Maintaining Legal F1 Status

Students with F1 visa status must meet the following requirements to maintain legal status:

• The student must be enrolled as a full-time student in the fall and spring semesters (12 or more credits)
• The student can only enroll in ONE online class (3 credits) in the fall and spring semesters
• The student must make normal progress toward completing a degree
• The student is not able to work, unless the student finds a part-time job on HCC's campus (20 hours/week or less), or obtains special permission from USCIS
• The student must notify their international advisor about changes of address and contact information
• The student must notify their international advisor about changes of academic major
• The student must have their international advisor sign their I-20 prior to temporarily leaving the United States for any reason
• The student must file a U.S. tax return, whether or not they receive U.S. income