Individuals holding non-immigrant status must carry their immigration documents with them at all times. Details are available here.
International students and scholars are responsible for their own immigration status. You are required to comply with a complex set of immigration regulations as they apply to your immigration status. That is, you are responsible for finding out, knowing, and following pertinent regulations.
ISSS is here to help you familiarize yourself with the regulations. To that end, ISSS has compiled a great deal of information on the respective visa classifications of our F1 and J1 students and Temple sponsored scholars and employees. If you take time early on to familiarize yourself with your obligations to the Department of Homeland Security, you should find it easy to maintain your legal status.
As your visa sponsor, Temple University has legal obligations which are met by the ISSS. International students in F-1 status are in SEVIS (Student and Exchange Visitor Information System), a national database through which student immigration documents created and student records maintained. Among other things, these offices are required to make regular reports on students' enrollment status, completion of program, employment recommendations, and failure to maintain status.
Words of Advice for Students:
- Read page two of your Certificate of Eligibility. Regulations to which you are subject are printed there.
- ISSS requires at least five business days for processing of document. Please plan accordingly when you are nearing the expiration date of your Certificate of Eligibility or you wish to apply for an employment benefit.
- Carry financial documentation when you travel.
- If you are the least bit uncertain about your status, check with ISSS immediately. For example, if you have questions about whether your program will be full-time, whether your permission to stay in the United States is valid, or whether you can be paid for an assistantship, these are all common questions ISSS staff can help you answer.
- ISSS is here to help and advise you. Please feel free to ask a question about any subject on which you are uncertain. It's easier to explain why something can or cannot be done then to try to fix a mistake that could have been avoided with the proper information.