EO 46   Guidelines for University Reporting to the Office of Immigration and Naturalization Service About International Students Holding F-1 (Student) Visas

1.  University Responsibility

1. Title VIII of the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, Part 214.3, requires that the University of Washington report non-immigrant F-1 students at the University, if the student:
   1. Fails to register personally within 60 days of the time he is expected to do so.
   2. Failed to carry a full course of study. For this purpose, a full course of study is defined by the University of Washington as:
      1. Undergraduate, fifth-year and nonmatriculated students must earn a minimum of 12 credits per quarter, excluding Summer Quarter.
      2. Graduate students must earn a minimum of nine credits per quarter, excluding Summer Quarter, during the time they are registered for graduate coursework. Final determination of full course of study for graduate students will be made by the Dean of the Graduate School. The staff of the Graduate School will consult with the student’s graduate program adviser when appropriate.
      3. Newly-admitted international students may be advised by their academic adviser, because of inadequate English skills or similar academic reasons, not to register for a full course of study their first quarter in the United States and these students are therefore exempt from the nine- and 12-credit minimum their first quarter only. These students must earn a minimum of five credits their first quarter. Such students must provide the International Services Office with the written recommendation of the academic adviser before the end of the official change of registration period for their first quarter.
      4. Students in the final quarter of their degree program need only register for those credits required for graduation.
   3. Terminates attendance at the University.
2. Authorization to release this information is given when the student signs the I-20A form, “Certificate by Nonimmigrant Student under Section 101 (a)(15)(F)(i) of the Immigration and Nationality Act.”

2.  Reporting Procedures

A. Students Not Registered at or Withdrawn from the University

1. Undergraduate students not registered in a given quarter, excluding Summer Quarter, will be reported routinely to the Immigration and Naturalization Service by the Registrar’s Office by the thirtieth calendar day of the quarter without notification to the student.
2. Graduate students not registered in a given quarter, excluding Summer Quarter, will be reported to the Graduate School to determine if the reason the student is not registered is a valid academic reason. Those students without valid academic reasons will be reported to the Immigration and Naturalization Service by the Registrar’s Office without notification to the student.
3. Exceptions to Sections 2.A.1 and 2.A.2 above may be permitted if:
   1. The student has a recommendation from his or her physician that for reasons of health he or she should not register for a given quarter.
   2. The student is unable to register for a full course of study due to recent circumstances beyond his ability to anticipate or control and where his personal situation is so severely altered as to make his original program impossible to complete. Documentation supporting these circumstances must be received by the Registrar’s Office before the end of the official change of registration period for the quarter concerned.
4. Students who withdraw after the second week of the quarter will be reported to the Immigration and Naturalization Service at the end of that quarter.

B. Registered Students Not Registered for a Full Course of Study

1. The I-20Bs of all undergraduate and graduate students not registered for a full course of study will be sent by the Registrar’s Office to the International Services Office.
2. The International Services Office will notify each student that he is carrying less than a full course of study and that he will be reported to the Immigration and Naturalization Service unless evidence is presented to substantiate one of the following:
   1. Acute illness or injury; or
   2. Valid academic reason. For undergraduate students, this must be confirmed in writing by the student’s academic dean. For graduate students, this must be confirmed in writing by the student’s graduate program adviser or supervisory chair and endorsed by the Dean of the Graduate School.
3. The I-20Bs of all deficient graduate students not exempted by Section 2.B.2) will be sent by the International Services Office to the Dean of the Graduate School.
4. The I-20Bs of deficient undergraduate students will be transmitted by the International Services Office to the Registrar’s Office along with supporting documents for those students not to be reported.
5. Supporting documents referred to in Sections 2.B.2, 2.B.3, and 2.B.4 will be filed in the Registrar’s Office.
6. The Registrar’s Office will submit to the Immigration and Naturalization Service, as soon as possible after the thirtieth calendar day of the quarter, the I-20B forms of those students determined not to be pursuing a full course of study.

C. Full course of study

Undergraduate students must earn 12 credits per quarter and graduate students nine credits per quarter, excluding Summer Quarter, to be considered as having carried a full course of study. Students below these minimums will be reported routinely to the Immigration and Naturalization Service. Exceptions may be made to this requirement if:

1. The student has a recommendation from his or her physician that for reasons of health the student should not attempt to complete a full course of study.
2. The student’s academic adviser or instructor has recommended in writing (copy to the Registrar’s Office and the International Services Office) that the student drop courses after it is infeasible to add additional courses and where the situation is deemed exceptional by the Registrar after appropriate consultation. Documentation must be received by the Registrar’s Office before the end of the quarter in question.
3. The student is unable to complete a full course of study due to recent circumstances beyond his or her ability to anticipate or control and where his or her personal situation is so severely altered as to make his or her original program impossible to complete. Documentation supporting these circumstances must be received by the Registrar’s Office before the end of the quarter in question.
4. Students reported to the Immigration and Naturalization Service under Section 2.B for not registering for a full course of study will not be reported again under Section 2.C. Those students excluded from reporting under Section 2.B because of exceptional circumstances will not be reported under Section 2.C unless they earn fewer than the number of credits for which they were registered at the time the exception was granted.
5. The International Services Office will notify each student being reported under Section 2.C that he has been reported to the Immigration and Naturalization Service.

D. I-538 Form: Practical Training, Employment, Extension of Stay

  1) The I-538 form may be obtained and completed by the student in the International Services Office.

  2) The International Services Office will send the I-538 form to the Registrar’s Office for certification of current enrollment status, full course of study, or completion of studies, as appropriate.

E. Role of the Registrar’s Office

1. All reports concerning an international student’s enrollment or status in pursuing a full course of study must be verified by the Registrar’s Office.
2. In quarters in which there are no students to be reported to the Immigration and Naturalization Service, a statement to that effect will be sent by the Registrar’s Office to the Immigration and Naturalization Service.
3. All I-20B forms for international students attending the University of Washington are to be filed in the Registrar’s Office.

June 1, 1972; October 24, 1974

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For related information, see:

• Administrative Policy Statement 32.4, “Guide for Payments to Nonresident Aliens”
• Employment and Administrative Policies, Chapter 107, “Processing Aliens for Faculty Positions”