Maintaining Legal Status

If you are beginning a program at Rutgers, you are required to check-in online through RGlobal when you arrive in the United States.

Review our Pre and Post Arrival Steps for more information about the check in procedure, and how to prepare for the start of your studies when you arrive in the United States.

• Your I-20 or DS-2019 must accurately reflect your end date, degree level, program of study, and funding information.  If you need to make an update to your I-20 or DS-2019, or you will not be completing your program before your program end date, see Academic and Status Changes and Extension of Program to learn the procedures. 
• Your passport must be valid for six months beyond the period of your intended stay (i.e. program end date on your I-20 or DS-2019), unless your country is exempted from this requirement. If your passport will be expiring soon, you may renew your passport within the United States at your country’s embassy or consulate—most countries have a consulate in New York City.
• Check the U.S. entry stamp in your passport and your Form I-94 to ensure you were properly admitted to the United States. In particular, your entry stamp and I-94 should show your “Class of Admission” as F-1 or J-1 and “Admit Until” date as D/S (meaning “duration of status”).  If there is an error on your entry stamp or I-94, contact an international student adviser for assistance.

Rutgers Global–International Student and Scholar Services is not responsible for maintaining any of your personal immigration documents. We recommend that you make copies or scans of all of your legal documents (I-20, passport, I-94, tax forms) and keep them in a safe place. If any of these become lost, please alert our office immediately.

We are here to help and support you! 

J-1 students are required to report any serious incidents or problems encountered during their time in the United States. An example of a serious issue could be a lost passport or hospitalization. The Department of State enforces these guidelines and please see here for additional examples.

Incident Reporting Video - BridgeUSAProgram Sponsors | BridgeUSA (state.gov)

Please contact us if you have any questions or concerns!

U.S. federal regulations require F-1 and J-1 students to pursue a full course of study at all times other than designated school vacation periods. For most students at Rutgers-New Brunswick/Piscataway, this means being registered for a full-time credit load, i.e., a minimum of 12 credits if an undergraduate student, or a minimum of 9 credits for a graduate student. Visit our Full Course of Study page for more information about how this is defined.

Learn more about on-campus work employment and how to acquire the documents you need to get to work on-campus.

Learn more about off-campus work authorization options and instructions on how to request the option that is appropriate for you. Note that international students may not work off-campus until they have been approved to by the ISSS office and have the proper authorization to do so.

Before departing the United States, you must ensure that you are prepared for international travel. Review our Travel and Visa Information pages: 

-- Preparing for International Travel >
-- Travel Signature Request Procedure >
-- Visa application information >

If you will be conducting research outside of the United States or participating in a study abroad program, please visit our Research or Study Abroad page for more information.  

We understand emergencies happen and situations may arise that require you to take an unplanned break from campus or from your academic work. If an emergency requires you to travel outside of the United States, contact an academic dean or your graduate program director and an international student adviser about the situation before leaving the United States. Visit our Leave of Absence or Withdrawal and Returning to Rutgers pages to find out how this may impact your legal status and how to prepare for your return.

Your address, email, phone number, etc. must be correct on your MyRutgers portal. This information is required by the US government and needs to be reported to SEVIS.

1. Login to your myRutgers Portal
2. Click on "Update Phone" icon
3. Provide Emergency Contact information. You can enter more than one contact, and also provide information of contacts outside the U.S. 
4. Click on "Address Update" tab
5. Enter Home Address and Local Address
Home Address = Address in your home country
Local Address = Address in the U.S. (Student not living in RU residence should enter a local U.S. address. (On-Campus addresses are automatically updated)

Be sure to update the information on myRutgers whenever your contact information changes.

Your academic success and legal status go hand in hand. Changes to your academic program and your academic plan may require updates to your SEVIS record and your I-20 or DS-2019. Please review academic changes that impact your legal status and follow the instructions to receive an updated I-20 or DS-2019, depending on your situation.

Please review Taxes page for guidance.

If you or your dependents were present in the U.S. at any time in the previous calendar year, you must file Form 8843 on or before the deadline, even if you had no earned income. Mailing instructions can be found on page 2 of the form. If you are only filing Form 8843, no social security number (SSN) or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) is required. Form 8843 is not an income tax return. It is an informational statement for certain non-resident aliens (including spouses and dependents of non-resident aliens). 

If you have earned income in the United States, you will also need to file federal and state tax returns.

All international students and their dependents are legally required to report presence in the United States to the International Revenue Service (IRS) each year—even if you did not work or earn income—by submitting Form 8843. 

Please note that Rutgers Global cannot advice on tax issues. If you have questions that are not covered by the information provided, please contact a tax professional. 

When you complete the requirements for your degree/program, international students are automatically granted a “grace period” (60 days for F-1 students or 30 days for J-1 students). You may not study or work during the grace period, but you may plan for next steps. Before the end of the grace period, you must: 

-- Depart the United States
-- Transfer to a new school or program
-- Apply to change your legal status (if eligible), OR
-- Please note that you may travel within the United States during your grace period, but you cannot reenter the United States with your F-1 or J-1 visa. 
-- Apply for employment authorization (Post-Completion OPT for F-1 students or Academic Training for J-1 students). 

Whether you are graduating, taking a leave of absence, transferring to a new institution, or changing to a new nonimmigrant status, please follow the correct procedures to report your plans. Do not leave Rutgers without informing International Students and Scholar Services about your departure.

There there was a break or issue with your legal status, you may need to consider reinstatement to regain it. Please see our page here for details. 

If you are concerned there may be a problem with your legal status, contact an international student adviser as soon as possible to discuss your situation and learn about ways to regain good legal standing, if necessary.