Planning for Winter Quarter 2021
Please read the updated guidance for winter and spring quarters here, which published on December 18, 2020.
The below statement was sent to students on November 9, 2020, and does not reflect the updated information provided by the Department of Homeland Security on December 8, 2020. This updated guidance is covered in the announcement linked above.
Originally published: Nov. 9, 2020
As we enter the middle of fall quarter, we understand you are balancing classes, midterms, family, and social commitments. Thank you for continuing to display considerable resilience and dedication—your commitment and flexibility inspire us. Our team at Services for International Students and Scholars (SISS) within Global Affairs wants to make sure that you are aware of a few recent updates from UC Davis.
As you know, to remain in the U.S. on an F-1 visa this fall, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) requires international students who entered the United States after March 9, 2020, to be enrolled in at least one in-person class. While we do not yet have confirmation of these guidelines from DHS for winter term, UC Davis reaffirms its commitment to our international students by pledging to continue offering at least one in-person class—both lower-division and upper-division courses—for our international students inside the United States.
As stated in the email you received on Thursday, November 5 from the UC Davis Campus Ready effort, a limited number of in-person classes will be available for those with “specific requirements,” including our international students who are required to be enrolled in at least one in-person class. Again, while we haven’t received official guidance for winter quarter from DHS, we expect that the requirements for winter quarter will look like this:
|
Start date |
Your location |
What we expect |
|
If you have a start date of 9/30/2020 or prior on your I-20, and |
you are taking classes in the United States and now will remain in the United States during winter term, |
we do not expect that you will be required to have an in-person class in winter quarter. |
|
If you have a start date prior to 9/30/2020 on your I-20, and are |
currently outside the United States for fall term and plan to be physically present inside the US during winter term, |
we do not expect that you will be required to have an in-person class in winter quarter. |
|
If you have a 9/30/2020 start date on your I-20, and |
have begun taking classes outside the United States during fall term and plan to be physically present inside the United States during winter term, |
you must complete the Winter Term Plan to update your I-20 start date to 1/4/2021 and at that point, we would anticipate that you will be required to enroll in at least one in-person class for winter quarter. |
|
If you have a 1/4/2021 start date on your I-20, and are |
currently outside the United States and plan to be physically present inside the United States during winter term, |
we anticipate that you will be required to enroll in at least one in-person class for winter quarter. |
|
If you transferred your SEVIS record to UC Davis with a 1/4/2021 start date on your I-20, and are |
currently taking classes inside the United States, and will not leave the United States during winter break, |
we do not expect that you will be required to have an in-person class in winter quarter. |
|
**If you transferred your SEVIS record to UC Davis with a 9/30/2020 start date on your I-20, and are |
currently taking classes for fall term outside the United States and plan to be physically present inside the United States during winter term, |
we anticipate that you will be required to enroll in at least one in-person class for winter quarter. |
**Transfer students who have taken at least 12 credits outside of the United States during fall will be eligible for a SEVIS data fix and may be able to re-enter the United States using the same I-20. Transfer students who have not taken at least 12 credits outside of the United States during fall will not be eligible for a SEVIS data fix and will be required to request a new I-20 and pay the SEVIS fee again.
This information is based on current fall, 2020 SEVP/Department of Homeland Security guidance which is subject to change. Any changes will be widely communicated to the international community shortly after they are announced. Please contact your SISS advisor with questions or concerns about your visa status.
We also want to draw your attention to another piece of information in the Campus Ready email, and that is for those of you living on campus. Student housing and dining will close from December 19 through January 2. If you live on campus and do not have alternate housing for these two weeks, please reach out immediately to studenthousing@ucdavis.edu to request other housing. Options are limited and they are taking requests in the order they are received, so contact them as soon as possible before the November 25 deadline.
Finally, we do not recommend traveling—home or otherwise—during winter break. UC Davis’ travel policy advises avoiding domestic and international travel. At this time, safety is an obvious concern, and we are also concerned about your ability to get back into the U.S. if traveling out of the country.
We are proud of the wealth of experiences, knowledge, and skills international students bring to our global community. Our wonderfully diverse community benefits tremendously from welcoming you, the brightest students from all over the world. Keep up the great work!