Immigration

Under normal circumstances undergraduate students are required to complete at least 12 credits per semester and graduate students are required to complete at least nine credits per semester. However, through this request, it may be possible for an international student to receive authorization to drop below this credit minimum via a reduced course load (RCL) for the following reasons:

• A medical reasoning such as illness, injury, or mental health concerns
•  Academic difficulties such as difficulty with the English language in your first semester, or you had been advised to take a course you do not have the proper level of knowledge or skill set to successfully complete

• Concurrent enrollment at another SEVP-approved institution for credits that, when combined with Monmouth credits, places the student at full time for the semester.
• It is your final semester and you are below full time, but are enrolled in the necessary number of credits to complete your degree

Should one of these reasons apply to an international student, they must first check in with their academic advisor about an RCL and complete a Reduced Course Load request. Your Academic Advisor will automatically be emailed for their approval. If you have a scholarship through Monmouth University, please check with the Financial Aid office to see how your Reduced Course Load may impact this.

Important to note, an RCL is only valid for one semester at a time. Should additional time be needed on an RCL for another semester and/or reason, a separate request will need to be submitted for approval.

If a student situation does not fall under any of the reasons above, you will be required to enroll full time in order to maintain your F-1 status. Unfortunately, we are not able to issue a Reduced Course Load for financial issues, as this is not a reason recognized by the U.S. government regulations.

This request is for students who are unable to complete their degree requirements by the program end date listed on their I-20. For extension, a student must make this request at least 30 days before the current I-20 end date expires. The International Student Services (ISS) office will not be able to authorize an extension after your I-20 end date has passed. 

Failure to extend will result in the loss of your F-1 status and ability to apply for off-campus work authorization—Curricular Practical Training (CPT) and Optional Practical Training (OPT). 

Steps for I-20 Extension

1. Meet with an academic advisor to discuss a new program completion date. A request will be submitted to our office that will then be redirected for the academic advisor to complete.
2. Submit the I-20 Extension request. This request will confirm the following:
   1. Confirmation and approval from academic for the extension
   2. Reason for the need of an extension (medical or academic delay)
   3. New anticipated program completion date

Once the request is fully submitted and if approved, an updated I-20 will be generated showing the new program end date. Do note, this process will only extend the end date on your I-20, and not your F-1 visa in your passport.

This form is for international students, specifically here on the F-1 or J-1 visa, who intend to exit Monmouth University whether permanently or temporarily due to personal or medical reasons. This form is related only to your immigration record and does not act as a replacement for an academic withdrawal from classes or an academic leave of absence.

In order to take a leave of absence, students will need to do the following steps:

1. Speak with an academic advisor to ensure an understanding on how a break could impact your studies
2. Complete the Immigration Exit form

When a student takes a leave of absence for personal reasons, unless transferring to another institution, ISS will be required by F-1 regulations to terminate the SEVIS record and they must depart the U.S. within 15 days. The student cannot remain in the U.S. as an F-1 international student or re-enter the U.S. in F-1 status, during the leave or after the withdrawal from the University.

When a student takes a leave of absence for medical reasons, they will be required to upload a medical note into the request. The note must be in English, on official letterhead, be signed by a medical doctor, doctor of osteopathy, or licensed clinical psychologist/psychiatrist, and must specifically recommend a leave of absence for whichever semester the break will occur. During a medical leave, ISS will keep your SEVIS record active. During the leave a student may stay in the U.S., travel in and out of the U.S., or may remain outside the U.S. during the entire leave.

Unlike a personal leave, a medical leave will need to be renewed each semester if needed.

An immigration leave may impact a scholarship or grant given by Monmouth University. It would be necessary for a student to check in with the Office of Financial Aid to see how they may be affected.

When you want to return from your leave of absence, a written request must be submitted to the ISS office via email. Please be aware that if returning from a personal leave, you will need to pay the SEVIS fee again, present financials showing coverage for at least one year, and need to wait two semesters on a new I-20 SEVIS ID, before eligibility to apply for CPT or OPT.

This request is for new or continuing students who have already been issued an I-20 and would like to add a dependent(s) to their immigration record. Any dependent added to an F-1 student’s immigration record would need to be either a spouse and/or child(ren) accompanied with proof of relation. By working with our office, we will seek to have the student’s dependent(s) seek admission as F-2 visa holder. In order to successfully have a dependent added, you will need to submit the Add a Dependent e-form request. The following, depending on your dependent, will need to be provided in order to fully complete this request:

1. For a spouse, you will need to provide a passport and marriage certificate (translated in English)
2. For a child, you will need to provide a passport and birth certificate (translated in English)
3. Financials: for your first dependent you will need to show liquid funding of $8,000 USD. Any additional dependent after that will require an additional $4,000.
   • The liquid funding amounts required to add dependents onto your immigration record are based on a formula using Monmouth County’s poverty line.

Once proper documentation has been provided and reviewed, the Global Education Office will issue an F-2 I-20. This I-20 will need to be signed and sent to the dependent abroad for them to schedule a visa appointment with their local embassy or consulate.

This request is for when a student has completed their current degree, or finished their authorized OPT, and have been admitted to a new and/or higher degree program here at Monmouth. The request and processing for a change of education level must occur within the students 60-day grace period. The new program start date, listed on the COEL I-20, must be within five months of the previous programs end date. Commonly, students who pursue a COEL complete their degrees during the spring semester and then begin their new program the following fall. However, if a student wishes to begin their new program immediately after the spring semester, they would need to be enrolled full time for that summer semester. This is due to the start date on the initial COEL I-20 counting as the first semester of an academic program which requires full-time enrollment.

Currently a COEL form will be under development and in partnership with admissions.

Occasionally during a student’s program of study, they may discover another major that better suits their academic interests. When this happens, our office will need to be made aware, as this may result in a student’s immigration record requiring an update. In this case, a “Change of Major” request will need to be submitted to our office. Confirmation of this change and the semester that this change will occur must be provided by the student and their academic advisor via the request.

Only after the request has been submitted and approved can a student potentially receive an updated I-20 showing and updated CIP and major. Sometimes a change of major may reflect the same CIP code and in which case would not generate a new I-20; either way, the student will be informed.

As a reminder, an F-1 student’s immigration record will need to reflect what a student is doing at any point in time. Therefore, if a student submits this request midway through a semester in which they are still registered under their previous major, the update in SEVIS will not be able to take place until the current semester is completed.

Lastly, please note, by changing your academic major, you may be required pursue additional credits to meet the requirements of your new major. This could result in a student needing additional time added on to their I-20 to complete their program. Should this be case, an I-20 extension request will also need to be submitted.

This request is submitted when a student is looking to transfer their SEVIS immigration record from our University to another SEVP-approved institution during or after their programs of study. This transfer is not to be confused with the transfer of academic records from one institution to another, which would need to be processed separately with the Registrar’s Office. In order for us to transfer an immigration record, the following would need to occur:

1. If a student intends transfer out during their program of study and will not be completing their degree here at Monmouth, an immigration exit form will need to be submitted first.
2. Complete a transfer out request. Within this request, students will be asked to indicate a transfer release date that informs us of when to release the record to the next institution.
3. Upload the following documents into transfer request:
   • A copy of your acceptance letter from the next institution
   • The transfer out form from the next institution (this should be provided by the future institution’s International Student Services Department and is normally in the form of a digital or paper form)

On the academics side, a student also may need to complete the “Total Withdrawal” e-form. You will need to speak with your academic department to determine if this needs to be completed. Once the request is fully submitted, the Global Education Office will complete the transfer of the SEVIS record to the next institution. 

Important information to consider before submitting the transfer out request include:

Once a SEVIS transfer is completed, the Global Education Office will no longer have access to your SEVIS record and will be unable to assist or advise on issues related to immigration. Questions at that time would need to be brought directly to the new institution. If the program end date has passed and a student requests to be transferred after the 60-day grace period, the record will have already automatically completed and the request will be denied. In this scenario, follow up with the next institution will be required for guidance on regaining status.
 
If a student is currently on OPT or the STEM extension, once the immigration record has been officially transferred in SEVIS, this would complete any current work authorization and employment would need to cease, effective immediately. If you will not be completing your program of study at Monmouth University but wish to transfer out during the middle or after the current semester, you’ll likely first need to complete the “Total Withdrawal” e-form for academics/registrar (if applicable) and also the “Immigration Exit for International Students” e-form, for the immigration side of things.
 
When transferring an immigration record, the program start date of the next institution must be within five months from either the transfer release date or the current program completion date listed in SEVIS. For students on OPT, instead of the program completion date, it will be the end date of your work authorization listed in your SEVIS record and EAD card.

This request is for students who have fallen out of immigration status due to a violation and need to regain F-1 status by departing the United States and re-entering. This process is called the “Travel Restart.”

In order for this process to begin the following will need to take place:

• Meet with your academic advisor to make them aware of your situation and to confirm your anticipated program completion date.

• Submission of the Travel Restart Request. In this request you will be able to inform the Global Education Office of your travel plans and other relevant information.
• Receive and upload updated financial documentation showing your ability to pay for the remainder of your course; this will be required to submit in the Travel Restart Request.

Once this form is completed, our office would generate a special I-20 with “Travel Restart” remarks included for students to use when re-entering the U.S. to resume their studies. To regain valid F-1 status via this method, the new “Travel Restart” I-20 and a new SEVIS fee will be required. It is important to note that two full semesters of study would need to be completed with your new SEVIS ID before you would be eligible for off-campus work authorization—Curricular Practical Training (CPT) or Optional Practical Training (OPT).

Important information to know for travel: While most travel restarts are successful, there are no guarantees, and it is important to note that entrance into the country is completely at the discretion of Customs and Border Protection (CBP). While it is unlikely to run into any severe complications when re-entering, CBP can ultimately deem you ineligible for re-entry and deny you at the border. They can also request to speak with your current (P)DSO via phone or email before allowing you entry. Should this be the case, you would need to contact Monmouth University Police Department who will then connect you to a Monmouth University (P)DSO.

Important information to know for required financials: In order to issue “Travel Restart” I-20, our office is required to receive updated funding. Students are required to submit updated financial documentation showing their ability to support themselves during their next year of study or the remainder of their degree program, whichever is less. We are only able to accept documents no older than six months. Should you use a sponsor (e.g., family member or friend), you will provide their information below in the request and be asked to have filled out an affidavit of financial support.