Error in I20. What to do?

[goku_supersayan]

Hi,

 

I have received my I20. While perusing it, I found that the I20 reads a wrong date relating to the end date of the program.

I have started filling my DS - 160 form but haven't entered the SEVIS related information.

 

Can you please let me know the following information:

 

1) Does the reissue of I20 document causes the change in the SEVIS ID or any other valuable information that I need to use in order to fill my DS 160 form, pay the VISA fee and take the VISA slot?

If not, can I continue filling the DS 160 application and take the VISA slot around May 10 by the time the new I20 comes?

 

2) If the SEVIS ID changes upon the reissue of the new I20, I can ask the university to scan the new I20 and send me through email before mailing to my address? I was hoping that instead of waiting for another 10 days to get my new I20, I can complete filling my DS 160 application, pay the VISA fee and take a VISA interview slot in the first week of May because by that time I will get my new I20 via mail.

 

Hoping for a quick reply on this one,

Thanks

Edited April 21, 2014 by goku_supersayan

[beccamayworth]

Hi!

 

If you do need to get a new I-20, your SEVIS Id will probably remain the same BUT you will need the new one to go through the visa process.

 

However - are you sure the end date is really wrong? Have you asked the school about it? The school renews the I-20 whenever necessary so maybe you have an early end date because you're required to renew it during your program. I definitely recommend contacting the school and asking them about the end date.

 

Hope that helps!

[TakeruK]

I had an error on my DS-2019 (the equivalent to the I-20 for J-1 status)--my middle name was misspelled. My school issued a corrected DS-2019 right away and advised me to wait for the new one to arrive before doing any further paperwork (I'm Canadian so there was no visa application, but I still had to pay the SEVIS fee and all that using my DS-2019 form number). But if you end up with a new I-20, check with your school on the current best practice.

 

However, I agree that you should first check with your school to ensure the end date is actually correct. My school issues I-20s and DS-2019s for the maximum length of degree allowed, so that the international students have the most flexibility! So, my DS-2019 end date is 6 years after my program start date, even though the program is actually only 5 years long. Our F-1/J-1 statuses end when our program ends [with the exception of OPT] anyways, so it's not like this actually gives students a longer stay. But, people will often forget that their I-20/DS-2019 expires in 5 years so this prevents last minute stress trying to get a new form issued in year 6. 

 

On the other hand, some schools might be more conservative and issue a I-20/DS-2019 for the shortest amount of time possible. Because the school's international office, as our sponsors, are responsible for ensuring we comply with our foreign statuses, it's understandable that some places are not willing to issue I-20s/DS-2019s for a time longer than is necessary. As beccamayworth said, the school can renew the I-20/DS-2019 whenever they want/need so it's really not a big deal if you need to change the end date later!

[fuzzylogician]

OP, like the others, I suggest you ask your international students office. If the date on your I20 is later than your intended graduation date, I wouldn't worry at all. If it's earlier, ask them in case it's a mistake but in some cases that's just how the school does things. 

 

Either way, I wouldn't continue filling out any forms or paying any fees until this is resolved. I don't think the SEVIS would change, but I wouldn't bet any money on it either. The DS 160 didn't even exist when I applied for my visa, so I can't help with that. 

 

My school issues I-20s and DS-2019s for the maximum length of degree allowed, so that the international students have the most flexibility! So, my DS-2019 end date is 6 years after my program start date, even though the program is actually only 5 years long. Our F-1/J-1 statuses end when our program ends [with the exception of OPT] anyways, so it's not like this actually gives students a longer stay. 

 

My I20 will expire in a month and a bit, and turns out that's a mistake my ISO made -- all my friends have an extra year on theirs. I didn't realize I should have had another year when my I20 was issued, of course, I thought I was just supposed to get the 5 years the program was supposed to take and based on the date I figured I was required to defend and graduate by the end of the spring semester. I was wrong: most people in my program only defend in the summer and can use the extra time for OPT or for travel. I can't begin to tell you how much trouble this has generated for me. Everything in my life basically expires in a month, and there is about a 2-3 month gap between when everything expires and when my new job starts. Although most (though not all) of these things are solvable, I would have rather spend the time and energy on better things. 

[TakeruK]

My I20 will expire in a month and a bit, and turns out that's a mistake my ISO made -- all my friends have an extra year on theirs. I didn't realize I should have had another year when my I20 was issued, of course, I thought I was just supposed to get the 5 years the program was supposed to take and based on the date I figured I was required to defend and graduate by the end of the spring semester. I was wrong: most people in my program only defend in the summer and can use the extra time for OPT or for travel. I can't begin to tell you how much trouble this has generated for me. Everything in my life basically expires in a month, and there is about a 2-3 month gap between when everything expires and when my new job starts. Although most (though not all) of these things are solvable, I would have rather spend the time and energy on better things. 

 

That is a good point. Technically, we are not supposed to have any extra time between graduation and new job (which is why I said what I said above). I think F-1 expires by the date on your I-20 or 60 days after you finish your program, whichever is earlier. I think "finish your program" generally means as soon as you hand in the last piece of work required for graduation (i.e. corrected manuscript, in most cases). So, even if your I-20 was for another year, if you have already finished all of your requirements, the 60 day limit will take effect no matter how long your I-20 is good for.

 

However, I understand that in practice, this is pretty difficult for anyone to enforce. I remember getting the information that purposely delaying your graduation date (i.e. just hanging onto your corrected thesis so that there is less than 60 days between that and your next job starting) is against the rules, but again, it's not something that is easy to enforce either. This is what I understood from my friends' experiences, but no first hand experience (yet).

 

Sorry to hear about your limbo I am guessing that your school won't extend your I-20 because you are already finished / about to be finished?

 

It sounds like you have some kind of solution already though. But for others who might encounter something similar, one way my school gets around the "limbo between grad and postdoc" is to hire the graduated student as a researcher for the time in between on OPT status, usually to finish up whatever work is leftover from the thesis. That way, the new PhD remains on F-1/J-1 status continuously from PhD to future jobs. But having not done this myself yet, I won't be surprised to learn I will have a mess of immigration status limbo waiting for me (my school has a deadline of May 31 to submit everything and J-1 status is only valid for 30 days past program end date, so I'll have to deal with this unless I find a job that begins July 1 basically).

[fuzzylogician]

Sorry to hear about your limbo I am guessing that your school won't extend your I-20 because you are already finished / about to be finished?

 

Unfortunately our ISO is not the most competent (this is not the only mistake-in-my-documents/detained-for-further-questioning story that I can tell you), so I'm not completely sure how this will play out. Some people tell me it should be possible to extend my I20 and visa until the end of the summer. I'm still looking into that and am not sure if it's really possible for such a short extension. Something tells me that they won't even process my documents before the gap period is up. At the moment I am counting on the 60 day grace period, which luckily is exactly how long I need before my postdoc starts. It still means I can't leave the country so all my business abroad has to be done this coming month and I also won't be able to go home to visit my family, who I haven't seen in a long time and who I also won't be able to see at least until next summer--but at least I'll be legal while here. This, of course, assuming that the Canadian government stops its shenanigans and helps me get my work permit on time, so I can actually move and start my postdoc there. They have a new immigration system that's so new that even my friend who got the same kind of work permit less than 6 months ago didn't use it, and no one at the university seems to have experience with it either, so no one can answer my questions about some quirks that have been holding me back from submitting the application. And of course no one is replying to my emails. I'll try calling tomorrow. But that's a whole separate rant right there, not really relevant here.

[TakeruK]

That sucks!! I have heard a little bit about this new change in Canada. I don't know anything about it though. I'll follow the lead of many Americans I've met who apologized for the craziness of US Immigration (even though it's obviously not the doing of any actual person!) and do the same for Canada's new crazy system! Sorry! Hope it works out!

[DeleteMePlease]

Similar question: What if the date on my visa is incorrect?

I put the same duration on my DS-160 as on my I-20. And in the interview I said my Ph.D. takes about 5 years (d'oh!)

So now my I-20 expires in 2020 and my F-1 in 2019. Is it possible to renew the visa when the I-20 is still valid or will this cause problems?

Edited April 26, 2014 by GermanStudent

[TakeruK]

There is a difference between visa and status.

A visa looks like your passport ID page and is usually attached to one of the pages in your passport. A visa grants the holder permission to enter the United States for a specified purpose. A visa has an expiry date and a limited number of entries (but this limit might be unlimited).

 

Status grants the holder permission to stay/remain in the United States for a specified purpose. The I-20 confirms that you have F-1 status (and thus gives you permission to apply for a F-1 visa if needed). Status only has an expiry date.

 

Usually, the length of your visa depends on the treaty the United States has with your home country. Most countries that the US is friendly with will have 5 year visas with unlimited (or a lot of) entries allowed. Other countries might only have 1 year visas. It is completely normal and fine for your visa to expire before your status does. You do not need to leave the US when your visa expires (and in fact, for people with single entry visas, their visa is expired immediately upon entry). Remember, visa is only "permission to enter"--once you are in the US, only your status matters. However, if you leave the US after your visa is expired (e.g. conference) then you must apply for a new visa before you can re-enter. You cannot "renew" a visa--you have to go through the entire process again (although it might be easier if you are already in their system). I think people recommend that you get a new visa in your home country, but it is possible to do Third-Country visas too.

 

Hope that makes sense! 

 

And for your current scenario, maybe you can ask to see if the reason you got 5 years was because you accidentally said you would be finished in 5 years or if the standard procedure is to grant your country's citizens a 5 year visa anyways. You might be able to get it corrected if it's the former, otherwise you will just have to apply for a new visa in 2019 if you ever plan to be outside the US after your F-1 visa expires but before your program is finished!

[DeleteMePlease]

Yeah I knew most of that but thanks  I plan to visit my family about two times a year so I will frequently leave the US. The visa I got allows an unlimited amount of entries so this should be no problem.

When I meant "renew" I actually meant that I would apply for a new one. The application itself doesn't take that long. The only annoying thing is the fact that I have to drive to the embassy and also pay the fine again.

Edited April 26, 2014 by GermanStudent

[TakeruK]

Oops sorry about that! Maybe someone else will find it helpful then!

[fuzzylogician]

Similar question: What if the date on my visa is incorrect?

I put the same duration on my DS-160 as on my I-20. And in the interview I said my Ph.D. takes about 5 years (d'oh!)

So now my I-20 expires in 2020 and my F-1 in 2019. Is it possible to renew the visa when the I-20 is still valid or will this cause problems?

 

You should be able to get a new visa, preferably in you home country or possibly in a third country. You'll basically need to show the same documents and evidence as when you applied now, including a valid I-20.

 

http://www.ice.gov/sevis/travel/faq_f2.htm#_Toc81222012