International Students

You have three options:

1) Remain in the United States and apply for Optional Practical Training (OPT). This applies to F-1 students.

2) Remain in the United States until 7/14/2020 during the 60-day grace period after graduation.

3) Pursue another degree in the United States and transfer your Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) record to another institution.

Students may stay in the United States on an expired F-1/J-1 visa as long as they maintain their immigration status by being in possession of a valid I-20/DS-2019 and an I-94 Arrival/Departure record, and by meeting normal enrollment requirements.

Please contact the Office of International Services via email at ois@usc.edu if you have questions regarding your visa or immigration status.

USC adheres to the guidance from the Student Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), which is a unit within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that oversees the F-1 international student visa program. Due to the rapidly evolving situation with COVID-19, SEVP issued guidance to universities that allows for increased flexibility to ensure international students can continue their academic progress. Universities can implement temporary adjustments such as moving to online instruction without negatively impacting the immigration status of enrolled international students.

The Student Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) has confirmed that international students may temporarily take their classes online during a university’s period of modified instructional format either from within the United States or outside the country.

To maintain F-1 status, international students are required to maintain a full course load during this temporary transition to online instruction. They should not fall below the full course requirement unless they have been permitted to do so either through a Reduced Course Load (RCL) or Leave of Absence (LOA) approval by USC’s Office of International Services.

The Student Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) has confirmed that international students may temporarily take classes online during USC’s period of modified instruction, either from within the United States or outside the country, without impacting their immigration status.

USC will keep the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) records of those who remain enrolled full-time in active status whether they are located in the United States or outside of the country. SEVP has confirmed that since the SEVIS record will remain active, “the 5-month temporary absence provision addressed in 8 C.F. R.214.2(f)(4) will not apply.”

Students who continue to make normal progress in their course of study remain eligible for admission to the United States when travel restrictions are lifted. The allowance for 100% online coursework is temporary, and it will no longer apply once the university returns to regular in-person instruction. 

International students are still required to maintain a full course load during this temporary transition to online instruction. You should not fall below the full course requirement unless you have been permitted to do so either through a Reduced Course Load (RCL) or Leave of Absence (LOA) approved by USC's Office of International Services.

If you are unable to obtain a visa at this time, please notify your academic program as soon as possible to inquire about the possibility of deferring your enrollment to a later semester.

While our physical offices in the Royal Street Structure (University Park Campus) and Soto Building (Health Sciences Campus) are closed, USC's Office of International Services staff are working remotely to continue providing essential services and information to the international community at USC. You may download a request form from our website and email your request to ois@usc.edu. We will process your request and ship it to your location.

If you are requesting an I-20 (travel signature, program extension, change of employer, etc.), please use eShipglobal to mail your document.

For all other document requests, please include your preferred delivery address on the form.

The Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) recently issued guidance to universities that allows universities to move to online instruction without negatively impacting the immigration status of enrolled international students. Students must maintain a full course load during this temporary transition to online instruction. If you are unable to maintain full-time enrollment during this period of online instruction, please review the Reduced Course Load (RCL) or Leave of Absence (LOA) sections of the Office of International Services website.

Please email ois@usc.edu and include your name, student ID number, Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) number, phone number and a description of your inquiry. An advisor from USC's Office of International Services will contact you.

The decision about whether to return to your home country is a personal one and should be considered carefully, in consultation with family when possible. The university wants you to be where you will feel most comfortable. Classes will be held remotely for the remainder of the semester, and you will receive more information from your professors about how they will administer final exams.

The Student Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) has confirmed that international students may temporarily take classes online during USC’s period of modified instruction, either from within the United States or outside the country, without impacting their immigration status.

USC will not take any action to end student records for individuals who remain enrolled full-time and are outside of the United States for more than five months. Students who continue to make normal progress in their course of study remain eligible for admission to the United States when travel restrictions are lifted. The allowance for 100% online coursework is temporary, and it will no longer apply once the university returns to regular in-person instruction. 

International students are still required to maintain a full course load during this temporary transition to online instruction. You should not fall below the full course requirement unless you have been permitted to do so either through a Reduced Course Load (RCL) or Leave of Absence (LOA) approved by USC's Office of International Services.

If you choose to return to your home country, please review the travel section of USC's Office of International Services website. Please keep in mind that international travel is in a fluid state, and new travel restrictions could arise at any moment.

If you decide to travel to your home country but still need a travel signature, you may request a reprint of your I-20, and we will mail it to you either in the United States or to your home country. Travel signatures are valid for one year, so please check your current I-20 before requesting a new one. 

Those students requiring a new I-20 for return travel to the United States should visit USC's Office of International Services website for instructions on the current request/mailing process.

An I-20/DS-2019 is not required to depart the United States. USC's Office of International Services can mail it to you in your home country if necessary. Travel signatures are valid for one year, so please check your current I-20/DS-2019 before requesting a new one. For students on Optional Practical Training (OPT), your travel signature is valid for six months. Visit USC's Office of International Services website for instructions on how to request a travel signature.

USC's Office of International Services is currently prioritizing the mailing of documents to students. International students will receive instructions in the coming days regarding how documents will be disbursed.

We are committed to your academic success, and we will provide ongoing support to our international students as the situation with COVID-19 continues to evolve. We are here to help. 

The U.S. Department of State is temporarily suspending routine visa services at all U.S. embassies and consulates. Embassies and consulates canceled all routine immigrant and non-immigrant visa appointments as of March 20, 2020. Visa services will resume as soon as possible, but the U.S. State Department is unable to provide a specific date at this time. Please consult with your department about your options if you are unable to return to the United States for in-person instruction once it resumes at USC. 

Ongoing education for our students is so important, and we want you to be able to access course materials at any time during this challenging period. Our faculty are dedicated to delivering the best possible academic experience for you regardless of your location or time zone.

Faculty will record all classes and make the recordings available to students asynchronously (at any time outside of class time). They will also make all course materials, including those used during lectures and class sessions (such as faculty notes or slides), available to students asynchronously. View additional information.

International students need to maintain full-time enrollment unless approved for Reduced Course Load (RCL) or Leave of Absence by USC's Office of International Services. If you elect No Record for a class and remain in at least 12 units of Letter graded or Pass/No Pass options, you will maintain full-time enrollment status and immigration status. If you are considering the No Record option, consult with an advisor in the Office of International Services prior to selecting this option. 

Current regulations state that you must be present in the United States when submitting your Optional Practical Training (OPT) and OPT STEM applications. You cannot mail your application to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) from abroad. You must be present in the United States at the time USCIS issues a receipt number to acknowledge acceptance of your packet.

The application requires an I-94 number, which is only valid while you are in the United States. If you depart the United States, you will not have a valid I-94 and your application will likely be rejected.

If you are able to re-enter the United States before your I-20 program end date, you can apply for OPT up to 60 days after the program end date listed on your I-20. If you have already requested an OPT I-20 but will not be able to remain in the United States until USCIS receives your application, USC's Office of International Services can provide a new OPT I-20 when you return to the United States.

USC and other universities have made this issue known to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and have urged the agency to provide special accommodations for OPT application rules due to the COVID-19 situation. Any updates will be posted to this site as they are available.

As of March 13, 2020, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services has not released any changes to its existing STEM Optional Practical Training (OPT) Extension application instructions. Therefore, students must be physically present in the United States to apply for a STEM OPT Extension.

Employers may ask their Optional Practical Training (OPT) employees to work from home. This will not affect their F-1 status. Students must still report their employment information to ensure they do not accrue days of unemployment in their Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) record.

Students are required to work full-time while on Optional Practical Training (OPT). Full-time employment on OPT is defined as working a total of at least 21 hours per week. All employment must be related to a student’s field of study. Students may work on a volunteer basis or as unpaid interns where this does not violate any United States labor laws. 

In the event you are unable to find paid or volunteer employment and you are nearing the 90^th day of unemployment on OPT, please contact USC's Office of International Services at ois@usc.edu for consultation with an advisor.

Employers may ask their Curricular Practical Training (CPT) employees to work from home. This will not affect their F-1 status.

Students with approved Curricular Practical Training (CPT) for summer 2020 should contact their employers to seek special arrangements in order to meet the internship requirements. As a reminder, students may not begin working on an internship without prior authorization.

It usually takes 1-3 weeks for students to receive an I-797 receipt notice from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). If you haven’t already done so, please check your bank/credit card statement to verify if USCIS has withdrawn the funds from your account. If you don’t receive the I-797 receipt notice by the third week, please contact USC's Office of International Services at ois@usc.edu.

As of March 18, 2020, USCIS has suspended all in-person services, but benefits that do not require in-person appointments with USCIS such as Optional Practical Training (OPT)/STEM OPT applications are still being accepted.