The start of a new academic term is a good time to confirm that your immigration records match your school plans. F-1 and M-1 students generally must remain enrolled in the required course load, keep Student and Exchange Visitor Information System records current, obtain authorization before certain employment, and speak with a designated school official before dropping classes, transferring, or changing programs.
A Department of Homeland Security final rule published on July 17, 2026, is scheduled to take effect on September 15, 2026. The rule replaces duration-of-status admission for many F-1 students with a fixed admission period. This change makes the “admit until” date on Form I-94 more significant. Because the rule is classified as a major rule subject to congressional review, DHS states that it will publish a later Federal Register notice if the effective date changes or the rule is terminated.
The Scheer Immigration Law Group helps student visa holders in New Jersey review how enrollment, employment, travel, SEVIS reporting, transfers, practical training, and longer-term immigration choices may affect lawful status.
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At The Scheer Immigration Law Group in Morristown, NJ, we focus exclusively on immigration law, handling everything from visas and green cards to deportation defense.
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Start the Semester With a Student Status Check 
Back-to-school planning often includes registration, housing, books, transportation, and tuition. Your checklist should also include immigration documents. A change that appears administrative, such as dropping a course without prior approval or beginning an off-campus job before authorization, can affect your status.
Before classes begin, review:
- Your passport expiration date
- Your visa stamp, especially if you may travel internationally
- Your latest Form I-20
- Your most recent Form I-94 admission record
- Your program start and end dates
- Your physical and mailing addresses in SEVIS
- Your CPT, OPT, or STEM OPT dates and reporting duties
- Any pending USCIS application that may affect travel, employment, or status
Your visa stamp and your immigration status serve different purposes. A visa is generally used to request admission at a U.S. port of entry. Your status controls what you may do after admission. An expired F-1 visa does not automatically end lawful student status while you remain in the United States, but you may need a valid visa to return after international travel.
Official student guidance is available at https://www.ice.gov/sevis/students.
Maintain the Required Course Load
F-1 and M-1 students normally must pursue a full course of study. The exact requirement depends on your school and program. An F-1 undergraduate student at a college or university generally must enroll in at least 12 credit hours per academic term. Graduate programs use the full-time standard certified by the institution.
Do not drop below full-time enrollment and request permission later. A designated school official, often called a DSO, may authorize a reduced course load in limited situations. These can include certain initial academic difficulties, a qualifying illness or medical condition, or a final term in which fewer courses are needed to complete the program. The authorization should be entered before you change your schedule.
Online and hybrid courses also require attention. An F-1 student may generally count only one online class or three credits per academic session toward the full-course-of-study requirement. Ask your DSO to confirm your schedule before the add-drop deadline.
Get approval before you drop below full time. A schedule change should not happen before the DSO authorizes it.
Official course-load guidance is available at https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/students/study/full-course-of-study and https://www.uscis.gov/policy-manual/volume-2-part-f-chapter-3.
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Keep SEVIS Information Accurate
SEVIS is the federal system used to maintain information about F-1 and M-1 students and their schools. Your legal name, physical address, mailing address, employer, employment status, program information, and school information may need to be updated when they change.
International students generally must report a new physical or mailing address or a legal name change to the DSO or through the SEVP Portal within 10 days. Students on OPT and STEM OPT have added employment reporting duties. STEM OPT students also have periodic validation requirements and Form I-983 training-plan obligations.
Report changes promptly when you:
- Move to a new residence
- Change your legal name
- Start, end, or change qualifying employment
- Transfer schools or change programs
- Take a leave or interrupt your studies
- Extend your program end date
- Begin CPT, OPT, or STEM OPT
Keep copies of every Form I-20, even after your school issues a new one. Prior forms can help document earlier schools, CPT authorization, OPT recommendations, program changes, travel endorsements, and status history.
Official OPT reporting guidance is available at https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/sevp-portal-help/maintain-information/opt-student-reporting-requirements.
Understand Work Restrictions Before Accepting a Job
A student visa does not provide unrestricted permission to work. F-1 students may generally work in qualifying on-campus employment for up to 20 hours per week while school is in session and may work full time during authorized school breaks. Confirm with your DSO that the job qualifies before you begin.
Off-campus employment usually requires a separate legal basis, such as:
- Curricular Practical Training, or CPT
- Pre-completion or post-completion Optional Practical Training, or OPT
- A STEM OPT extension
- Employment authorization based on severe economic hardship
- Special Student Relief under a qualifying federal notice
CPT must be authorized by the DSO and shown on Form I-20 before employment starts. OPT generally requires a DSO recommendation, a timely Form I-765 filing, and an Employment Authorization Document from USCIS before employment begins. OPT employment must be directly related to your major area of study.
Eligible F-1 students may receive up to 12 months of OPT. Certain graduates with qualifying science, technology, engineering, or mathematics degrees may seek a 24-month STEM OPT extension.
A paid internship, freelance project, app-based job, remote position, self-employment arrangement, or work for a foreign company while you are physically present in New Jersey may raise U.S. employment authorization questions. Payment through a foreign account does not by itself remove the work from U.S. immigration rules.
Official employment guidance is available at https://www.uscis.gov/working-in-the-united-states/students-and-exchange-visitors/students-and-employment.
Review the New Fixed Admission Rule
On July 17, 2026, DHS published a final rule that is scheduled to take effect on September 15, 2026. As of July 29, 2026, that remains the stated effective date. DHS states that it will publish a later Federal Register document if the effective date changes or the rule is terminated.
Under the rule, many newly admitted F-1 students will receive a specific “admit until” date on Form I-94 instead of admission for duration of status. The fixed period is generally based on the time needed to complete the program shown on Form I-20, subject to a maximum period of four years, plus applicable additional time.
A Form I-20 program end date does not by itself extend the date on Form I-94. A student who needs more time may need to file an extension-of-stay request with USCIS before the authorized period expires. Compare your Form I-20, Form I-94, EAD, and any USCIS receipt or approval notice.
The rule generally provides a 30-day period after program completion, authorized practical training, or the fixed admission period for affected F-1 students to prepare for departure or seek another lawful basis to remain. A student who files an extension request during that 30-day period may continue a full course of study, but the rule limits beginning or continuing employment during that period.
The rule also includes restrictions on transfers and changes of educational objectives. Students below the graduate level generally must complete the first academic year at the school that issued the initial Form I-20 before transferring or changing majors or educational levels, unless SEVP authorizes an exception for extenuating circumstances. Graduate-level students face stricter limits during the program, subject to an SEVP exception for extenuating circumstances.
DHS may delay or suspend implementation of certain transfer and educational-objective provisions through September 14, 2028. Check the latest Federal Register and SEVP notices before making a decision.
Students who are properly maintaining F or J status and were admitted for duration of status on September 15, 2026, are covered by transition provisions. Qualifying F-1 students may generally remain until the later of the expiration date on an EAD or the program end date on Form I-20, subject to a limit of four years from September 15, 2026, plus a 60-day departure period. Travel after the effective date may result in admission under a new fixed period.
Read the official final rule at https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/07/17/2026-14439/establishing-a-fixed-time-period-of-admission-and-an-extension-of-stay-procedure-for-nonimmigrant.
Plan Transfers, Major Changes, and New Degree Programs Early
A move from a community college to a university, a bachelor’s program to a master’s program, or one New Jersey school to another requires more than academic admission. Your SEVIS record must be handled correctly, and timing can affect status, employment, travel, and the validity of Form I-20.
Before you withdraw, miss classes, accept a new start date, or request release of your SEVIS record, speak with the DSO at your current school and the DSO at the new school. Ask how the transfer date, program start date, travel plans, OPT, and any extension-of-stay requirement fit together.
Students considering another temporary visa category can review the firm’s New Jersey non-immigrant visa guidance.
Some students may have a family-based, employment-based, or other immigration path that could involve adjustment of status. Eligibility depends on your entry, current status, visa availability, immigration history, and other case-specific facts.
Prepare Carefully for International Travel
Before leaving the United States, confirm that you have the documents needed to request readmission. Depending on your situation, these may include:
- A valid passport
- A valid student visa, unless a specific exception applies
- A current Form I-20 with a valid travel endorsement
- Proof of current enrollment and finances
- A copy of any pending USCIS receipt notice
- An unexpired EAD and evidence of qualifying employment if you are on OPT
Travel can require added review when an OPT application, STEM OPT application, extension-of-stay request, change-of-status application, reinstatement request, or school transfer is pending. Time outside the United States does not extend an OPT period, and days abroad may count toward applicable unemployment limits.
A student with a possible status violation should seek legal advice before departure. Leaving the United States can affect a pending application or change the way a future admission is handled.
Official travel guidance is available at https://www.ice.gov/sevis/travel and https://www.uscis.gov/policy-manual/volume-2-part-f-chapter-7.
What Should You Do if a Status Problem Has Already Occurred?
Warning signs can include:
- A terminated SEVIS record
- Unauthorized employment
- An unapproved drop below a full course of study
- A missed program end date
- A delayed transfer
- A late extension request
- An expired fixed admission period
- Work that started before CPT or OPT authorization
Do not submit a filing based only on advice from friends, online forums, or social media. Possible responses can include reinstatement, departure and reentry with a new record, an extension request, a change of status, correction of a SEVIS record, or another case-specific strategy. The correct response depends on the timing, the type of violation, your immigration history, and any pending applications.
The firm’s New Jersey student visa lawyer page explains related services. You can also learn about Susan W. Scheer through the firm’s attorney profile.
Student Visa Questions for the New School Year
Can you remain in the United States if your F-1 visa stamp expires?
An expired visa stamp does not automatically end F-1 status while you remain in the United States and continue to maintain status. You may need a valid visa to request readmission after travel abroad.
Can you drop a class before the DSO approves a reduced course load?
You should obtain DSO authorization before dropping below the required course load. Approval after the schedule change may not correct a status violation.
Can you begin CPT after your employer gives you a start date?
You may begin CPT only after the DSO authorizes it in SEVIS and issues Form I-20 showing the CPT authorization and approved dates.
Does an approved Form I-20 extend the date on Form I-94 under the new rule?
No. Under the fixed-admission system, the Form I-94 date controls the authorized admission period. You may need an approved extension of stay if your program or training continues beyond that date.
Speak With a New Jersey Student Visa Attorney
A new semester should support your educational goals and immigration plans. The Scheer Immigration Law Group focuses exclusively on immigration law and has more than 25 years of experience assisting individuals, families, students, and employers.
The firm can review enrollment, employment, travel, SEVIS, transfer, CPT, OPT, STEM OPT, extension, and status questions for student visa holders in New Jersey and nearby areas.
Call 973-532-5330 for a legal consultation or use the firm’s contact page.
This article is for general informational purposes only. It is not legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Immigration rules and agency guidance can change. Speak with a qualified immigration attorney about your specific facts before taking action.