IMPORTANT
UPDATE!!
Immigration Regulations For all International Students
and Scholars
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Passports Required for Air Travel to United States as of January 23, 2007 |
The Departments of State and Homeland Security announced today that the requirement for citizens of the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Bermuda to present a passport to enter the United States when arriving by air from any part of the Western Hemisphere will begin on January 23, 2007.
This change in travel document requirements is the result of recommendations made by the 9/11 Commission, which Congress subsequently passed into law in the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004. These new travel document requirements make up the Departments' Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI). In order to obtain national security benefits as quickly as possible, and to expedite the processing of arriving passengers, the plan will be implemented in two phases.
The first phase involves travel by air and requires all citizens of the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Bermuda to have a passport or other accepted document that establishes the bearer's identity and nationality to enter or re-enter the United States from within the Western Hemisphere. The final rule for the air phase of the WHTI rule will be published in the Federal Register on November 24, where it can be viewed at www.regulations.gov . That rule is also available on the Department's consular web site, travel.state.gov and on the Department of Homeland Security's web site, www.dhs.gov.
A separate proposed rule addressing land and sea travel will be published at a later date proposing specific requirements for travelers entering the United States through land and sea border crossings. As early as January 1, 2008, U.S. citizens traveling between the United States and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda by land or sea could be required to present a valid U.S. passport or other documents as determined by the Department of Homeland Security. While recent legislative changes permit a later deadline, the Departments of State and Homeland Security are working to meet all requirements as soon as possible.
The Department has dedicated additional resources and personnel to meet the increased demand for passports generated by these requirements. In Fiscal Year 2006, the Department issued a record 12.1 million passports to American citizens, and anticipates issuing 16 million passports in Fiscal Year 2007. U.S. citizens can find information about how to apply for a passport at travel.state.gov or by calling 1-877-487-2778. |
Special registration for males 16 years of age or older who are from Afghanistan,
Algeria, Bahrain, Eritrea, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, North Korea,
Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United
Arab Emirates, Yemen |
If you are a male 16 years of age or older and from Afghanistan, Algeria,
Bahrain, Eritrea, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, North Korea, Oman,
Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab
Emirates, or Yemen you will need to go to the local Immigration and Naturalization
Office and register. To find out specifically when you are required to go,
and to get more information on the procedure, read the INS website at: http://www.ins.gov/graphics/lawenfor/specialreg/index.htm#special
You will need to take your passport, I-94 card and any other government-issued
forms such as an I-20, proof of where you live such as a lease or rental
agreement, proof of attending the University and, if you are working, proof
of your employment. The Immigration Service may also ask for further information.
You will need to answer questions under oath before an immigration officer
and the officer will record your answers. You will also be fingerprinted
and photographed. Then yearly within 10 days of each anniversary of the
date on which you registered with the Immigration Service, you will need
to go to the Immigration Service and answer questions under oath again.
When you change addresses, you must also let the Immigration Service know
within 10 days. You should report to the Immigration Service located at
5272 South College Drive, Murray, UT. Not complying with this regulation
will be grounds for deportation. If you are here in asylum or permanent
resident status, you will not need to register. If you have any questions
about this new procedure, please come and talk to us in the International
Center. |
New Immigration regulations to be implemented by the end of the year |
We don’t have the final version of the new immigration regulations, yet,
but following is information that appears likely to be passed before the
end of the year. |
During spring semester, 2006, the International Center will have to enter
information about all F and J students into the Immigration Service’s new
computer system for tracking students. On the new system, your names, addresses,
hours you are taking per semester, practical training, etc. will be available
to the INS at all times . |
Duration of Status.In the future people will only be allowed
to enter the U.S. 30 days prior to the starting date on their I-20 (in the
past when people could enter 90 days in advance). The 60-day grace period
after graduation will only be allowed if a person has been in status and
officially graduated. |
Correspondence Study.Course work outside the normal classroom
setting such as correspondence study, long-distance learning and special
projects will be limited to 3 credit hours per semester. |
Full-Time Status.Course number 7990 will not be counted as full-time
status. Letters from graduate departments requesting full-time status be
approved for taking less than 9 hours will not be accepted. |
Reducing Course Load. After the last scheduled day to drop classes,
you must have the approval of the International Center before you
withdraw from a class if it will take you below 12 credit hours for undergraduate
students or 9 credit hours for graduate students. Withdrawing without our
approval will make you out of status. You may not completely withdraw from
classes unless you have a letter from a medical doctor recommending you
completely withdraw from school. You may only reduce your course load one
semester. The next semester you must be full time. You may use medical letters
from licensed doctors for up to one year. After that you must return to
school full time or change your visa status. Approval for a reduced course
load will be entered in the Immigration Service’s computer system. The Immigration
Service will be informed the following semester that you have or have not
returned to full-time status. |
Vacation or Final Semester. You must inform the International
Center within 15 days of the start of a semester that you are taking it
as a vacation semester or that it will be your final semester before you
graduate. We are required to provide this information to the Immigration
Service. If it is your last semester, you must provide a letter from your
department or the Graduation Office verifying when you are graduating. |
Registering. Be sure to register for both first and second sessions
of the semester during the first session of the semester. Graduate students
must also register for their thesis and faculty consultation hours at the
beginning of the first session of the semester. We are required to report
student’s hours within 30 days after the registration deadline. If your
hours don’t show up when we download the University’s official printout
of credit hours, the report to the Immigration Service will show you as
out of status. |
Concurrent Enrollment. We will no longer authorize concurrent
attendance at another institution unless you are registered full time at
the University of Utah. |
Extensions. Extensions of your I-20 may now be done any time
you know it is going to take you longer to graduate than the time indicated
on your I-20. You can apply any time instead of waiting until thirty days
before your I-20 expires. Also, we will no longer be able to add a year’s
grace period to I-20's. Extensions must be done before your I-20 expires.
Otherwise, you will be out of status. |
Transferring. You must have approval to transfer before
you go to a new school. You will need to tell your present school what school
you want to transfer to and when. Your present school will need to release
you from their school before the new school can issue an I-20. |
Practical Training. Twelve months of optional practical training
will be allowed after each higher educational degree. You must apply for
optional practical training before the end of the semester. You will no
longer have a sixty-day grace period after you graduate to apply. You will
need to receive the employment authorization card by the end of the semester.
Since it usually takes the Immigration Service several months to process
practical training, you should apply at the beginning of the semester for
practical training to receive your card by the end of the semester. |
People wishing to apply for curricular practical training will need to allow
time for the curricular practical training authorization to be put into
the Immigration web site and have the I-20 with the authorization downloaded
from Immigration. This may take several days and you cannot start working
until you receive the I-20 with the work authorization on it. |
No information for practical training can be entered into the Immigration
web site until you have been in status for 9 months. |
Reinstatement. You must apply for reinstatement within 5 months
of going out of status or the Immigration Service will not consider your
application. You will only be reinstated for circumstances beyond your control
or violations that would have been within the institution’s power to approve.
Immigration has tightened their criteria for what they consider “beyond
the student’s control.” Circumstances they might consider beyond a student’s
control would be serious injury or illness, closure of the University or
a natural disaster. They would not consider inadvertence, oversight, neglect,
or a willful failure on the part of the student or the institution as a
reason for reinstatement. |
Address Change. Students must notify the Immigration
Service and the International Center within 10 days of any address
change. Notifying the Immigration Service can to be done on the new system
by informing the International Center of your new address. |
F-2 Status. F-2's may attend elementary and secondary school full time but
only attend higher education part time. If an F-2 wishes to attend college
or university full time, he/she must change to F-1 status. |
Traveling Over the Winter Break |
If you need a signature for travel over the winter break on your I-20, IAP-66
form, or DS-2019 form, please come into our office in November or the first
week of December. Don’t wait until the last minute. It will take us time
to check everyone’s enrollment status before we can sign the forms. If you
need to renew your visa before coming back to the United States, please
let us know. We will need to put your information on the State Department’s
web site. |
Spring Semester, 2006 |
During spring semester, 2006 our office will begin entering student data
onto Immigration’s computer system. This will be very time consuming. So
if you need our office to do letters, I-20's, practical training, etc. for
you, please come in early and plan on it taking extra time. We like you
to have a good experience when you come to our office, but please remember
spring semester, 2006 will be an unusual time. Please be patient with us.
We hope everything will run smoother once the Immigration Service’s system
is up and running efficiently. |
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