Maintaining Legal Status

Immigration regulations require all international students to report any change in their local U.S. address with OISS within ten (10) days of arrival for new students and within ten (10) days of any address change throughout their course of study (during Optional Practical Training (OPT) as well). This information will be updated in students’ SEVIS records.

• Login to MyHPU Portal
• Select “Student Self Service” (under “QuickLaunch”)
• Enter “Personal Information Menu,” Click on “Verify Address(es) and Phone Number(s).”
• Verify the current address information you have, and select the appropriate address you will update/insert.
• At the Dropdown Box: “Type of Address to Insert”: Select “SD “to update your SEVIS domestic address
• Mailing Address: address in the United States where you receive your mail;
• SEVIS Domestic Address: physical address/place of residence in the United States. This cannot be a P.O. Box address;
• Permanent Address: address in your home country.

*Do not type in any special characters, for example, dashes (-), underscores ( _ ), or periods.

Immigration regulations require international students in F-1 status to register in full-time fall and spring semester.  Student are required to enroll in full-time course load throughout the semester. For immigration purposes, full-time enrollment is defined as (fall and spring semesters):

Students must also be registered at HPU by the Last Day to Add at the semester start date.

Students who drop below full-time without approval (see below) from HPU must be reported to the Department of Homeland Security via SEVIS.  As a result, the SEVIS record will be terminated and the student will lose lawful F-1 including employment eligibility and benefits.

Online Courses

Immigration regulations limit the number of online courses a student can count towards full time requirement.

• Undergraduate students must register for a minimum of 9 credit hours of in-class, plus 3 (or more) online credit hours.
• Graduate students must register for a minimum of 6 credit hours of in-class, plus 3 (or more) online credit hours.

As long as minimum credits levels in traditional coursework are maintained (for example, 9 credits for graduates and 12 credits for undergraduates), students may take more than 3 credits of online coursework.

Registering Online Courses From Abroad: If enrolled in online courses while remaining outside the U.S., then online class restrictions do not apply.

Summer Enrollment: In general, online courses restrictions do not apply to summer term enrollment.

Last Semester/Last Term: If students are in their last semester or term and need only one course to complete their program of study (or graduate), the course cannot be completed through online coursework. This restriction applies to completion of program occurring during the fall or spring semesters and summer terms.

8A AND 8B COURSES

International Students are not permitted to enroll in 8A/8B courses on military base or online courses. Exceptions for online courses will be made for extraordinary circumstances with a clearly stated rationale. For undergraduate students, these exceptions are approved by Academic Advising and Graduate student exceptions are approved by graduate coordinators and faculty advisors.

Audit Courses

Audit course units are not applicable to the full-time enrollment total.

Exceptions:

International students are not required to enroll in courses during summer semesters unless it is their first or last semester at HPU.

F-1 students who are academically or financially dismissed or suspended from HPU should immediately contact OISS.  Termination of a student's student status automatically results in the termination of F-1 visa status and, as such, it is imperative that students figure out next steps immediately.

F-1 international students who wish to take a semester off during the academic year (fall and spring semesters) and not enroll in courses must receive authorization for a Leave of Absence (LOA) from OISS and their academic department.

When you are accepted into a major, change your major, or add a second major, you must notify OISS. F-1 regulations require the I-20 to be updated with the new program information.

International students who are pursuing a change of status (COS) or adjustment of status (AOS) must complete the following in a timely manner.

1. Notify our office before or immediately after filing your COS/AOS request. 
2. Arrange a meeting with our office to discuss next steps and advise based on your individual situation. 

NOTE: We recommend notifying our office of any changes immediately in order to avoid any legal status issues during the COS/AOS process. Students who are pursuing a COS/AOS still follow their active visa type and regulations until the request is processed and finalized by the Department of Homeland Security and USCIS. 

After successfully completing an academic program, F-1 students are given a grace period allowing them to remain in the U.S. for a specified time after program of study, OPT. Travel and Re-entry to the U.S. as an F-1 student during the grace period is not possible. Please review the following guidelines regarding the grace period pertinent to F-1/J-1 student status:

F-1 students have a 60-day grace period in which they are permitted to do one of the following:

• Begin a new program of study at HPU: Students must apply to the new program, be admitted and be issued a new I-20 before the end of the grace period.  Proof of funding is required to issue the new I-20. Please email OISS with questions on I-20 issuance.

• Apply for Optional Practical Training (OPT)

• Transfer to another institution: Student must apply to another institution, be admitted, have the HPU SEVIS records transferred out to a new institution before the end of the 60 days. The start date at the transfer-in school must be within five months following the date on which I-20 is transferred out or within five months of the 60th day of grace period. To request a transfer of HPU SEVIS I-20 record, the student will need to submit the Transfer Out Form along with acceptance letter from a new institution.

• Apply for a change of status: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) must receive the application to change the immigration status before the end of the grace period.

• Depart the U.S. before the end of the grace period.

F-2 Dependents:

The immigration status of an F-2 is dependent upon the F-1 student and they cannot remain in the U.S. under the F-2 status after the F-1 student has departed the U.S. during the grace period.

US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will permit our office to extend a student's program completion date for compelling academic or medical reasons. Delays caused by academic probation or suspension are not acceptable reasons for program extension. Students must apply for a Program Extension BEFORE their program end date on I-20. If the expiration on the I-20 has passed, students must meet with an OISS advisor immediately, as the student is considered to be out of status.

Eligibility Requirements

To qualify for a program extension, F-1 students must meet the following requirements:

1. The expiration date of the I-20 has not yet passed

2. Continuously maintained the F-1 student full-time academic status

3. The delay in completion of program must be due to one of the following reasons:

• Compelling academic reason necessitates the extension of I-20
• Documented medical reason (see an OISS advisor for additional requirements) necessitates the extension of I-20

4. Must submit financial documents to cover the additional time needed to complete program requirements, which includes tuition and living expenses.

Application Instructions

• Complete the Program Extension Form and print it out.
• Have your academic advisor sign the Program Extension Form.
• Attach proof of funding as instructed on the form.
• Turn in Program Extension Form to OISS. If your request for an extension is approved, a new I-20 will be ready for you in 3-4 business days. 

Please note:

• A student who has satisfied all requirements for graduation/completion of program, s/he cannot continue to be enrolled for other purposes without taking action to maintain status. Even if the school continues to enroll the student, a student who has completed all requirements for the program must apply for OPT, apply for a change of status to some other classification, or depart the United States in order to maintain status.
• If there is a change in funding source, provide financial documentation covering expenses for the extension period
• Submit complete docu

F-1 Students planning to transfer from HPU to another institution in the U.S. must follow an immigration transfer process through SEVIS in order to maintain valid immigration status.

Student may request an RCL due to academic difficulty

• Initial difficulties with the English language or reading requirements
• Unfamiliarity with American teaching methods
• Inappropriate course level placement

*Minimum enrollment of six credit hours required

International students may be authorized to drop or withdraw from classes in the case that the student experiences unforeseen illness or a medical condition. A reduction in courses due to medical reasons must be authorized for each semester in question, not to exceed 12 months. The student must provide a statement by a licensed U.S. medical professional, on letterhead (not prescription pad) documenting the following:

• The medical necessity to reduce courses
• The semester for which the reduction is requested for
• The advised action (reduction in course or withdrawal)

OISS may authorize a final semester RCL for students who are in their final semester of study and only have a few units remaining to meet academic program requirements. Students may request an RCL due to final semester only once per degree program.

** Please note after completing reduced course load (RCL), students are unable to:

1) Request another RCL

2) Apply for program extension