Frequently Asked Questions

Our office is attentive to all changes to immigration policy that affect RISD students. We will send an email in the event of any changes that impact you, so pay attention to your RISD inbox.

Travel restrictions may change without warning. For up-to-date travel and visa information, you should visit the website of your home country’s US embassy.

If you are flying to another country and have questions about entry restrictions, either contact your airline or the government of the country to which you’re traveling.

Yes. Please email Residence Life to let them know about your late-arriving flight and call Public Safety to provide them with your RISD ID/key access. We will work with Residence Life and Public Safety to assist you.

If you are detained in secondary inspection, the Customs and Border Protection officer detaining you will ask questions beyond what they would if just going through customs. Answer all questions truthfully.

If you encounter further issues while detained, you can call our office at 401 277-4957 during normal business hours (8:30 am–4:30 pm eastern). If traveling outside ISSA business hours, call Public Safety at 401 454-6376. They will know how to reach an international student advisor.

Travel signatures are valid for one year* and cover multiple trips. You only need one when traveling internationally—you do not need to “renew” it otherwise.

* This applies to currently enrolled students. If you are an alum on post-completion OPT or STEM OPT, your travel signature is valid for six months. 

For currently enrolled students, the travel signature you provided on the second page of your current I-20 is valid for one year for multiple entries into the US.

If you are an alum on post-completion OPT or STEM OPT, your travel signature is valid for six months.

If your travel signature is set to expire by the time you will return to the US, you need to request one from our office via the Terra Dotta student portal in order to obtain a new travel signature.

You may apply for a leave of absence for a period of up to one year (with an exception available for active military service leaves).

You must return to RISD at the end of your leave or to extend it for up to one additional year.

You start the leave of absence process by completing a leave of absence form online. International students must also submit a separate leave of absence request via the Terra Dotta student portal.

Once all relevant offices approve your leave and it is processed by the registrar, we will terminate your SEVIS record. This will invalidate your Form I-20.

Please review RISD’s leave of absence policy for more information.

If you take a leave of absence, your SEVIS record will be terminated. This will invalidate your Form I-20.

When you are reinstated to return to RISD, you will be issued a new Form I-20.

Please review RISD’s reinstatement process for more details.

To find out if you need a new visa, or if your unexpired visa will remain valid, we recommend you contact your US embassy or consulate.

You may submit a leave of absence form prior to the start of the semester and up to the course withdrawal deadline.

If your leave request is processed before the start of the semester, you are not held responsible for any RISD charges during your leave. For more information, please review the college’s refund schedule and contact Student Financial Services with further questions.

If you are a first-year student, you may defer your admission for one year, pending approval of the Admissions Office. Deferrals run through the entire academic year—you may not begin your studies in the spring semester.

To request a deferral, you must first submit your nonrefundable enrollment deposit. After you do so, you should access your applicant portal and follow the prompts for deferring admission.

Transfer students cannot request deferred admission except in very rare circumstances.

Please visit the admissions deferral FAQ for more information.

You first need to pay your deposit and reserve your space among the incoming class. Following that, please allow for processing time before receiving your I-20 electronically from the Admissions Office.

If you have questions about the status of your I-20, please contact the Admissions Office.

If coming to RISD will be your first time entering the US, review your I-20 for your program start date and earliest admission date. Your earliest admission date for entry into the US is 30 days before your program start date.

Your I-94 is a record of your arrival into the US. It is generated by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

CBP assigns a specific number to your I-94 record, which includes your:

• full legal name
• date of birth
• passport number
• country of issuance
• US entry status; this should always be noted as “F-1”
• status expiration date; this should always be noted as “D/S” (duration of status)

Check your I-94 record every time you enter the US to confirm that your arrival status was accurately recorded. This should always be noted as "F-1, D/S." If your I-94 record lists something other than “F-1, D/S”, please email our office.

You can check your I-94 record online via the Department of Homeland Security.

To keep your F-1 status, you must maintain a valid passport. If your passport expires while in the US, you are in violation of your F-1 immigration status.

You must renew your passport either in your home country or in the US. To renew in while in the US, work with your country of citizenship’s embassy or consulate.

The visa stamp in your passport is an entry document. It only needs to be valid when you enter the US.

If your I-20 is still valid, you do not need to do anything if your visa stamp expires while you are in the US. However, a valid visa is required for every time you enter the country, so if you are traveling internationally, make time while outside the US to apply for and obtain a new F-1 visa.

Yes. When you declare your major or if you change it, you need complete an I-20 update form in order to obtain an accurate, updated I-20.

Yes. Any student who changes or declares their major needs an updated I-20 to reflect the correct major. Complete an I-20 Update Form to request an updated I-20.

Yes, you may drop a class as long as you remain enrolled full-time for at least 12 credits. If dropping a class will drop you below 12 credits for the semester, you must contact our office beforehand for authorization.

To speak to an advisor, sign up for our drop-in advising hours.

Contact the Registrar’s Office to obtain a copy of your transcript.

To obtain enrollment certification, contact the Registrar’s Office.

Yes, it is our understanding that international students are required to file taxes in the US even if you have no income. Our office offers international students a discount code for Sprintax, a tax-filing platform.

The software is generally available in February, and we email current students and students on OPT with information on how to register and use our discount codes. For more information about Federal taxes, visit irs.gov and for State of Rhode Island tax information visit tax.ri.gov.

Please contact RISD Dining for information about updating your meal plan.

To apply for a Social Security Number (SSN), you must first receive a US job offer. The Student Employment office can provide you with more information about the SSN application process.

If you’re concerned about the risks of losing your passport, you can apply for a Rhode Island State Identification Card or a Rhode Island driver’s license. To apply, you must make an appointment with the Rhode Island Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). Before you apply, please review the required documents for completing your application.