F-1 International Student Forms and Documents
International Student Services utilizes Etrieve, an app on the MyElmhurst Portal, for many F-1 international student requests. In addition, other offices provide documents that F-1 international students can use for various purposes. These forms and document requests are listed in the applicable pages throughout our International Student Services website. However, to make the forms easier to find and access, we have provided them below as well.
Please note – these forms are only for F-1 international students and should not be used by domestic students.
List of Forms
Please find the list of available form types, direct links to each form in Etrieve and links to webpages with detailed instructions for each request type below.
If you need assistance logging in to Etrieve, please review our Knowledge Base article.
- The Change to F-1 Status Request is for non-domestic students currently in the U.S. on a visa other than F-1 that would like to request to change their status to F-1 with USCIS
- Review the Change to F-1 Status page for information on changing your status from another visa type to F-1
- The Early Departure/Temporary Leave of Absence/SEVIS Record Request is for current students that would like to either depart the U.S. early (before completion of their academic program), temporarily depart the U.S. with the intent to return to Elmhurst in the near future, and request reactivation of their SEVIS record or a new Initial SEVIS record for which to return
- Review the Temporary Leave of Absence & Early Departure page for information on LOAs and reactivation of your SEVIS record
- The F-1 CPT I-20 Request is for current students to request authorization for Curricular Practical Training (CPT)
- Review the Curricular Practical Training (CPT) page for information on CPT eligibility, requirements, and process
- The F-1 OPT I-20 Request is for current students to request their Optional Practical Training Requested (OPT) I-20 to apply for OPT authorization via USCIS
- Review the Optional Practical Training (OPT) + STEM OPT Extension page for information on OPT eligibility, requirements, and process
- The F-1 STEM OPT Extension I-20 Request is for students currently on authorized OPT that completed a STEM degree and would like to apply for a STEM OPT Extension via USCIS
- Review the Optional Practical Training (OPT) + STEM OPT Extension for more information on the STEM OPT Extension eligibility, requirements, and process
- The F-1 Severe Economic Hardship & Special Student Relief Requests are for current students that have been in the U.S. for more than one year and are either experiencing Severe Economic Hardship or have been identified as potentially eligible for Special Student Relief and would like to seek the appropriate I-20 request to apply for off-campus employment authorization due to the identified issue via USCIS
- Review the Severe Economic Hardship (SEH) page for information on SHE
- Review the Special Student Relief (SSR) page for information on SSR
- The F-1 I-20 Extension/Shorten Request is for current students that either need to Extend or Shorten their I-20 Program End Date based on needing more or less time to complete their academic program than originally estimated
- Review the I-20 Extension and Shorten page for information on extending or shortening your SEVIS record Program End Date
- The F-1 Reduced Course Load Request is for current students to request to be authorized for a Reduced Course Load (RCL) based on limited eligibility categories and valid, documented needs
- Review the Reduced Course Load (RCL) page for information on RCLs
- The F-1 SEVIS Transfer-Out Request is for current students or students that have completed their academic program that have been admitted to a new SEVP certified school and want to have their SEVIS records transferred to the new school
- Review the F-1 Transfer Out page for information on transferring your SEVIS record and Elmhurst University Withdrawal reminders
- The F-1 Change of Major/Current Academic Program form is for current students that would like to add or remove an academic major or minor to/from their SEVIS record
- Review the Change of Program/Education Level page for information on changing your academic level on your SEVIS record
- The F-1 Change of Program/Education Level form is for current students that are admitted into either a new academic program or level after the completion of their current academic program or graduate students that have been admitted into a different graduate program during their studies and need to update their SEVIS record
- Review the bottom section of the Change of Program/Education Level page for information on updating your major or academic program on your SEVIS record
- The SEVIS I-20 Reinstatement Request is for current students that have lost their F-1 status and want to seek Reinstatement to F-1 status via USCIS after discussion with a P/DSO
- Review the Reinstatement to F-1 Student Status page for information on SEVIS record Reinstatement if status is lost
- The F-1 SEVIS I-20 Reprint Request is for current students to request a reprint of their I-20 for a variety of reasons, including OPT employment updates
- Review the Optional Practical Training (OPT) + STEM OPT Extension page for more information about reporting your eligible OPT employment
- The F-1 SEVIS Record Personal/Contact Information Update form is for current students to submit changes to their personal and contact information on their SEVIS record
- Review the Maintaining F-1 Status page for information on the importance of maintaining updated SEVIS records
- The F-1 SSN DSO Support Letter Request is for current students to request an SSN DSO support letter once on-campus employment is secured and if they have not previously obtained an SSN
- Review the Obtaining a Social Security Number page for information on the process to obtain an SSN once on-campus employment is secured
- The F-1 International Student Documents Submission Uploader is for current students to securely submit updated and new international documents for their ISS records at Elmhurst University.
- Note: Some documents will require P/DSO follow-up or further Elmhurst University action (see notes on form)
Frequently Requested Documents
Please find the list of Elmhurst University generated documents that international students often request and/or benefit from below. Students can reach out to the office responsible for each form for more information.
- An Enrollment Verification Letter, issued by the Office of the Registrar, can serve as “Letter on Official School Letterhead”
- A Tuition Invoice can be obtained from Student Financial Services
- A Graduation Invitation Letter template to complete and send to your family that you’d like to invite to Commencement
- Your ISO health insurance card to seek in-network care outside of Elmhurst University through ISO
Form Information for Faculty
As F-1 visa holders, international students are subject to federal regulations centered around maintaining their status, primarily centered around enrollment and employment, which creates the need for Designated School Official (DSO) verification and/or authorizations for various requests. ISS utilizes Etrieve for requests relating to their F-1 status and SEVIS record as a means to create a centralized process and storage system. Several of these forms require faculty verification (Academic Advisors for UG, Program Directors for GR), which are detailed below:
- F-1 OPT I-20 Request
- Faculty verifies the student’s program completion term/semester
- Please approve for next step only if student is completing their program
- F-1 CPT I-20 Request
- Faculty verifies enrollment in a CPT eligible course (Undergraduate/Graduate) and employment relation to major/degree
- Please approve for next step only if student is in a CPT eligible course and the employment offer is directly related to the student’s major/degree
- F-1 Reduced Course Load Request
- Faculty verifies academic difficulties based on reason for request
- F-1 I-20 Extension/Shorten Request
- Faculty verifies need for either extension or shortening of academic program and new program completion term/semester
Faculty Form Process
- Academic Advisor/Program Director will receive an email notifying them of their student request, which will provide a direct link to the form for Academic Verification
- Click the link and log into Etrieve
- Complete all fields that are required, noting any supplemental fields based on options selected
- Scroll down to bottom of form for the gray bar to select the appropriate “Approve” or “Decline” option based on whether or not students have met requirements to provide Academic Verification. If you opt to decline the form, please provide a reason in the “Declining Form” box
- ISS staff will receive the completed form, review, and process accordingly, reaching out if there we have any follow-up questions
ISS appreciates the collaboration with our faculty partners in verifying academic details for each of the above forms, as well as the ongoing education and support that you provide to our students. Please reach out to ISS with any questions.