Degree-Seeking Students (F-1)

To be eligible for F-1 status, you must be accepted and admitted to or enrolled in a full-time degree program. You must also demonstrate sufficient financial support for your program of study at Westfield State University.

For information about applying for an F-1 visa, please see our F-1 Visa Application Process Document. If you have additional questions, please contact the International Programs Office by emailing ipo@westfield.ma.edu.

As a student in F-1 status, you are admitted to the United States for “D/S” (duration of status)—this allows you to stay in the country until the program end date reflected on your Form I-20, as long as you maintain full-time registration, legal status, and a SEVIS record in good standing. 

When an F-1 student successfully completes their academic program or Optional Practical Training, there is a 60-day grace period during which the F-1 student and any F-2 dependents may stay in the U.S. During the grace period you may not work or reenter the United States in F-1 status.

Yes, you will need an I-20 Certificate of Eligibility to apply for the Nonimmigrant F-1 Student visa. You will receive your I-20 after your acceptance to Westfield State University and completion of your certificate of finances. To enter the U.S. as an F-1 student, you must provide a valid F-1 visa (the visa stamp in your passport) issued by the U.S. embassy/consulate overseas, a valid passport, and your SEVIS fee receipt. Canadian citizens do not need U.S. visas, but they do need an I-20 Certificate of Eligibility to enter the U.S. as a student.

As an F-1 student, you must meet certain obligations in order to maintain legal immigration status. Please refer to the Maintaining Your Status page for detailed information. Below, we provide basic information:

To maintain lawful status, an F-1 student must:

• Attend the university you are authorized to attend.
• Be in good academic standing and make progress toward an academic program.
• Extend your I-20 before its expiration date if you are unable to complete your academic program by the original expiration date.
• If you change academic programs or levels, update your I-20 in a timely fashion in accordance with immigration regulations.
• Maintain full-time enrollment during the academic year.
• International students in F-1 or J-1 non-immigrant status must be enrolled full-time during the academic year.
• Limit on-campus employment to 20 hours per week during the academic year.
• International students may not be employed without specific pre-authorization.
• Keep your passport valid at all times (the passport must be valid for at least 6 months into the future on the day you return to the U.S. from a trip abroad).
• Report promptly any change of address to USCIS.
• Maintain health insurance coverage.

Dependents are defined as spouses and minor children under 21 years old of the F-1 student. Please be aware that each of your dependents will need his/her own I-20 in order to obtain an F-2 visa at the U.S. embassy/consulate and to enter the United States. F-2 status holders may not accept employment or engage in business under any circumstances.

The F-2 spouse of an F-1 student may not engage in full-time study, and the F-2 child may only engage in full-time study if the study is in an elementary or secondary school (kindergarten through twelfth grade). The F-2 spouse and child may engage in a study that is avocational or recreational in nature.

While studying at Westfield State University and traveling outside the United States, you need proper documents to re-enter the United States. These documents include a valid F-1 visa (the visa stamp in your passport), a passport valid 6 months into the future, and your most recent I-20 with a travel signature of less than one year old. For more information, please refer to the Maintaining your Status Page.

Yes, you are required to have a Health Insurance Plan. All International students must either enroll in OR waive out of the Westfield State Student Health Insurance Plan online at www.university health plans.com. This must be done before the start of every academic year (or spring term, if applicable). Students may enroll OR waive the insurance starting in mid-June.  The deadline to enroll or waive the health insurance for the fall term is September 30; the deadline for the spring term is February 28. Students enrolling in the plan will be charged once the enrollment form is complete. If the enrollment form is not submitted by the deadline, the student's account will be placed on hold until the form is completed. Failure to enroll or waive out of the offered student plan will result in students automatically being enrolled into the plan. Once the student is enrolled, there will be no refunds.  

International Students have a few options for health insurance:

• If you already have international health insurance that provides coverage in the state of Massachusetts, you can waive University Health Plans. 
• If you do not have health insurance that covers Massachusetts, international students may purchase other options for Health coverage per visa requirements. 
  • Below, we list a few international insurance companies with options available to international students. Westfield State does not partner with nor recommend a specific insurance company. Please do your research and decide on the best option based on your circumstances:
    •  International Student Insurance, Study Abroad | Study USA-HealthCare
    •  ISO Student Health Insurance
    •  Compass Student Insurance
    • Visit International Health Insurance
  • International Students are also eligible for the Westfield State University health insurance plan: www.universityhealthplans.com. We recommend this option for students with health conditions that require them to see a doctor regularly.

If you are covered in Massachusetts by an international health insurance plan, you  may waive out of the  Westfield State University Student Health Insurance Plan. To waive out of this plan, please follow the steps outlined here. For more information about waiving out of University Health Insurance Plan, please contact IPO by emailing ipo@westfield.ma.edu. 

To enroll in the Westfield State University Student Health Insurance Plan, please view the steps outlined here. For more information, please contact Health Services by emailing healthservices@westfield.ma.edu or by calling 413-572-5415.

A Social Security Number (SSN) is a unique identification number that allows the United States government to monitor your taxable wages earned as an employee in the U.S. 

For more information about Social Security Numbers, please visit the following webpages: 

• Social Security Administration Homepage
• International Students and Social Security Numbers
• Social Security Numbers for Noncitizens

As an international student, you only qualify for a Social Security Card if you have authorization to work in the U.S. The SSN on your card does not give you U.S. employment authorization. It simply provides an identifying number for you to be paid for a U.S. job and for your employer to deduct the appropriate taxes on behalf of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS). To qualify for a SSN, you must be physically present in the U.S. in an immigration classification that permits employment.

Who can apply:

• F-1 and J-1 students who are authorized for employment can apply for an SSN. More specifically:
  • F-1 and J-1 students who are working on-campus at Westfield State University.
  • F-1 students authorized for CPT (Curricular Practical Training), OPT (Optional Practical Training),
  • J-1 students authorized for Academic Training

All international students who were physically present in the U.S. at any time between January 1 and December 31 of a given year must complete and submit some type of federal tax form for that year. International students in other immigration classifications may also be required to complete and submit tax forms. The number and type of form you must complete depend on whether you earned income during the year, the type of income you received, the length of time you have been physically present in the U.S., and other factors. The deadlines to file the forms are April 15, if U.S. income is earned (this includes money earned from graduate student assistantships) and June 15, if no U.S. income is earned. If you have not earned any income nor received any taxable stipends or scholarships, and are only required to file IRS Form 8843, then neither an SSN nor an ITIN is required to file. 

Westfield State University has arranged discounted access to Sprintax - an online tool specifically designed for international students and scholars which helps to prepare federal and state returns in less than 20 minutes. Sprintax will guide you through the tax preparation process, arrange the necessary documents and check if you’re due a tax refund.

Please see more helpful information on the IRS Website, specifically on the International Taxpayers Page. The two links below also offer additional information: 

• https://www.internationalstudent.com/tax/ 
• https://www.internationalstudent.com/tax/form/ 

U.S. government regulations require F-1 students to be in the U.S. for the primary purpose of attending school. In general, employment in the U.S. is restricted. The following employment possibilities exist for F-1 students:

• On-campus employment: Limited to 20 hours per week while school is in session and available full-time during school vacations and holidays. On-campus employment is defined as work done on the school's premises that issued I-20.
• Off-campus employment: Under certain conditions, you may be eligible for off-campus employment based on economic need or practical training. You may not begin employment unless you have received official authorization from the Westfield State University International Programs Office.

F-1 students are eligible to work on-campus while attending classes. The work does not need to be related to your field of study, but you must maintain legal F-1 status while engaging in on-campus employment.

• You must be enrolled full-time during the fall and spring semesters.
• You may work up to 20 hours per week while school is in session during the academic year (fall and spring semesters)
• You may work full-time (more than 20 hours per week) on-campus during official university holidays, breaks, and vacation periods (summer semester for most students)
• You may not engage in on-campus employment after the program end date listed on your I-20

OPT is defined in the Federal Regulations as temporary employment directly related to a student's field of study. During OPT, a student remains in F-1 status. The end result of the OPT request process is an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) issued by United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Please see here for more details.

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for OPT, the student must:

• Be in legal F-1 immigration status.
• Be a full-time student for at least one academic year.
• Have Westfield State University approved health insurance.

Maximum Length

• What is the maximum length of OPT?
  • The standard OPT period is a cumulative maximum of 12 months.
  • Part-time OPT is deducted from the 12-month limit at 50%.
  • An F-1 may become eligible for another 12 months of OPT if he/she advances to a higher educational level.

STEM OPT is a two-year extension of standard OPT for recent graduates who have completed their education in an eligible science, technology, engineering, or math degree program Certain F-1 students who receive science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) degrees may apply for a 24-month extension of their post-completion optional practical training (OPT).

Eligibility Criteria for the 24-month OPT Extension

To qualify for STEM OPT, you must:

• Have been granted OPT and currently be in a valid period of post-completion OPT; and
• File the STEM OPT application with USCIS during the final 90 days of your post-completion OPT authorization period and
• Have earned a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree in a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) major within the last 10 years. The degree must be from an institution that is accredited by a U.S. Department of Education-recognized accrediting agency and is certified by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) at the time you submit your STEM OPT extension application; and
• Have a paid job or job offer of at least 20 hours/week with an employer enrolled in the U.S. Government's E-Verify program, doing work that is directly related to your STEM major field of study; and
• Fully complete and sign, alongside an Employer Official from your E-Verify employer, the I-983 form.

Application Procedures for Students

1. Prepare a fully completed and signed I-983 Form

2. Submit the STEM OPT I-20 Request 

3. Wait for an IPO advisor to review your STEM OPT I-20 request

4. Send your complete application and required documents to USCIS

5. Track the status of your application

6. Receive an EAD card in the mail from USCIS

As an F-1 student, CPT allows you to accept off-campus employment as part of the curriculum of your degree program. CPT employment MUST be directly related to your major area of study with a US-based employer. Please see here for more information.

Part-time CPT: Employment for 20 hours or less per week is considered part-time. You must simultaneously enroll in classes full-time and be physically present on campus in order to maintain lawful F-1 status during fall and spring terms.

Full-time CPT: Employment for more than 20 hours per week is full-time. Please be aware that 12 months or more of full-time CPT will eliminate your eligibility for Optional Practical Training (OPT). During fall and spring terms, you must be enrolled full-time or have an approved Reduced Course Load (RCL).

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for CPT, you must:

• Have been lawfully enrolled full-time while physically present in the US for one academic year (i.e., two full terms) with the same SEVIS record ID unless your academic program requires immediate participation from all students.
• Be in lawful F-1 status.
• Have Westfield State University approved health insurance.
• Have a job offer.

Application Procedures for Students

1. Obtain a CPT Application Form 
2. Obtain an offer letter 
3. Obtain the appropriate academic advisor signature, course instructor information, and course description, as required by the CPT Application Form. 
4. Submit CPT application documents to your International Student Advisor at least two weeks before your CPT start date. 
5. Allow the International Student Advisor one to two weeks to review and issue a new I-20 for CPT authorization, if the CPT was approved. 
6. Do not begin training until you receive the new I-20 for CPT authorization from your International Student Advisor.

To be eligible for a Massachusetts Driver’s License, international students must show that their visa status for their program of study, as written on their Form I-20 or Form DS-2019, is at least one year (365 days) in duration.  Students whose program of study is less than 365 days are NOT eligible for a Massachusetts Driver’s License. 

If students meet eligibility requirements for a Massachusetts Driver’s license, they must apply in person at the Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV). 

• Locations and more information, including current wait times, can be found on the RMV website at http://www.mass.gov/rmv
• A listing of required documentation needed to obtain a driver’s license is available on the RMV Website.
  • A checklist of Acceptable Identification Documents is available here.

• You will also need a letter from the Primary Designated School Official (PDSO) or International Student Advisor verifying your status and eligibility. This letter can be prepared for you in two business days.

For information on eligibility to drive in Massachusetts using a driver’s license issued from your home country, please see the information on the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles website, located here.

Please contact the International Programs Office for more information.

The Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) has updated its guidance on the ability for foreign nationals to drive in Massachusetts on a driver’s license issued from their home countries/country of residence.  The RMV allows individuals to drive the same type of vehicle as provided by the driver’s license issued by the country of residence.  Individuals must also have a full translation of the foreign driver’s license into English. When driving, students must also carry their passport, Form I-20 or Form DS-2019, and a copy of Form I-94 arrival record to document their student status.

Details on driving in Massachusetts on a foreign driver’s license can be found here.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The guidance by the MA RMV only applies to driving IN MASSACHUSETTS. If you plan to drive in another US State, please consult the Registry/Department of Motor Vehicles in that State to confirm their regulations.