Very Important Documents
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I-20 Form
Passport
I-94 Card
Please do not lose any of these
documents. They can be hard to replace
and can be costly.
Maintaining your immigration
status
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Maintain a valid passport
Maintain a valid I-20
Form
Maintain full time
enrollment
No unauthorized
employment
Obtain travel signatures
Report address changes
over summer session
Maintain a valid passport
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Check to insure that your passport is still valid.
Six months prior to your passport expiring, you should contact your
country’s embassy in Washington, DC to start processing an
extension. You can find information on your country’s embassy
contact information at www.embassy.org
You should not send your original I-94 card or I-20 form when you
send your passport for renewal. The cost for replacing a lost I-94
card is $300.
If you have a valid visa in the expiring passport, your country will
attach the expired passport to your new passport so you are still
able to use the valid visa. They will invalidate all the other pages.
I-94 Arrival/Departure Card
US Visa Stamp
I-20 Form
Maintain full time enrollment
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You must be registered as a full time student for every semester
you are enrolled at MHC.
-12 credits per semester for most students
-8 credits for Foreign and Language Fellows
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If you need to drop below full-time enrollment (generally only
allowed for documented medical reasons), you must see Jenny or
Donna before dropping below full time. Failure to do this will result
in our office having to notify the immigration service that you are
out of legal immigration status.
No unauthorized work
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On-Campus: If you are at MHC on the F-1 student visa, for
immigration purposes you are allowed to work on campus up to 20
hours a week when school is in session and full time during J Term
and the summer. However and very important, you should not
work more than 8-10 hours per week if you have a work study
award. Working more than 8-10 hours a week will put you over your
maximum earnings limit for financial aid and you will be required to
stop working on campus. The Village Commons and Stony Brook
Childcare are not considered on campus employment.
Off-campus Employment: you can not accept any off-campus
employment without permission from the Immigration Service or
the McCulloch Center
CPT: http://www.mtholyoke.edu/global/j1_cpt.html
OPT: http://www.mtholyoke.edu/global/j1_opt.html
Curricular Practical Training
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Enrolled for two full semesters in F-1 status before eligible
Have a declared major
Have a job offer for position that is related to your major field of
study
Must have faculty mentor
Will need to complete independent study in semester following
CPT. Failure to complete the independent study will result in
your being ineligible for CPT in the future.
Complete CPT application with faculty mentor
Bring completed application and employment offer letter to the
McCulloch Center for an appointment with Jenny
CPT permission is given by the McCulloch Center
Optional Practical Training
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12 Months for Each Degree Level
Must be seeking employment that is related to your
declared major field of study
Enrolled for two full semesters in F-1 status before
eligible
Options
 Before Graduation: Pre-Completion OPT
 Post-Completion OPT
Apply before date of completion or within 60 days of
completion
Applications for OPT are made to the immigration service
and have an application fee of $340.
STEM Extension
Travel signatures before
leaving the U.S.
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You should bring in your I-20 form for a travel signature
from either Jenny or Donna at least one week before
you will be traveling outside the U.S.
We will send reminder messages about this during peak
travel times (December break, spring break, summer
break)
On page 3 of the I-20 is states that travel signatures are
valid for one year. However, we have found that if you
are traveling outside the US more regularly, the
immigration officers would like to see signatures for each
semester.
Applying for a Social Security
Number
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Needed for application
-Valid passport
-I-20 form
-I-94 card
-Employment letter from on campus employer.
Please visit our website for the template of this letter. It must be on
the letterhead of the department you will be working for.
-Support letter from McCulloch Center for Global Initiatives
Representatives from the Social Security Administration will be on
campus on to accept applications for social security numbers. If you
cannot apply during this time, you will need to go to the SS Office in
Holyoke at 200 High Street. There are no buses that go to this office
and you will need to find your own transportation to get there if you
are unable to apply on campus.
Income Tax
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Due Date?
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Who Files?
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April 15 or June 15 for
previous year
All international students,
spouses and children
over 14 years regardless
of if you have worked or
not
How Much?
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Withholding according to
W-4
Tax treaty benefits
Social Security
Withholding
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Fines?
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Pay Too Much?
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Underpay, Late filing,
Fraudulent claim
Get it back from
employer or IRS
Help?
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IRS Website
www.irs.ustreas.gov
Glacier Software Free to
International Students
I-9 Form
W-4 Form
M-4 Form