These procedures describe the Transfer Out Procedures for International Students. You should not complete the withdraw process from Iowa Wesleyan College until AFTER you have completed a SEVIS transfer. If you are officially or unofficially withdrawn from Iowa Wesleyan prior to completion of a SEVIS transfer you may be TERMINATED in SEVIS and you will be OUT of F-1 STATUS.
Eligibility
An F-1 student is eligible to transfer to another DHS-approved
school if the student has maintained valid legal status, has carried a full
course of study at the school last attended, intends to pursue a full course of
study at the new school and is financially able to attend the new school.
Checklist of Documents
The school to which you are transferring may require a DSO
from your previous institution to complete a School Transfer Eligibility
Form. Once you have satisfied all requirements for transfer, possibly
have to show a valid transfer clearance from the former school, and have had
your record released in SEVIS by your previous school, you will issued a new
Form I-20 from the new institution.
Procedures
If you are transferring TO Iowa Wesleyan College:
- Inform
the international student advisor at your current school that you intend to
transfer to Iowa Wesleyan.
- Report to the Office of Student Life within 15 days of the report date noted on your new Iowa Wesleyan I-20 to proceed with the transfer procedure. THIS IS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY TO MAINTAIN YOUR STATUS. You will need to have the School Transfer Eligibility Form signed by a DSO at your previous institution, your passport, I-94 Record, and all previously issued I-20s, including your Iowa Wesleyan I-20. If you have dependents in the U.S., you must bring each of their I-20s, passports, and I-94 Records as well.
Note: Your transfer is not complete until you have enrolled full-time for classes and the Student Life Office verifies your full-time enrollment, updates your current U.S. and foreign addresses, and registers your record in SEVIS. The act of registering you in SEVIS is MANDATORY every semester. Be sure to make this possible by keeping your address information up-to-date with Student Life. Failure to do so could cause you to fall out of status.
If you are transferring FROM Iowa Wesleyan College to a new institution:
- Inform
the Student Life Office that you intend to transfer to another school.
- The
schools you apply to will likely send you a form to bring to the Student Life
Office. Make sure you sign the form to release Iowa Wesleyan and allow us
to share your information with another school. The Dean of Student Life
will then complete the rest of the form and send it to the school you have
applied to. This form usually asks if you have maintained your F-1
Status, last day of enrollment, if you paid your bills, and if you were
authorized for any off-campus employment.
- Once
you decide which school you will transfer to, you need to contact the Office of
Student Life so that a release date from Iowa Wesleyan can be entered into the
SEVIS system, as well as the name of the school you will transfer to, and the
semester you plan to start classes at the new school. You will need to
discuss and determine with the Dean of Student Life and the DSO from your new
school when Iowa Wesleyan should “release” your SEVIS record to your new
school. Keep in mind that once your record has been released to another
school, Iowa Wesleyan cannot access your record, including to reverse the
release. Therefore, it imperative that you be certain of your admissions
status and of your decision to transfer to a given new school.
- Complete
the International Student Withdraw Form, available at the Student Life Office.
- Ask
the Dean of Student Life to sign the School Transfer Eligibility Form
from the new institution if required, and to release your record in SEVIS on a
given date. You will need to show provide proof of admission acceptance
to the new school before your record will be released in SEVIS.
- The
school you will transfer to will look in the SEVIS system and see that Iowa
Wesleyan has released you and when the release date has passed, they will be
able to issue you a new SEVIS I-20.
- If
you change your mind and the release date has not passed, you can return to the
Student Life Office at Iowa Wesleyan and have the information
changed/corrected.
- If
you change your mind and the release date has passed, you will have to contact
the Transfer school to have your SEVIS record changed. This is not easily
done and it should be avoided if at all possible. Therefore, it is wise
to be sure of your decision BEFORE it is finalized in SEVIS.
Sometimes you may have to travel to the new school, register, then withdraw
before they will be able to correct your record.
- Once
you have your new SEVIS I-20 you will need to report to your new International
Student Office within 15 days of the program start date printed on the new
I-20. Schools usually wait to give you the I-20 until you report to them
if you are not traveling outside the USA prior to attendance. If you are
leaving the USA then you will need to have the new I-20 to use when you
re-enter the USA to begin study at your new school.
- Be
sure to keep ALL copies of prior I-20s for your records.
