Maintaining Status

Maintaining Status, Extending Stay, and Work Authorization

It is the responsibility of each international visitor to the United States to maintain proper immigration status, to refrain from unauthorized work, and to file for an extension of stay in a timely manner. The information below will help you understand how to meet those responsibilities so that you can qualify for and take advantage of the options that your temporary status in the United States offers. Please check with Duke Visa Services (DVS) if you have questions.

This document discusses the most common nonimmigrant (temporary) immigration classification at Duke. They are “E,” “F,” “H,” “J,” “O,” and “TN.”

Persons in the United States in a nonimmigrant (temporary) immigration classification are expected to:

1. Maintain status by engaging only in those activities permitted by the immigration class, refraining from those activities prohibited by the immigration class, and refraining from unauthorized work.
2. Leave the United States through an appropriate port at the end of the authorized stay or file an application for extension of stay in a timely manner.
3. Maintain a valid passport.
4. Report their home address in the United States within 10 days of arrival or within 10 days of any change of address. Those in F-1 and J-1 status meet this obligation for themselves and their F-2 and J-2 dependents through address reporting to Duke. Others must make the report directly to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). For details and instructions see our Change of Residential Address Instructions.

The “principal” nonimmigrants (E-3, F-1, H-1, J-1, O-1, and TN) are expected to meet these obligations for themselves. “Dependent” nonimmigrants (E-3D, F-2, H-4, J-2, O-3, and TD) must meet the obligations associated with their status. Spouses are considered to be adults and are responsible for meeting the requirements of their status. Parents are generally responsible for the status of their dependent children who are unmarried and under age 21. When children become adults at age 21 or marry and thus begin separate families, they can no longer be carried as E-3D, F-2, H-4, J-2, etc. dependents of their parents, and are responsible for obtaining and maintaining their own lawful status. Persons who are not spouses or children of the principal cannot hold dependent status.

• Maintaining E Non-Immigrant Class
• Maintaining F Non-Immigrant Class
• Maintaining H Non-Immigrant Class
• Maintaining J Non-Immigrant Class
• Maintaining O Non-Immigrant Class
• Maintaining TN Non-Immigrant Class

Travel

• Contiguous Territory Travel & Automatic Revalidation
• Travel Abroad and Reentry to the United States
• Registration and Domestic Travel within the United States

Other Helpful Information

• Responsibilities of Students
• Rights and Responsibilities of Scholars and Employees
• F-1 5 month Absence
• Request Form for a New I-20 or DS-2019 (PDF)
• Voluntary Termination of Status Form F-1 Extension Information (PDF)
• Extension of Student F and J Status