Colorado State University’s Office of International Programs is monitoring policy and immigration changes that may impact our international student community. Please check this page regularly for updates.
Last Update: 1/29/25
January 29th, 2025
To CSU’s International Student and Scholar Community,
Recently, international students and scholars have visited the International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) Office expressing concerns and asking questions about how they should respond if approached by government officials or law enforcement.
CSU’s Student Legal Services (SLS) office does have some resources to help you know your rights as someone who is currently living in the United States.
One such resource is a “Know Your Rights” presentation that students can access easily from their home page. ALSO, students can stop by the SLS office in LSC 274 and ask for a Red Card—that is the card to assist in asserting rights—a professional staff member will explain the intent of the card before providing the card.
ISSS is also currently working with Student Legal Services to provide an in-person presentation that will give our international community an opportunity to listen and ask questions. As soon as this has been scheduled, we will let you know the program details.
In the meantime, we want to make sure that all students and scholars are prepared to verify their identity in the US. To this regard, please be advised that (along with a Colorado State University I.D. card or State of Colorado I.D.) students and scholars are required to carry a copy of their international documents. These copies should include your passport/visa, I-20 (or DS2019 if you are a J1 student or scholar), I-94 (or i-797 notice of action if you have obtained a change of immigration status from one visa category to another.) It is not necessary to carry official documents – photocopies should be sufficient.
Finally, please be reassured that we will continue to provide timely advice to our international community as we learn about changes that could impact our students and scholars.
Sincerely,
Greg M. Wymer, Director, International Student and Scholar Services
January 22nd, 2025
To CSU’s International Student and Scholar Community,
Hello from the Office of International Programs! As you may know, President Trump has recently issued a number of Executive Orders/Presidential Actions that are to be implemented as soon as possible. We are currently monitoring the news surrounding changes to immigration policy and how it may impact our international community.
We are anticipating that these executive orders may impact our international community; however, universities and immigration attorneys alike are still attempting to review these executive orders and what this means for visiting foreign nationals’ ability to enter and remain in the United States. As this becomes clear to us, we will communicate these changes to you as quickly as we can.
Please be patient as the political landscape surrounding immigration policy is rapidly evolving. Again, we will let you know as quickly as possible if these changes will impact our international community.
In the meantime, remain confident that you are welcome here and that CSU places a high value on our international community.
Greg M. Wymer, Director, International Student and Scholar Services
November 7th, 2024
To CSU’s International Student and Scholar Community,
Hello from the Office of International Programs! We have been contacted by several academic and student services departments indicating that they have had various international students and scholars expressing their concerns about the results of the recent presidential election on how it may impact their ability to travel and/or renew their visas. At this point, we are unsure how it may or may not impact our international community as it is currently too soon to tell.
Regarding an expired visa, we want to provide clarification that you do not need a valid visa to remain in the United States.
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- As long as you have a valid I-20 or DS-2019, and you are maintaining your legal status, it is not required to have a valid visa. The visa is an entry document only – which means that you only need a valid visa when you are entering the US. If you have no plans to travel, you will be fine remaining in the US – even if your visa has expired.
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- If you are traveling and your visa will be valid at the time you are planning to re-enter the US, there is no need to renew it. The embassies do not have the capacity to renew visas for unexpired visas – we do not suggest that you go to the embassy to try and extend or “renew” a visa that has not expired (unless you hold a J-1 visa that does not match the SEVIS number on your current DS-2019. If you are a J-1 visa holder, please contact our office if you are unsure whether your visa is valid.)
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- Regarding an expired visa – if your visa has expired and you are planning on traveling internationally, you will need to go to the US Embassy website and apply for a renewal of your visa.
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- Students and scholars often ask us if they can renew their visa inside the US; unfortunately, visa renewal can only be done outside of the US.
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- If you plan on traveling outside of the US over the winter break, you will need to plan accordingly by contacting the US Embassy in your home country and follow the procedures for renewing your visa / scheduling a visa appointment prior to leaving the US. (Depending on the requirements in your home country, you may or may not need to schedule an interview – many consulates only require that you drop your visa renewal application and documents off in a drop box and do not require an additional interview.)
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- Regarding an expired visa – if your visa has expired and you are planning on traveling internationally, you will need to go to the US Embassy website and apply for a renewal of your visa.
Finally, if you are planning on traveling outside of the US over winter break, please make sure you plan to return prior to January 20th – the spring semester begins January 21. Please let us know if you have any questions, we are always happy to help!
Greg M. Wymer, Director, International Student and Scholar Services