Visa Authorization and Requests

You are required to study full-time to maintain valid F-1 visa status.

Permission to enroll in less than 12 credits or to drop a class must be approved in advance by the Center for International Education (CIE).

To request a Reduced Course Load authorization, review the information below and submit the Reduced Course Load request via the ISS Portal. To access the request follow these steps: 

1. Log into the ISS Portal with your Madison College credentials.
2. Navigate to the Student Request Center. This is the third tab on the right.
3. Select the Reduced Course Load tile for your request.

RCL Authorization Permissions

F-1 visa regulations allow RCL Authorization for the following reasons only:

1) Academic Difficulty Due To:

• Initial difficulty with the English language
• Initial difficulty with reading requirements
• Unfamiliarity with US teaching method
• Improper course placement

Reducing your course load due to Academic Difficulty may only be done once. If approved, you must still be enrolled in at least 6 credits with at least one class held on-campus.

2) Medical Conditions

• Injury
• Illness
• Mental health

Reducing your course load because of a medical condition may be done for up to three semesters.

Learn more about reducing your course load due to a medical condition (PDF) and share this form with your doctor.

3) Fewer Than 12 Credits Remaining to Complete Program

This may only be done if you have less than 12 credits to complete during the semester to graduate with a degree, diploma, or certificate.

Poor class attendance or otherwise not making satisfactory academic progress can cause an F-1 Visa violation.

Active participation for the duration of the course is required. If you do not attend regularly, stop attending, or never attend a class you may be given a grade of “WNA” (“Withdrawn due to Non-Attendance”). Loss of legal F-1 visa status could result if the withdrawal lowers your course load to fewer than 12 credits.

If you need more time to complete your program, you must extend your I-20 document prior to your I-20 program end date. Failure to do so could result in a termination of your F-1 status. 

If you have not updated your financial support documentation within the past year, you must submit updated financial documents via the Program Extension Request. See the Financial Support section of https://madisoncollege.edu/get-started/international-students to determine how much financial support you must demonstrate.

When to Apply

Apply at least one month before the I-20 expires.

Processing a request via the ISS portal can take 2-3 weeks. We recommend you apply at least one month before your I-20 end date. To submit a Program Extension Request:

1. Log into the ISS Portal with your Madison College credentials
2. Navigate to the Student Request Center. This is the third tab on the right
3. Select the Program Extension Request tile

Reprinting I-20 and Requests for Letters or Forms

Can't find your I-20? Spilled coffee on it? Don't worry! Request an I-20 re-print via the ISS Portal.

Need a letter about your F-1 Visa status for your home country? Have a form that you would like CIE to complete?

Submit the form or letter details via the ISS Portal so we may determine how best to assist you.

Please allow one to two weeks for processing.

The first step to transferring your F-1 Visa status to another college or university is to be admitted by another college.

After being admitted, submit your transfer-out request via the ISS Portal to:

1. Upload a copy of your admission letter to the new college or university.
2. Select your desired date of transfer.
   • The transfer release date must be after you have completed all course requirements for the semester at Madison College.
   • If you are working on-campus or with off-campus work authorization, all paid employment must end before the transfer release date.
   • If you will be graduating from your current program at Madison College, the transfer release date must be no later than 60 days after your graduation date.
   • If your I-20 is expiring and you will not be graduating, the transfer release date must be before your I-20 expiration date.
3. Share a copy of the new college's transfer form to be completed by CIE, if one is required by your new college or university.

Are You Traveling Abroad After Finishing Madison College?

1. Please use the I-20 from your new college to return to the U.S. - then, select a transfer release date that falls immediately after completing all course requirements.
2. If you are unable to get your new I-20 before leaving the U.S., you should arrange for your new college to mail it to you abroad. The new college will only be able to make you a new I-20 after the transfer release date.
3. Some colleges may provide you with a form to be completed by Madison College’s Center for International Education (CIE). We will return the form directly to the new college unless otherwise requested.
4. CIE will then schedule your I-20 record to transfer in SEVIS on the transfer release date or as soon as possible after this date.
5. Please check your email. You will be notified by email after the transfer has been successfully scheduled.

If you change your mind, please notify CIE immediately. SEVIS only allows for cancellation or change before the scheduled release date.

If you would like to add another program to your academic plans or change to a different program, please follow the directions below.

Changing or adding a Program Process

To change or add a program, submit a new international student application. You do not need to resubmit other supporting documents unless your I-20 is expiring. If so, please see item number 2 above on extending your I-20.

Dropping a Program Process

If you no longer plan to complete a program, use the Primary Program Form to be removed from it.

If you are an international student that was accompanied to the U.S. with your dependent(s), please read below.

Dependents are defined as a spouse and/or unmarried minor children.

Children over the age of 21 are not eligible to enter as the dependent of an F-1 international student.

An international student’s dependents may apply for their F-2 Visa at the same time that you applied for an F-1 visa, or they may apply for their F-2 Visa at a later date.

If your dependents are granted the F-2 Visa, they may enter the United States when you do, or they may enter the U.S. at a later date.

You can find more information by viewing Bringing a Dependent to the U.S (PDF).

If you have trouble accessing this PDF, please contact iss@madisoncollege.edu or 608.246.6201.

You can request an I-20 for your dependent to use when applying for the F-2 Visa. Your dependent may then use the I-20 to apply for the F-2 Visa status.

Request an I-20 via the ISS Portal