Maintaining Your F-1/J-1 Status

Quick Links

Check-In with ISSS

Checking in with ISSS is one of the most important parts of getting your F-1/J-1 status. Your status will not be active until you submit your check-in to ISSS and ISSS processes the request. You must submit your F-1/J-1 Student Check-In online after you arrive in the U.S. or after you arrive at Texas A&M University (TAMU).

**If you are an F-1 or J-1 student with an I-20 or DS-2019 issued by another institution (not TAMU ISSS), you should check in using the Other Student Check-In in the ISSS portal. ISSS does not activate your F-1 or J-1 status in SEVIS, but you are still required to complete an ISSS Check-In.

ISSS Check-Ins

Registration Hold Information

ISSS Holds

IC Hold

This check-in hold is placed on your record after admission. If this hold remains after the last day of add/drop of your admission term, it indicates that you have not yet completed the ISSS check-in.

SA Hold

This address hold is applied to your record after you are admitted by Texas A&M University and when you do not have the required addresses mentioned below on your Howdy record.

If you see this hold, add or update the required addresses in Howdy. The hold will automatically be removed within 24 hours.

IF Hold

The IF hold is applied by ISSS when students submit certain requests indicating they're in their final semester (and are not admitted to another Texas A&M program) or are leaving Texas A&M.

ISSS does not remove these holds unless the student intends to continue taking classes at Texas A&M. You should contact ISSS if you think an IF hold was added to their record by mistake.

Information About Non-ISSS Holds

Checking Your Holds

Common Hold Codes

Keep Address and Phone Number Up to Date

Any changes to the following information in Howdy should be updated within 10 calendar days of the change:

International Permanent Address: Permanent address outside the U.S.
Student Local Physical Address: Current address where you live in U.S.
Student Local Current Phone Number: Can be a U.S. number or international number

Remember - “You are permitted to utilize the other address and phone types available in the Howdy Portal, but ONLY the specific address and phone types listed above will meet your F-1/J-1 status requirements. F-1 and J-1 students who fail to have a valid Student Local Physical and/or International Permanent address will receive an automatic registration hold on their University record. This hold will remove automatically within 24 hours after you add a valid address.”

Important Note! ISSS CANNOT process ANY requests if you’re missing one of the above addresses.

Enrollment Information

Additional Enrollment Information

Inform ISSS of Changes

Fall and Spring Requirements

You must enroll full-time each major semester (Fall and Spring) or get an exception. Graduate students need at least 9 credits. Undergraduate students need at least 12 credits.

Summer Requirements

You must enroll full-time in summer as well (or get an exception) if one of the following applies:

Summer is your first semester at TAMU; or
Summer is your first semester as an F-1 or J-1; or
You will graduate in the summer

If one of the three scenarios above applies to you: Then graduate students need at least 6 credits. Undergraduate students need at least 8 credits.

If none of the above scenarios apply to you: Then summer is considered vacation time. This means you are not required to take classes for immigration purposes. Please consult your academic department and on-campus employer concerning university rules on summer course registration.

Get Work Authorization

See the Employment page to learn more about the requirements and how to apply.

F-1 Students

You will need work authorization for any internships, co-ops, or other work done off-campus. After you check-in with ISSS, you can start working on-campus without any extra authorization. If you’re unsure if an employer is considered “on-campus work”, contact ISSS.

J-1 Students

You need work authorization for off-campus AND on-campus work or internships.

Health Insurance

F-1 and J-1 students are required by Texas A&M University to maintain health insurance while studying at TAMU. J-1 students also have the additional federal requirement to ALWAYS maintain health insurance during their stay in the U.S. (even after graduation).

Learn more about health insurance for international students

Final Semester Information

Enroll Less than Full-Time for Final Semester

It’s possible to enroll less than full-time during your final semester at TAMU. For more information see Dropping Below Full-Time.

Applying for Graduation

You will need to apply for graduation to officially finish your academic program with TAMU. The application for graduation can typically be found in your Howdy Portal. The Office of the Registrar will usually send out an email with additional information to students in their final semester, so be on the lookout for any emails from the Office of the Registrar

Working After Graduation

You can extend your F-1 or J-1 status so you can work after graduation by applying for post-graduation work authorizations. You should start these applications in your final semester.

F-1 students, see 12-month OPT for more information
J-1 students, see Academic Training for more information