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EXTENDING I-20/DS-2019 PROGRAM END DATE

 

If your I-20 (F-1 students) or DS-2019 (J-1 students) will expire soon and you need additional time to complete your academic program, you must apply for a program extension at least 10 days before the program end date listed on your documents. Failure to extend your I-20 or DS-2019 in a timely manner may cause immigration issues, so please act accordingly.

Review all steps below to understand how to request this extension and how it may affect your status.

 

OVERVIEW

Guidance on this page will only apply to:

  • Bachelor's, Master's, PhD and UC EAP Reciprocity Exchange students in F-1 and J-1 visa status.
  • Students in valid F-1 and J-1 visa status with active SEVIS records.

 


Guidance on this page will not apply to:

  • Students whose program end date on their I-20/DS-2019 forms have already passed.
  • Students in completed or terminated F-1 and J-1 visa status.
  • International students in other visa statuses or Permanent Resident status, or dual citizens of the U.S. and other countries.

 


TIMELINE OF STEPS TO TAKE 

STEP 1 STEP 2 STEP 3 STEP 4
Review this page and eligibility. Review below how this process may impact your visa status. Submit an "Extension I-20/DS-2019 Request" in iPortal. Receive an extended I-20/DS-2019 showing your new program end date 10 business days later.

 

STEP 1: CONFIRM ELIGIBILITY

In order to be eligible to request a Change of Program Level I-20/DS-2019, you must meet all of the following requirements:

STEP 2: CONSIDER IMPACTS TO YOUR VISA STATUS

Visa Status

  • Submit your request in advance to maintain your status, at least 3 weeks before the program end date on your current I20/DS-2019. Failure to request the Extended I-20/DS-2019 in a timely manner may cause immigration issues.
  • If you do not have your program end date extended before the current end date of your I-20/DS-2019, ISPO will not be able to process the extension anymore, and you will enter your grace period (F-1 has a 60 day grace period, J-1 has a 30 day grace period).
    • Should this situation happen to you, you will need to renew your visa status by following instructions here.
  • Review the Maintaining Your Visa Status Check List for full details on how to maintain your F-1/J-1 visa status.

STEP 3: SUBMIT YOUR REQUEST FOR AN EXTENDED I-20/DS-2019

  • Log in to iportal.ucsd.edu .
  • Go to " Services" tab.
  • Select " Extension I-20/DS-2019 Request".
  • Fill out your request.
  • Note your F-1 Students: " Document Delivery Preference" will automatically default to an Electronic I-20. This means you will not be receiving a hard copy document from ISPO in the mail. Instead, you will receive a notification once your I-20 has been uploaded within iPortal. ISPO highly recommends that students download and print the uploaded I-20. If you wish to receive a hard-copy, please submit a Replacement I-20 Request in the iPortal. 
  • Upload a PDF copy of your bank statement(s) or financial support letter(s) to show funding for the period of your extension.
    • Funding documents requirements can be found on our Funding Requirements page.
    • For Graduate Students extending their program end dates through a vacation term or a filing fee term in which they will not enroll in coursework, exceptions made be made to amount of funding required.
  • UC EAP Reciprocity Exchange students only - upload a PDF copy of the email approval for your program extension from the UCEAP Systemwide office (Email uc-reciprocity@uceap.universityofcalifornia.edu to make request).
  • "Submit" your request.

STEP 4: RECEIVE YOUR EXTENDED I-20/DS-2019

  • Your updated I-20/DS-2019 with an extended end date will be issued within 10 business days.
  • You can check the status of your request anytime by logging in to iPortal and clicking on "My Requests" tab.
  • A notification email will be sent to you when your document is ready.
  • Sign your updated I-20/DS-2019 when you receive it, and keep your previous I-20/DS-2019 for your records, do NOT throw it away.