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Home > McCulloch Center for Global Initiatives > International Students > Visa & Immigration > F-1 Status
F-1 Status
If you receive an I-20 form (Certificate of Eligibility) from Mount Holyoke, you will apply for an F-1 Student Visa. You should keep and use the original copy of the I-20 form throughout your studies at Mount Holyoke, as page three of the form will gradually come to contain important information about school transfer and practical training. (If you lose your I-20, however, you can obtain a new one from the IGI Office with one week's notice.)
Travel and Re-Entry
Students on the F-1 visa may apply for a visa no more than 90 days prior to the start date listed on the Form I-20. After being issued the visa, students may enter the US up to 30 days prior to the start date on the I-20 form. The start date is always listed as the arrival day for international student orientation. F-1 students may travel abroad and re-enter the US throughout their studies here, provided that they have a valid passport, a valid F-1 visa, and a valid I-20 form endorsed on page three within the current or most recent semester by one of the advisers in the McCulloch Center for Global Initiatives.
60-Day "Grace Period" After Completion of Studies
At the end of their period of study, or at the end of post-completion optional practical training, F-1 visa holders have a 60-day "grace period," during which they may travel within the US, visit friends, or prepare for their return home. If you wish to transfer to a graduate program after the completion of your studies here, you must complete all of the necessary paperwork to do so within 60 days after Commencement. If you wish to remain in the US as a tourist for more than 60 days after Commencement, you should apply for change of status to tourist; we can provide you with the appropriate form for this purpose, which you must file with USCIS prior to the end of the 60-day grace period. Leave Of Absence from Mount Holyoke
A student on an F-1 visa may apply for an academic leave of absence to study at another college, or to study abroad, and the eligibility requirements for such study are the same for both international and American students. If you should receive permission to take such a leave, you would remain under the sponsorship of Mount Holyoke College. Because your F-1 visa requires you to maintain full-time student status, however, you may not take a non-academic leave of absence and stay in the United States unless the leave is for documented medical reasons. Ordinarily, you may apply for a non-academic leave only to return home or to visit or study elsewhere outside of the United States.
Employment Guidelines for F-1 Students
Employment
Students on F-1 visas who are in good standing at Mount Holyoke and with the USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services) are eligible for employment according to the following guidelines:
On-Campus Employment
Students on the F-1 visa are permitted to work on campus while they are enrolled at Mount Holyoke. There is a 20-hour per week limit while school is in session, but during J-Term and the summer, F-1 students may work on-campus full-time. Graduating seniors and other students who are completing a course of study at Mount Holyoke (for example, Foreign Fellows completing a Certificate for International Students) are not permitted to work on-campus after graduation day. Please note: Only MHC offices and departments (Dining Services, International Affairs, LITS, Buildings and Grounds, etc.) are considered to be "on-campus" employers. Working in the Village Commons, as a babysitter for a faculty/staff family, at another college or university, etc. is NOT considered to be on-campus, and is work that violates USCIS rules. In particular, you may hear the Village Commons referred to as being "owned" by Mount Holyoke, but be aware that work there is NOT considered to be on-campus employment. If you have any question about what constitutes "on-campus" employment, please check with the McCulloch Center for Global Initiatives before taking any position!
Off-Campus Employment
It is necessary to apply for authorization for any sort of off-campus employment. Engaging in off-campus employment without USCIS authorization renders you "out-of-status" and endangers your ability to complete your education in the US. It is critically important, then, to follow USCIS rules and regulations.
In some cases, employment within the Five College Consortium, the Twelve College Exchange, or at other institutions affiliated with Mount Holyoke, may be permissable without USCIS approval; speak with Jenny Medina in the McCulloch Center for Global Initiatives for details. Note that in all such cases, the Center for Global Initiatives must provide written documentation authorizing the employment BEFORE you begin work, so please plan ahead.
Off-campus employment refers to any sort of situation in which you will be compensated with a salary, fellowship, scholarship, stipend, free housing, transportation costs, etc. To work in any off-campus position that compensates you in any of these ways, you must apply for Optional Practical Training (OPT) or Curricular Practical Training (CPT). For more information on OPT and CPT, including how to apply, click on OPT or CPT on the menu above.
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