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by Astrid Chang on Mar 2, 2023 12:00:00 AM
As an international student pursuing higher education and working opportunities in the US, one may encounter numerous challenges from visa requirements to job opportunities. For some, unexpected circumstances can further complicate matters. This article discusses the hurdles faced by international students when facing being expelled from their original school and how Day 1 CPT can help overcome them by using a real-life case.
Nina came from southeast Asia. She completed her master’s degree a while ago and like many international students, she hopes to develop her career in the U.S. in the long run. Unfortunately, she failed to secure an H1B visa before her OPT was up due to the increasing number of applicants. This left her with few options. Nina decided to enroll in one of the CPT universities and use day 1 CPT to continue her work in the U.S. while waiting for the next H1B lottery window. Things were going well for Nina for quite a while until four months ago.
About four months ago, Nina’s company took on some important projects and Nina’s work-life balance has been completely broken. She was extremely busy and had little time to complete her coursework at her day 1 CPT university. Under work pressure, she neglected her day 1 CPT requirement which clearly stated that day 1 CPT students must maintain a GPA of 3.0 or higher to be legible for CPT work authorization. Nina’s GPA dropped to 2.8 because she didn’t have time for school. Consequently, she got an academic dismissal notice from her original Day 1 CPT university, while her boss was less than sympathetic to her situation. At this moment, Nina was facing being dismissed by her day 1 CPT university as well as losing her job.
This happened around March, which is known as the H1B lottery season. Nina’s boss required her to maintain legal working authorization until all H1B filing procedures are done, otherwise, he won’t file for her even if she won the lottery. This has only added to her stress and anxiety, and she has been losing sleep every night, on the brink of a mental breakdown.
She found a way to improve her bad record by transferring to a new school and applying for day 1 CPT. However, most schools weren't accepting new students. Seeking advice from a teacher at https://www.day1cpt.org/consultation, she was recommended Westcliff University with six enrollment windows per year. The teacher helped her extend her I-20 and within 24 hours, she received an offer from Westcliff. In just three days, she received her I-20, allowing her to keep her job through day 1 CPT.
For other students facing similar situations, we outlined the steps Nina took for transferring to one of the accredited day 1 CPT universities and keep her day 1 CPT active below:
A Step-by-Step Guide to How to Complete F1 Emergency Transfer
1. If you're within the grace period and your SEVIS status is active:
- Contact https://www.day1cpt.org/consultation for a fast offer within 2 business days.
- Once you have the offer, ask your current school to transfer your SEVIS from the old day 1 CPT university to the new one, which will allow your new day 1 CPT university to issue you a new I-20 before your grace period ends.
2. If your grace period has ended and your SEVIS has been terminated:
- Contact https://www.day1cpt.org/consultation for an explanation letter and assistance with filing your application to a new day 1 CPT university.
- In most cases, you can receive an offer within 24-48 hours and use it to transfer your terminated SEVIS record to a new school.
- Once successful, the new school will issue an I-20, and you can activate it by entering and leaving the country, paying the I-901 fee, and traveling.
- Remember to consult with a lawyer if you plan to do a reinstatement within the country.
Here's a brief introduction to Westcliff University:
Location: The main campus is in Irvine, with other campuses in Cerritos and Miami.
Full-time CPT courses: They offer MBA courses, as well as MSCS, MSIT, MSEM, MATOESL, DBA, and more.
CPT: It can be used from the first day of enrollment, up to 365 days with no gap.
On-site frequency: For students who live in the range of 50 miles from Irvine Campus, they need to attend the onsite class once every week. Students who don’t live within 50 miles of Irvine Campus, need to attend the onsite class once every semester.
Tuition: Around $13,680+ per year for a master's degree.
Scholarships: $1,000 for F1 transfer students, as well as other official scholarship opportunities.
Semester start date:
If you need urgent enrollment, you can also turn to www.day1cpt.org. I hope this post is helpful to you, and if you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment below, and I will read them all!
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