic internship experiences specifically required by a program of study or a particular course. Alternatively, if you are interested in gaining work experience related to your major field of study during your program, you may need to apply for\u00a0<a href=\"\/isso\/international-students\/off-campus-student-employment-training\/f-1-pre-completion-optional-practical-training-opt\/\">pre-completion OPT<\/a>\u202femployment authorization in advance from USCIS for Optional Practical Training for jobs directly related to your field of study.<\/li>\n<li>J-1 students may qualify for\u00a0<a href=\"\/isso\/international-students\/off-campus-student-employment-training\/j-1-academic-training-at\/\">Academic Training<\/a>\u202fauthorization from the ISSO for experiences related to your program of study.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>We wish you a successful semester. Check out our <a href=\"\/isso\/resources\/calendar\/\">calendar of workshops and information sessions<\/a> this term to learn more about many different immigration topics. Given the volume of messages, it may take your advisor a few days to respond to inquiries and up to 10 business days to issue immigration documents and complete requests. Looking forward to seeing you all!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Please review the information below for important reminders regarding\u00a0maintaining status\u202ffor new students and continuing F and J students. Please read our updated summaries of\u202fF-1 student\u202fand\u202fJ-1 student\u202fregulations to learn more! Entering the US this Fall Whether you are a new student arriving to the US for the first time or are a continuing student returning to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9593,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":11,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/isso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4340"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/isso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/isso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/isso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9593"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/isso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4340"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/isso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4340\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4343,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/isso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4340\/revisions\/4343"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/isso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4340"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}