Common Graduate Requests

• If you need copies of all old I-20s, or other documents from your immigration file, please email a written request to Dean Haile (jhaile1@fandm.edu).  Please allow one week for the ISS team to locate your records in the archives. 

  • In your email request, please include:

    • • • Your full name as a F-1 student

        • Your graduation date (or dates attended)

        • Specific documents needed and for what purposes

        • Information as a student (student ID#, address of parents while you were a student, your major, etc) to verify your identity

        • Method for delivery of the copies (we tend to only do scanned copies, but let us know if you need something else)

• Transcript Requests are handled through the Office of the Registrar.  

  • • • • Please see instructions here: https://www.fandm.edu/registrar/managing-credits/transcript-requests 

• Verification of employment while at F&M or employment references are required to go through the F&M Student Employment Office.  Please email them at studentemployment@fandm.edu or this website for more information. 

• While on OPT/STEM OPT, re-entry to the US requires the following items: 

  • • • Passport valid for at least 6 months into the future

      • Valid F-1 visa (if you plan to renew while on OPT please discuss with ISS first!)

      • I-20 with updated signature (See below)

      • EAD card

      • Letter from employer stating you have a job

• While on OPT or STEM OPT, the travel signature on page two of your current I-20 must be no older than 6 months for reentry to the US.  

  • • • A new I-20 is typically issued, rather than just adding a new signature, and emailed to the student.  

      • You need to print out the I-20 for travel (showing on an electronic device is not accepted at the Port of Entry)

      • Please email Dean Haile (jhaile1@fandm.edu) to request a new I-20 and for further guidance on travel while on OPT.

• Students must be in valid F-1 status in order to be eligible for the F-1 transfer process.  Please note that releasing the SEVIS record to the new institution will end any authorized current period of Optional Practical Training, so we must coordinate the release date carefully.

•  If your program starts more than 5 months after the transfer of your record, you will NOT be eligible for a transfer.  Furthermore, the deadline to request a transfer is 60 days from the OPT end date on the Employment Authorization Document (EAD).   

  • • • • For example, a student whose OPT ends June 1, can have their record transferred as late as August 1, but must begin their new program at their new institution within 5 months of June 1 (when their OPT ended). 

• Nearly every US College or University has an Immigration Transfer-In Form.  Please email jhaile1@fandm.edu the transfer form you need completed. Some schools have an online process instead - you can put in that same email for Transfer requests.   

  • • • • For paper forms, students typically complete the top student section, and our office will ensure that the completed transfer form is submitted to the new institution, and that your record is released in SEVIS.  

• Students transferring out will have to choose when their SEVIS record should be released to the new institution.  Most students have their record released as soon as possible after the end of their final semester of study at F&M or OPT, so they can apply for a new I-20 through the new school.  

If you have questions about paying, deferring, or modifying your international student loan, please contact studentaccounts@fandm.edu for assistance.  Please make sure to provide your full name, graduation year, and student ID. 

If you require an Apostille or Certification of your diploma or another document, both the F&M Registrar's Office and ISS can collectively assist you!  Please begin by emailing registrar@fandm.edu and inquiring with them.  They will coordinate to have your document notarized.  Then, the Registrar's Office will guide you in getting the documents sent to the PA Department of State for the final step.  More information about the Apostille process and fees are available here on the Dept of State's website.