Current International Students
Important Information

What to do when you arrive in the United States
Maintaining F-1 status
Keeping Your Documents Valid
Health Insurance
Working in the United States
Getting a Social Security Number
Getting a License to drive in New York State
Travel outside the Unites States
Transferring to a different school
What to do after Graduation

Extending your I-20 Application, download the appliation: I-20 Extension Application

  
What to do when you arrive in the United States
It is important that you come to the Office of International Student Affairs upon your arrival in the United States. We will need to make copies of your passport, visa, and I-94 card.

We will also assist you with other things you must do such as taking the placement exam and purchasing health insurance. We will also inform you of upcoming events such as New Student Orientation, trips and other activities.

* Please remember that Nassau Community College does not have a dormitory. You are responsible to find your own housing. In some cases, we may be able to assist you with housing, but we are not responsible for finding a place for each student to live.

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Maintaining F-1 status
The following are general rules that F-1 students must follow in order to maintain legal status. Always contact the Office of International Student Affairs if you have questions about your status!GO TO SCHOOL FULL-TIME: F-1 Students are required by law to attend school full-time. If you are a credit college student, this means you must be registered for at least 12 credits (020 and 030 ESL courses count toward total credits) for the fall and spring semesters.

• You must not drop below full-time status during the semester. If you feel you need to drop below full-time, you must first speak with an advisor in the Office of International Student Affairs. Occasionally, it is possible to temporarily go to school part time. This is rarely possible, and must be documented and reported in the SEVIS tracking system.
• KEEP YOUR I-20 VALID: It is the students' responsibility to make sure that the I-20 is valid. You are required to apply for the extension on your I-20 prior to its expiration date. You should submit your application at least 30 days before the I-20 expires so that the process can be completed in a timely manner.
• KEEP YOUR PASSPORT VALID: It is your responsibility to make sure that your passport is kept current. If you need to extend your passport, you must contact your country's consulate in the United States.
• NOTIFY THE ISA OF ANY CHANGES TO YOUR I-20: You are required by INS regulations to inform the ISA Office of any changes to your I-20 prior to the changes taking effect. These changes include: change in major, change in degree level and change in legal name. You will need to apply for a new SEVIS I-20 at the time these changes take effect.
• NOTIFY THE ISA OF CHANGES IN NAME AND ADDRESS: Students are required to notify the ISA of any legal changes in name and address within 10 days of the change so that they may be reported to the USCIS. The address provided must be the physical location where the student resides. If the student is unable to receive mail at the physical location, the student must provide both a mailing address and a physical address.
• ALWAYS INFORM THE ISA OF ANY TRAVEL PLANS: If you plan on traveling outside the U.S. you will need a signature on the back of your I-20 in order to re-enter the country. If you have an expired visa stamp you will have to apply for a new one at the U.S. consulate/embassy in the country you will be visiting. If you plan on traveling, you should contact the ISA two weeks prior to your departure.
• NEVER ACCEPT EMPLOYMENT WITHOUT CONSULTING THE OFFICE OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENT AFFAIRS: Before you can accept employment off campus, you are required to first obtain authorization from the USCIS. Working without authorization is a deportable offence. You may work part-time on-campus without BCIS authorization.
• TRANSFER STUDENTS MUST SUBMIT A COMPLTED I-20 APPLICATION TO THE ISA PRIOR TO REGISTERING FOR CLASSES: If you are coming to NCC from another U.S. institution you must notify the ISA immediately so that we can process your I-20 correctly. You will be given a new I-20 within the first two weeks of school.
• YOU HAVE 60 DAYS FROM YOUR TIME OF COMPLETION OF STUDIES TO NOTIFY THE USCIS OF YOUR PLANS: The BCIS allows you a 60 day grace period from the time you complete your studies to be admitted into a new program, change your non-immigrant status or depart the U.S.
• ALWAYS TALK TO THE ISA FIRST ABOUT YOUR IMMIGRATION STATUS: During your stay in the U.S. you will hear a lot of rumors concerning immigration from your peers. Before making any assumptions regarding your immigration status, you should always visit the ISA first. It is best to call and make an appointment in advance, so that we can serve you better.

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Keeping Your Documents Valid

As an F-1 student, you should have the following forms of identification:

• Form I-20: Always keep your I-20 valid. If you are going to need more time to complete your studies at Nassau Community College, you must apply for an extension on your I-20. An extension MUST be filed before the current expiration date on your I-20. You must also inform the Office of International Student Affairs of any change of you name, academic major or financial sponsorship. Failure to do so is a violation of F-1 Status!
• Passport: Always keep your passport valid. If your passport will expire, you can renew it from inside the United States. If your passport is going to expire, you must contact your country's embassy here in the United States (Click Here for a list of Embassies). If you need help, please contact the Office of International Student Affairs.
• I-94 Card: Your I-94 card is your proof that you are in F-1 status. If you entered the United States on an F-1 visa, your I-94 card is the white card that was stamped and put in your passport when you entered the country. This card should show the date that you entered the United States, and have D/S (Duration of Status) written on it. If you entered the United States in another status and changed your status to F-1 after you arrived, you should have a new I-94 that was attached to an F-1 status approval letter from Immigration. There is no need to renew your I-94, as it is good for duration of status (D/S), or as long as you maintain legal F-1 status.
• F-1 (Student) Visa: You may or may not have a valid F-1 Student visa. If you do have an F-1 visa, you do not have to worry if it expires while you are here in the United States. It is not possible to get an F-1 Visa stamp while you are in the United States. If you changed your status after you came to the United States, you will not have a valid F-1 visa in your passport (unless you then traveled home and received one form the U.S. consulate after changing your status).

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Health Insurance
All F-1 international students at Nassau Community College must purchase the College group health plan through Aetna Insurance Company. The current rate for 2008-2009 academic year/ per student is $1086. The cost for students beginning their studies in the spring 2009 semester is $672.
Students can waive out of the college health insurance plan only under the following circumstances:

1. You are the minor child of a parent working in the United States and eligible for dependent health care through employment based health insurance

2. You are the spouse of a person working in the United States and eligible for dependent health care through employment based health insurance

For more information on the current health insurance coverage, please call office of International Student Affairs. You may also visit the Aetna student website: http://www.aetnastudenthealth.com/.

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Working in the United States
As an F-1 student, your primary reason for being in the United States is to study. All other activities are secondary in importance, including legal work. Work is strictly controlled by United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), under The Department of Homeland Security. Off-campus work that has not been approved by USCIS and the Office of International Student Affairs is strictly prohibited and is a violation of your F-1 status.

If you are currently an F-1 student in legal status, you are permitted to work on campus for up to 20-hours per week. Many international students are employed in various college departments at Nassau Community College. If you are looking for a job on campus, you should talk to the department you wish to work in, or contact the Job Placement Office at (001) 516.572.7132 / 7375*. The Job Placement Office is located in Nassau Hall (Building M), Room 39.

There are three other types of work that may be available to you as an F-1 Student.

They are:

• Optional Practical Training (available to credit college students ONLY!)
• Curricular Practical Training (available to credit college students ONLY!)
• Economic Hardship

Students that would like more information on these types of employment should contact the Office of International Student Affairs for Advisement. Understand that these forms of employment are controlled by government regulations, and not all students will be eligible!

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Can I get a Social Security Number?
At this point in time, all F-1 students in legal status are eligible for Social Security numbers if they have already secured a job on campus. In order to obtain a number, you must first come to the Office of International Affairs with your passport and I-20. We will need to verify that you are in legal F-1 status and issue you a letter to bring with you to the Social Security Office. You will also need a letter from the campus department that you will be working for, stating that you have already been hired.

After you receive your letters, you must take them to a Social Security Office (we recommend Mineola) along with your passport and your I-20. You will also need to complete an official Social Security number application. You will need to present these documents to the clerk at the Social Security Office.

If the clerk finds that you are eligible for a number, he or she will tell you how look it will take to get your Social Security Number in the mail. Sometimes, there may be a problem with your record in the database that the Social Security Administration uses to verify your F-1 status. If this happens to you, you should report it to the Office of International Student Affairs.

If you receive an official Social Security number, it is important that you report it to the Office of International Student Affairs and the Registrar's Office. This will keep your academic records accurate.

For more information on Social Security numbers, please contact the Office of International Student Affairs or visit the Social Security Administration website at www.ssa.gov.

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Getting a License to drive in New York State
It is possible to get a New York State Driver license. You must visit your local Department of Motor Vehicles with you passport, I-94 card and I-20 to apply. Currently, you will also need to have either a Social Security Card/Number or a letter from Social Security stating you are not eligible for a number (for more information contact the ISA Office).

It is not necessary for you to have a New York State driver license if you hold a current foreign driver license from your country. You may also have an international driver I.D. card, which is not a legal driver permit. An international I.D. card is not a legal license, but a form of identification that can accompany you foreign driver license.

For more information on obtaining a New York State driver license, please go to the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles website at www.nysdmv.gov. If you have further questions, please contact the Office of International Student Affairs.

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Travel outside the Unites States
Before you travel anywhere, you should always contact the Office of International Student Affairs. If you are planning to travel outside of the United States, it is necessary for you to get your I-20 signed prior to leaving, as you will need a signature to re-enter the United States.

Before you travel, you are required to complete a Travel Authorization form. You must bring this completed form, along with your I-20 and passport to the Office of International Student Affairs.

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Transferring to a different school
If you have completed your studies at Nassau Community College, or if you have decided that you would like to go to another school, it is possible to “transfer” your I-20 to that school. The transfer process is for students who are in lawful F-1 status, that is, you have not violated your status in any way.

If you would like to transfer, it is necessary to do the following:

Apply to the new school and be accepted to a program of study.
Contact the International Students Office at your new school to inform them of your transfer. You will have to complete an I-20 transfer application, and turn in documentation that will allow your new school to issue you an I-20.

Contact the Office of International Student Affairs at Nassau Community College to inform us of your plans to transfer to a new school. We will need to complete a transfer recommendation form for your new school. This form can be obtained from the International Student Office at your new school.

Your I-20 records will be transferred to your new school through the SEVIS tracking system, and your new school will issue you a new I-20.
If you are graduating and transferring (this means you are getting your degree from Nassau Community College) you must inform the Office of International Student Affairs of your plans to transfer within 60 days of your last day of classes at Nassau Community College.

If you are NOT graduating and transferring (this means you will NOT earn a degree at Nassau Community College), you must inform the Office of International Student Affairs of your transfer immediately (preferably BEFORE the semester ends). Understand that your status will be terminated if you do not complete the transfer process within 30 days of the first day of classes for the term directly following your last term. For example, if your last term at Nassau is the fall term, you record will be terminated 30 days from the start date of the spring semester if you have not completed the transfer process.

**If you would like your official Nassau Community College transcripts to be sent to your new school, you must go to the Registrar's Office, and complete a transcript request form.

IMPORTANT! Once your I-20 record has been transferred to your new school, we no longer have access to change or update your record. For this reason, it is very important that you make sure that you have been accepted academically to your new school, and that you definitely want to study there! If you change your mind about your transfer, you must inform the Office of International Student Affairs at Nassau Community College immediately.

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What to do after Graduation

When an F-1 student is getting ready to graduate, he or she generally has the following options:

• Transfer to another school
• Apply for post completion Optional Practical Training. IMPORTANT! Your application for post-completion of studies Optional Practical Training must be filed and received by USCIS BEFORE the last day of classes of your graduating semester. For more information click here.
• Leave the United States. If you do not plan on transferring to a new school or engaging in post completion Optional Practical Training, you will not be able to maintain legal F-1 status after you graduate from Nassau Community College. When you graduate, you have 60 days from the last day of classes to inform us of your transfer to a new school. If you do not inform us that you wish to have your record transferred out, it will automatically be completed in the SEVIS system. If you decide to remain in the United States and attend another institution after this point, you will need to file for a Reinstatement to F-1 status. Call the ISA Office at 516.572.7053 for more information.

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