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Definition of terms

I-20: CERTIFICATE OF ELIGIBILITY FOR NONIMMIGRANT (F-1) STUDENT STATUS
This is a document issued by a school approved by the U.S. Department of State for receiving foreign students. The I-20 certifies that the student has been accepted for admission and meets the government required conditions of eligibility for nonimmigrant student status. This document is required to apply for a student visa to enter and exit the United States during the program of study or to transfer from one school to another. The I-20 document is unique to the student and the school that issues it. Check your I-20 to be sure the information is correct and that your name is the same as it appears in your passport. The number on the upper-right corner above the bar code of the I-20 is your SEVIS number for UNC Pembroke.

 

DS-2019: CERTIFICATE OF ELIGIBILITY FOR NONIMMIGRANT (J-1) STUDENT STATUS
The Certificate of Eligibility for the J-1 Trainee Visa is the DS-2019 Form.
Without a DS-2019 form a J-1 visa cannot be granted! Do not apply for a J-1 visa without having DS-2019 form because your visa application will be rejected or you will be told by the US embassy or consulate that you need a DS-2019 form. When you apply for the J-1 Visa at a U.S. consulate or embassy, you must submit the original DS-2019 Form along with your other application materials. The DS-2019 Form does not guarantee that you will actually receive the J-1 Visa. It merely serves as proof that a Department of State-designated visa sponsor supports your visa application. Each DS-2019 Form is registered through the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) of the U.S. Department of State. The DS-2019 Form is protected by a barcode, unforgeable and cannot be transferred to another person.

FORM I-94: ARRIVAL/DEPARTURE RECORD
This is the small white card which you will receive on the flight prior to your arrival in the United States. It is a record of important information: your name, birth date, country of citizenship, the arrival/departure number (very important), the date of entry into the United States, and the type of entry visa used to enter the country. This is an important document used to establish legal status while in the United States. You will be asked to surrender this card when departing the United States (except when traveling to Canada, Mexico or the Caribbean, excluding Cuba). It is important not to lose this card. We recommend stapling it to a page in your passport.

 

PASSPORT
A passport is a travel document issued by a national government that identifies the bearer as a national of the issuing state and requests that the bearer be permitted to enter and pass through other countries. Passports are connected with the right of some protection abroad by the government of the country of which one is a national, and with the right to enter the country of which one is a national. However, the right of protection does not arise from a passport, nor does the right to enter. Each right arises from nationality. A passport proves the nationality of the bearer, and, consequently, their right of protection and right to enter. Passports usually contain the holder's photograph, signature, date of birth, nationality, and sometimes other means of individual identification. Many countries are in the process of developing biometric properties for their passports in order to further confirm that the person presenting the passport is the legitimate holder. Passports are usually required for international travel, though this is not always the case; they serve only as an internationally-recognized means of identification of the traveler. This requirement may be waived (the terminology may vary in different countries) in individual cases or for classes of travelers. For example, citizens of member states of the European Union do not need a passport to travel within each other under the EU law, and, until recently, citizens of the United States could enter Mexico, Canada, or many Caribbean Nations using a driving license as identification and a birth certificate or naturalization certificate as proof of citizenship.

 

F-1 STUDENT STATUS
F-1 student status will allow you to remain in the U.S. as long as you are a properly registered full-time student. To maintain full-time status you must take at least four courses per semester at the undergraduate level, and depending on your academic program, three or four courses per semester at the graduate level. F-1 status will allow you to work part-time in on-campus jobs and work in a "practical training" job directly related to your field of study for 12 months during or after the completion of your studies. Dependents of F-1 students will be permitted to join you in the U.S. provided you demonstrate that there are sufficient financial resources for their support. A spouse and dependent children of F-1 students hold F-2 status and may not work in the U.S.

 

J-1 STUDENT STATUS
J-1 student status will allow you to remain in the U.S. for the duration of your full-time academic program. J-1 status will permit you to work on-campus and work in an "academic training" job for 18 months during and/or after the completion of your studies with prior permission from your J-1 sponsor. It will also allow you to bring your spouse and children to the U.S. if there are sufficient financial resources for their support. The spouse and dependent children of a J-1 student hold J-2 status and can usually obtain permission from INS to work in the U.S. In some cases the J-1 visa carries with it an, often inescapable, condition that requires you to return to your home country for two years upon completion of your studies (and academic training) before you are eligible for certain other visas in the U.S., including H-1B and permanent resident status. This "two-year residence" requirement applies to you if you receive any funding (including nominal travel grants) from your home government or a U.S. government agency. It also applies to you, if trained personnel in your field are identified by your home government as being in short supply and your field has consequently been included on the U.S. government's "Exchange Visitor's Skills List." If you do not know whether your country and/or field appears on the "Exchange Visitor's Skills List," ask a U.S. consular officer or check the Department of State website before requesting J-1 status. Once you have acquired J-1 status and are subject to the two-year residence requirement, it may be impossible to change to another non-immigrant status or to permanent residence status.

 

SEVIS AND SEVP
The Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) is an internet based system used by the U.S. government, and is administered by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) to track issuance of I-20s, arrivals and departures, as well as continued enrollment, academic training, and other related activities. All I-20s are generated in the SEVIS system and are specific to the schools certifying the students as acceptable to their institution.

 

SEVIS NUMBER
Your SEVIS record with its unique SEVIS number will remain with you until completion of your stay as a student. However, if you leave the country and interrupt your studies for an extended period (more than 5 months), a new SEVIS record will need to be initiated and a new visa will be required.

 

PRIMARY AND DESIGNATED SCHOOL OFFICIAL(S) (PDSO AND DSOs)
Only a limited number of individuals from a given school are approved for access to SEVIS records and are authorized to submit requests for a SEVIS I-20s. UNC Pembroke has one PDSO and one DSO in the Center for International Programs. It is important for you to know who the PDSO and DSO are and be sure to communicate any changes in your contact information, change of program, need for authorization for travel, or special circumstances that may impact the maintenance of your student status.

 

OTP
214.2(f)(10)(ii)(A) (ii) Optional practical training

(A) General. A student may apply to the Service for authorization for temporary employment for optional practical training directly related to the student’s major area of study. The student may not begin optional practical training until the date indicated on his or her employment authorization document, Form I–766 or Form 688B. A student may submit an application for authorization to engage in optional practical training up to 90 days prior to being enrolled for one full academic year, provided that the period of employment will not begin until after the completion of the full academic year as indicated by the DSO. A student may be granted authorization to engage in temporary employment for optional practical training:

1. During the student’s annual vacation and at other times when school is not in session, if the student is currently enrolled, and is eligible for registration and intends to register for the next term or session;
2. While school is in session, provided that practical training does not exceed 20 hours a week while school is in session; or
3. After completion of the course of study, or, for a student in a bachelor ’s, master’s, or doctoral degree program, after completion of all course requirements for the degree (excluding thesis or equivalent). Continued enrollment, for the school’s administrative purposes, after all requirements for the degree have been met does not preclude eligibility for optional practical training. However, optional practical training must be requested prior to the completion of all course requirements for the degree or prior to the completion of the course of study. A student must complete all practical training within a 14-month period following the completion of study.

CPT
8 CFR 214.2(f)(10)(i) Curricular practical training.

An F– 1 student may be authorized by the DSO to participate in a curricular practical training program that is an integral part of an established curriculum. Curricular practical training is defined to be alternative work/study, internship, cooperative education, or any other type of required internship or practicum that is offered by sponsoring employers through cooperative agreements with the school. Students who have received one year or more of full time curricular practical training are ineligible for post-completion academic training. Exceptions to the one academic year requirement are provided for students enrolled in graduate studies that require immediate participation in curricular practical training. A request for authorization for curricular practical training must be made to the DSO. A student may begin curricular practical training only after receiving his or her Form I–20 with the DSO endorsement. SEVIS process. To grant authorization for a student to engage in curricular practical training, a DSO at a SEVIS school will update the student’s record in SEVIS as being authorized for curricular practical training that is directly related to the student’s major area of study. The DSO will indicate whether the training is full-time or part-time, the employer and location, and the employment start and end date. The DSO will then print a copy of the employment page of the SEVIS Form I–20 indicating that curricular practical training has been approved. The DSO must sign, date, and return the SEVIS Form I–20 to the student prior to the student’s commencement of employment.

Updated: Tuesday, March 17, 2009

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