STUDENT VISA STATUS (F-1) INFORMATION SHEET*

As an F-1 visa student you must be enrolled full-time to maintain your student visa.

Enrollment in four consecutive 9-week sessions or the program ending date on your I-20 form, whichever is shorter, will be considered as completing the course of study at Agape.

You may take a break from studies for one 9-week session (or for 60-days) after attending four consecutive sessions, if you intend to register for studies at Agape after you return from your break.

If you want to transfer from Agape to another school in the United States, you must carefully follow the immigration procedures to maintain lawful student status.

In order to transfer to another school:

1. You must have maintained full-time student status at Agape.
2. You must have registered at Agape and paid all fees for one session of study before you can request transfer to another school
3. You must enroll at the new school no later than the next available term after leaving Agape or in the first term following an authorized vacation (attendance of four consecutive sessions).

If you plan to transfer from Agape to another school in the U.S., you must apply and be accepted as a student at the new school, then notify the Agape office that you intend to transfer. You will need to complete the Agape Transfer-Out Form, indicating the school you intend to transfer to and your expected completion date at Agape. In most cases, the release date will be the last day of your last term at Agape. The International Student Official at Agape will update the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) to indicate that you are transferring to the new school. Your new school cannot issue your I-20 until after the “release date,” at which point Agape will no longer have access to your SEVIS record.

If you are leaving the U.S., you must re-enter the U.S. with the I-20 of the new school you are transferring to. At that time, the immigration officer at the port of entry will process your transfer and no additional processing is required by your new school.

These transfer procedures described above can be followed only if you have pursued a full-time study at Agape and plan to do the same at the new school. If you have not been a full-time student at Agape, you are not eligible for a transfer of schools, but must apply for reinstatement to student status.

Grace Periods for Departing the United States:

60 Days: A student who has completed a standard course of study at Agape (usually four consecutive sessions) has 60 days in order to depart the U.S., transfer to another school, or file for change of status.

15 Days: A student who has been authorized by Agape’s International Student Official to withdraw from classes has 15 days to depart from the U.S.

PLEASE NOTE: Students who withdraw from study without obtaining prior approval from Agape’s International Student Official are not eligible for any grace period and must leave the U.S. immediately.

(*Though qualified Agape staff may give immigration advice to students according to their best understanding of current U.S. immigration policy, each student is ultimately responsible to ensure that his or her travel and study decisions are not in violation of U.S. immigration law. AELI’s interpretations of immigration law are not recognized as authoritative or binding by the U.S. government, and satisfaction of AELI policies does not necessarily equal satisfaction of U.S. immigration law.)