Maintaining Legal F-1 Status

As an F-1 student, you must meet certain obligations in order to maintain legal immigration status. Maintaining status is necessary in order to receive the benefits of F-1 status such as employment and program extension, and can be crucial to a successful application for a change or adjustment of visa status in the future. Failure to maintain your non-immigrant status can result in serious problems with immigration and could lead to deportation from the U.S. 
To maintain lawful status, an F-1 student must:
 

• Be in good academic standing and make progress towards an academic program.
• Extend your I-20 prior to its expiration date if you are unable to complete your academic program by the original expiration date.
• In the event of change of academic program or level, update your I-20 in a timely fashion in accordance with immigration regulations.
• Maintain full-time enrollment during the academic year.
• Limit on-campus employment to 20 hours per week during academic year.
• May not be employed without specific pre-authorization.
• Keep your passport valid at all times. The passport must be valid for at least 6 months into the future on the day you return to the U.S. from a trip abroad.
• Maintain health insurance coverage.
• Update your current and permanent address information within 10 days of moving.