Forgot Something?

[KyleC 0]

I've been in the U.S. since January now on a F-1 visa and studying at Mississippi State University.

Everything worked out just fine, but I can't help but think that I may have forgotten something, so here are my questions:

- Do I have to sign up for a local USCIS office? if yes, which one? (my university is closer to Memphis office, my official residence (not housing) is closer to New Orleans

- What can I do to get a working permit (after a year, I'm aware I can't do that before that)?

- Is there anything else I need to do or need to be aware of? Does anybody have further advice he/she would like to share?

Thank you for your support! I'm young and still new to the whole visa-life and I wanna do everything right from the beginning...

Sincerely,

KyleC

[Little_My 464]

Hello there,

No, you do not have to check in with a USCIS office. You do, however, have to do a check in with your school's ISS office(international student services - or whatever it is called in your school). My university required a check-in in the beginning of each semester, and every time an international student returns from a trip outside US. ISS should always have copies of your most recent documents, i.e. your passport, visa and I-94.

You have an I-20 form, which has a travel signature on the third page of the document. This travel signature is valid for 9 months, and needs to be valid whenever you travel abroad and plan to return to the US. It is signed by an international adviser at your school. Make sure the signature is valid whenever you plan to travel abroad.

You are allowed to work on campus for 20 hours a week during semesters even during your first year of school. You do need authorization for that too, and you then need to apply for an SSN. You need a job offer first to get the employment authorization. On your second year, you might be allowed to work outside campus, but always have to get employment authorization for any paid work while under F1 status. You could be authorized to work for an international organization, or you could be authorized for "curricular practical training", which is like an internship, but you can be paid.

there are exceptions made for, for example, extreme financial hardship, but that is pretty hard to prove. You cannot work legally for example in a bar or at McDonalds while going to school here. If the work is outside campus, it should be related to whatever it is you are studying.

Other than that, just make sure you are aware of F1 regulations and rules, and visit your schools international advisers whenever something is not clear. Make sure to be enrolled as a full time student at all times - dropping below full time is a violation of your visa. You should check with your school what constitutes as "full time" in your particular study program.

[Harsh_77 718]

The above user covered it pretty much in real detail, the only one thing that I remember is you have to notify USCIS of your current address and notify them everytime you change your address as well.

You schools international office should had given you this form during your orientation, this step is important and critical, I have heard where students had hard time when they did not report their address of residence.

You cannot work off-campus unless you have special authorization, which are normally given for one year at a time, for which you will have to prove you have extreme financial hardship.

As when you applied for your student visa, you are required and you did show proof of finance, that you have enough funds to cover your school expenses.