If you have an active SEVIS F-1 status it is required to and your advantage to request a transfer I-20 from Pratt. You will let us know you are a transfer student when filling out the ISF.
International students maintaining valid F-1 status may transfer to Pratt Institute from another U.S. SEVIS approved school by following the transfer procedures set forth in the regulations. Simply transferring credits from one school to another does not transfer a student’s F-1 status unless the student and DSO follow the federal regulations surrounding the transfer process. The transfer process, however, does not require government adjudication. Rather, it is a notification process that takes place as an update event in SEVIS with the active participation of the student, the “transfer out” school, and the “transfer in” school.
You will need to send the SEVIS Transfer-In Form from Pratt to your other U.S. based school and upload the form to your I-20 application. By doing so, we can then issue an I-20 from Pratt with the same SEVIS number and you will not need to pay the SEVIS fee again. By transferring your I-20, you will maintain continuous F-1 status, and may be eligible for CPT in your first semester if an internship class is available in your program.
If you don’t transfer your SEVIS record and request an “initial I-20” from Pratt instead, you will get an I-20 with a new SEVIS number. You will have to pay the SEVIS fee ($350) again and you would not be eligible for CPT in your first or second semester.
Contact the DSO at your previous school to check your eligibility to transfer and discuss your transfer release date. Students working on OPT need to be mindful of the release date because you can no longer work after the release date. We can only issue your I-20 on or after your release date.
If the transfer-out school determines that the student has failed to maintain status, or if the SEVIS record indicates that the student is not in active status, then a release date cannot be set, and the transfer cannot proceed. Do not have your school transfer your SEVIS record if your SEVIS record is not active. We will process an Initial I-20 for you.
Transfer-In Deadlines
If a student completes a course of study (or OPT), the student is eligible for transfer through the end of the 60 day grace period. Failure to transfer during the 60 day grace period will result in the loss of your F-1 student visa status and you will be considered “out of status.”
In addition, the start date at the transfer-in school must be within 5 months following the release date set by the transfer-out school, or within 5 months of the program completion date in SEVIS,
whichever date is earlier. This means that a student can remain in the United States for no more than 5 months between completing at the transfer-out school and beginning at the transfer-in school (granted the transfer was initiated in SEVIS within 60 days of the completion of program or OPT).
Traveling outside the US
Students who will travel outside the USA prior to attending the new institution must inform their current institution of their intent to transfer, re-enter the US with the I-20 for the new school’s program and report to the new school’s international office to complete the required check-in processes.
Students who are traveling are encouraged to discuss their plans or any questions they have with an OIA advisor.
Arrival at Pratt Institute
Upon arriving at Pratt Institute, all new students, including transfer students, are required to complete online immigration Check-in.