International Student Handbook - Office of International Affairs ...

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VISA ISSUES I-20 Document (F-1 Students Only) The I-20 is the document Portland State University prepared to show the US Consulate abroad that you had been admitted to PSU and had shown sufficient finances for one year of study. You should keep all of the I-20s you are given while studying in the United States. This form contains important information and becomes a record of your immigration history. You need to obtain a new I-20 if the information on your I-20 changes in any way. If your I-20 form is ever lost or stolen, please notify ISSS immediately. DS-2019 (J1 visa holders only) The DS-2019 is the form you received from Portland State University or your sponsoring agency and is to be retained by you during your entire length of study. This form has important information and is a record of your immigration history. You need to obtain a new DS-2019 if the information on your DS-2019 changes in any way. If your DS-2019 form is ever lost or stolen, please notify ISSS immediately. Duration of status (D/S) The D/S notation on your I-94 card stands for Duration of Status. As long as you are maintaining full-time status (a minimum of 12 credits for undergraduate students and a minimum of 9 graduate level credits for graduate students) at the school you are authorized to attend, you are maintaining your immigration status. Maintaining full-time status means not only registering for the required number of credits, but also successfully completing them. Acceptable grades are explained on pg. 5 of this handbook. Extensions of Stay F-1 and J-1 students are admitted to the U.S. for a period of stay noted as duration of status or D/S on the I-94 card. Duration of status is defined as the period during which you, as a student, are pursuing a full course of study in any educational program and any periods of authorized practical training. F-1 students are allowed a 60-day grace period within which to depart from the U.S. following completion of the degree program or Optional Practical Training and a 15-day grace period if the student breaks off his or her course of study prior to completion (with ISSS approval). J-1 students are allowed a 30-day grace period following completion period of study or academic training. SAFETY Safety of Personal Possessions In order to ensure that nothing is stolen from you, you should follow a few safety tips: Always keep your apartment, dorm room, or house door locked at all times. Also be sure you know who is at the door before you open it up. If you live on the ground floor, it is not advisable to leave your windows open at night or when you are gone. It is a good idea to open your windows only a few inches and block them with a board so no one can open them further and crawl in. If you keep valuables such as jewelry and cash in your home, Make sure they are well hidden. Do not carry large amounts of cash. Keep your passport in a safe place. Carry it with you only when necessary. If your passport is stolen, report the theft to your Embassy in the U.S. and to ISSS. If it is stolen on campus, you should also report the theft to the Campus Public Safety office, 503-725-4404. The Campus Public Safety office also has an engraving machine you can use to engrave your laptop, bicycle or other personal items with an identifying mark. It has been recommended that you use your Passport Number as an identifier. If you own or use a car, never leave anything valuable in it. If you must, put valuables in the trunk, hide them under a seat, or cover them before you leave your car. Avoid parking on dark streets. The best place to park is under a street light or in a staffed parking structure. Make sure the car you are driving is insured! Textbook theft is something that is peculiar to a university campus. At Portland State, there is a period of time during the start of each term, when students can return their textbooks to the bookstore for a full refund provided you have your receipt with you. If your textbooks are stolen and the receipt is with them, the thief can return your textbooks to the bookstore for a full refund. We advise you to keep your textbook receipt in your wallet and NOT with your textbooks to prevent a thief from being able to return your books. They are expensive and YOU need them!
SAFETY 3. SAFETY ISSUES While Portland is considered to be a very safe city, it is still a good idea to take the same precautions with respect to your personal safety that you would in any large, metropolitan city in the world. Please remember that if you ever feel unsafe, the best thing to do is to follow your instincts. Personal Safety Tips Always be aware of your surroundings, and walk like you know where you are. When walking on city streets at night, always try to walk with a friend or a group in a lighted area. If you are on campus and someone is following you or threatens you in any way, step into any campus building, call Security at 503-725-4404 and report it to the Security Officer. If you are off campus, find a phone, call 911, or go into the closest open business. You will also notice that there are telephone kiosks with blue lights on top of them. These kiosks have a red button that you can press which connects you directly with the Campus Public Safety office. In the U.S., it is illegal for a man to force a woman to have sex with him no matter what the situation. If you are on a date with someone who wants to have sex with you and you do not want to have sex, tell him NO. If he forces you to have sex, it is considered rape. If you have been raped, do not try to deal with it alone. You may choose to speak with a counselor at the Student Health and Counseling Center or there are a variety of crisis hotlines you can call to talk to someone who has been trained to deal with a crisis like rape or domestic violence. Some of these hotlines are listed below: Sexual Assault Resource Center 503-640-5311 Crisis Hotline 503-235-5333 Bradley-Angle House Crisis Line 503-281-2442 Women’s Resource Center 503-725-5672 Crisis Pregnancy Centers: NE Halsey, Portland 503-256-0808 Lloyd Center, Portland 503-284-1977 SE Portland 503-777-7097 Gresham 503-666-6527 Beaverton 503-643-4503 Clackamas 503-659-3336 211 Community resource helpline: 503-226-3099 Crisis Hotline Clackamas Co.: 503-654-2288 F-1 students If you will not complete your educational program within the time period indicated on your I-20 form, you must request a program extension. You will need to demonstrate that you are currently enrolled full-time, show financial documentation and have legitimate academic or medical reasons for the delay, such as a change in major or research topic, unexpected research problems, or documented illness. You must apply to ISSS for a program extension before the expected completion date indicated on your I-20 form. If approved, ISSS will prepare a new I-20 form for you and notify USCIS of your new graduation date. You may obtain the paperwork for an extension at the ISSS office. If you cannot demonstrate valid academic or medical reasons for your delay, you may be considered in violation of your immigration status and will have to apply for reinstatement to your F-1 student status. ISSS can assist you through this process. Please see us if you think you may be out of status or have questions regarding your status. J-1 students For those students with J-1 visa status, a new DS-2019 form must be obtained from your sponsor before your current one has expired. If your program sponsor is Portland State University, you need to establish that you are maintaining full-time student status at Portland State University and that you have sufficient funds for the extended period. This will need to be verified before a new DS-2019 form is issued. Your program sponsor will then send a copy of the new DS-2019 form to the United States Department of State for notification of your extension. The Immigration Transfer Process YOUR LEGAL STATUS You are a transfer student if you are moving from one U.S. school to another (this includes a U.S. high school, college, university, or an English Language Program). If you are a student who wishes to transfer, you must: have valid F-1 status have maintained a full-time academic course load at your previous school have been released in SEVIS by your previous institution to transfer to PSU
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