Report Changes: Your Responsibility

During your time as an F-1 student, your record must be updated with the Department of Homeland Security. ISS can help you ensure your record is updated, but it is your responsibility to inform ISS of changes promptly. You must report the following changes to ISS within ten days:

Change in U.S. residential address
Change in permanent foreign address
Your phone number
Change to your legal name in your passport
Update of employment status or employer information

Submit the Address Change Report for F-1 Students on myHilltop or email ISS at iss@stedwards.edu to report changes.

Some updates must be reported to the Department of Homeland Security through SEVIS and must be changed on your I-20. Please tell ISS about these changes and request a new I-20. Keep all of your I-20s, even after you graduate or transfer schools. Do not throw them away, because ISS does not keep them forever, and you may need them later for immigration purposes.

Program Extension

If you are unable to complete your course of study before the completion date noted in item 5 on your I-20, you must request an extended I-20 before your current I-20 expires. Submit the I-20 Extension Request Form on myHilltop to request the extension.

Changing Schools

You must register full-time at St. Edward’s since St. Edward’s issued your I-20 and oversees your SEVIS record. If you decide to transfer to another school, contact ISS.

Change of Level

If you will complete your current program of study and plan to continue at St. Edward’s in another program (for example, change from a Bachelor's degree program to a Master’s program), your I-20 must be updated. Submit the F-1 Change of Level form on myHilltop to inform ISS.

Change of Major

If you are accepted into a major or if you change your major (for example, History to Biology), you will be issued a new I-20.

Change of Funding

If there is a substantial change in the source or amount of your funding, report this change to ISS, and a new I-20 will be issued to you.

Name Change

The name on your I-20 should match the name on your passport. If you change any part of your legal name—first/given name, middle name, or last/family name—on your passport, this change should be reflected on your I-20. Conversely, if you want a different name on your I-20, ISS will wait for you to change your passport first before updating the I-20. Note that SEVIS is a separate database from the St. Edward’s database.

Failure to report your information could result in the automatic termination of your I-20 SEVIS record by the Student & Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) without warning. If your I-20 SEVIS record is terminated while you are still in the U.S., you may begin to accrue days of unlawful presence.

Disclaimer: The ISS staff will provide regulatory and practice information related to F and J status, as it stands at the time of the consultation. Regulatory content is designed for SEU students and is not intended to constitute legal advice and is not a substitute for legal counsel.

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