32 Studying abroad: status, work, insurance, and recognition back home

Article 1 of the Measures for Certifying Academic Degrees and Diplomas from Outside China, issued by the Chinese (Ministry of Education) Service Center for Scholarly Exchange, states that certification is to "meet the applicant's needs for further study, employment, exams, and similar purposes." Article 2 states that certification is done "on the applicant's own application." The center has a certified-institution lookup. You search by school name. Its instructions say the list is the foreign awarding institutions that appeared in applications certified in the past 5 years, and that it is "for the reference of people who studied abroad only, and is not a guarantee or basis for any successful certification." The instructions also say the scope of applications they will accept "is not limited to the institutions this lookup shows," that each application is assessed on its own, and that whether the school is lawful and qualified to issue the credential is only part of the assessment. The list is updated once a year. The 2025 update removed 270 schools that had not had a certificate issued in the past 5 years. Separately, the Ministry of Education information site on supervision of cross-border education (教育涉外监管信息网) also publishes supervision information on Chinese-foreign cooperative programs and on schools run overseas.

On 17 July 2026 the Department of Homeland Security published a rule that was to take effect on 15 September 2026. Under it, F-1 students would no longer be admitted "until the program ends" but for a fixed period of at most four years, after which they would have to apply separately for an extension. After finishing studies or practical training, they would have only 30 days to prepare to leave. On 14 September 2026, Judge Saylor of the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts postponed the effective date of the rule under Section 705 of the Administrative Procedure Act. The suspension applies nationwide and to the whole rule. The court did not vacate the rule: the request to vacate was denied, but it may be raised again later. The case is still being heard. Under this court order, people on F, J and I visas are still admitted "until the program ends", the 60-day grace period to leave stays as before, and no separate extension application is needed

For F-1 students in the US, on-campus work during term may not exceed 20 hours a week. Off-campus part-time work approved under paragraph (f)(9) of the regulation is likewise at most 20 hours a week during term. During qualifying holidays, full-time work is allowed. Work such as Curricular Practical Training (CPT) follows its own category of training and approved scope, and the limits above cannot be applied to all off-campus work. For a UK student visa, the hours also depend on whether the school and the course qualify. For a full-time degree-level or higher course sponsored by a higher education institution with a compliance record, the limit is 20 hours a week during term. For a full-time course below degree level sponsored by that kind of institution, it is 10 hours a week. For a qualifying short exchange program at an overseas university, 20 hours a week during term is also possible. On other courses, including part-time courses, work is not allowed. Self-employment (working for yourself) is generally not allowed, nor is work as a professional sportsperson or entertainer. The basis is the part of the UK immigration rules that covers students: Appendix Student ST26.1, ST26.5 and ST26.8. In Canada, an eligible student may work off campus at most 24 hours a week during a regular academic term, and hours from several off-campus jobs are added together. The basis is section 186(v) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR). During regular breaks scheduled by the school, an eligible student may work full-time. Remote work for an employer outside Canada does not count toward the 24-hour limit, but must still fit the study permit conditions. For eligibility in the final semester and between programs, see item 4 (full-time study, leave and transfer). For an Australian student visa, the limit is 48 hours per two weeks while the course is in session. Research master's and doctoral students and their dependants are not subject to this limit

When Canada lets you work under the eligibility attached to a study permit, you may not work off campus during an approved leave. Nor may you work off campus during a transfer while you are not studying; you must wait until you resume your studies. There is an exception for the final semester: if you become part-time only because you do not need a full course load to finish the program, and you were full-time before, you may still work off campus. The other work conditions must also all be met. For the gap between finishing one program and starting a new one, there is a set of conditions under which full-time work is allowed, and all must be met at the same time. You were already eligible for off-campus work while studying before. You hold a valid study permit, or applied for an extension before it expired. You have received written confirmation of completion from the original school, and a letter of acceptance from a designated learning institution (DLI) for a new full-time program. The new program must start within 150 calendar days after you receive the confirmation of completion of the old program. This is different from stopping classes and moving school before finishing; you cannot start work on the strength of "I have a new offer" alone. For on-campus work in the US, an F-1 student's status in SEVIS must be Active. SEVIS is the US record system for the status of international students, and Active means enrolled and valid. The student must also meet the course requirements for maintaining status, so before reducing your load, have the school check whether you fit an exception. In the UK, permission to work is given by school and course type, and a part-time course does not allow work

8 CFR 265.1, in the U.S. federal immigration regulations, says that a foreign national who must register under the law has to report within 10 days after an address change. Report it to USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services), in the way USCIS requires. Report both that the address changed and what the new address is.

The Ministry posts study-abroad warnings on its Overseas Education Supervision website. In 2025, four such warnings were issued. Warning No. 1 warned that certain higher-education bills in some U.S. states contained negative provisions concerning China (2025-04-09). Warnings No. 2 and No. 3 both highlighted the high incidence of cases involving Chinese citizens in the Philippines and an overall poor study-abroad environment there (2025-07-18, 2025-08-30). Warning No. 4 noted poor public security and a poor study-abroad environment in Japan, advising prospective students to plan carefully before going (2025-11-16).

According to Australian Department of Home Affairs regulations, student visa applicants and their dependents must obtain OSHC, which must remain in effect throughout their entire stay in Australia without any interruptions. The policy must be issued by an insurer approved by Australian authorities, except for applicants who qualify for exemptions. There must be no gap between the end date of one policy and the start date of a new one. Failure to provide proof of active coverage upon entry can result in denial of entry. For travelers arriving in Australia prior to their course start date, the policy start date must be set to the actual date of arrival.

The fee for a UK student visa is £558, regardless of whether you apply from outside the UK or extend/change your visa status while already there. In addition, the healthcare surcharge must be paid to use the National Health Service; it is calculated per year of your visa and paid in full at application. For students and their dependents, the charge is £776 per year — so a two-year visa requires a payment of £1,552. Other applicant categories pay £1,035 per year. If your visa lasts more than six months but less than a full year, the charge is still applied for a full year.

Certification of overseas degrees in China is handled via the online service hall of the Chinese (Ministry of Education) Service Center for Scholarly Exchange. The procedure involves four steps: registration and identity verification, online submission of documents, payment, and finally evaluation and review. The officially stated processing time is 10–20 working days, which excludes weekends and holidays and represents the duration needed for the Center’s review.

The Chinese (Ministry of Education) Service Center for Scholarly Exchange keeps issuing notices that strengthen certification review for degrees from some foreign institutions (an extra check, done separately, on diplomas from those schools). The latest is No. 9 (2025-10-28), which names 4 schools. During enhanced review, certification applications for these schools take "in principle no fewer than 60 working days counted from the day the application is submitted, that day included." The basis is Article 28 of the Measures for Certifying Academic Degrees and Diplomas from Outside China: when certification data looks abnormal, when a lead about a problem comes in, and in similar cases, the center can start an enhanced review, require the applicant, the school, and others to help by providing materials, and extend the certification period at the same time. In May 2025 the center also issued a notice of "enhanced certification review, again" for 3 schools. It has also issued notices that pause acceptance of certification applications for particular overseas institutions. The anti-fraud notice of August 2025 states: "Any organization or person that claims 'guaranteed certification,' 'certification through inside channels,' 'pandemic backfill,' 'expedited certification,' or the like is making a false claim."

8 CFR 214.2(f)(10)(ii)(E), in the U.S. federal immigration regulations, says that during post-completion OPT, status depends on whether you have work. The total days without work must not exceed 90. With a 24-month STEM extension, the total across the whole OPT period must not exceed 150 days, and the stretch before the extension counts. The official explanation from the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) says: if the SEVIS record has no employer information, it counts as not working. When the total reaches 90 days, an SEVP official can manually terminate that student's status. SEVIS is the U.S. record system for international students. Application timing, from the page of USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services): you can apply starting 90 days before graduation, and at the latest 60 days after graduation. After the school enters the recommendation in SEVIS, you must file within 30 days.

IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada) says the attestation letter is issued by the province or territory where you will study. It shows you were allocated a study place there. Most study-permit applications must include it, and it must be filed with the application. You cannot add it later. People in kindergarten through grade 12 are exempt. From January 1, 2026, people in master's or doctoral degree programs at public institutions are exempt as well. People studying in Quebec submit the acceptance certificate issued by Quebec (CAQ) instead. Exchange students who do not pay tuition, people renewing at the same school for the same level of study, and a few other special cases are also exempt. People who do not have to submit the letter must attach proof that they qualify for the exemption. The letter is generally valid only in the year it is issued. A letter issued in 2026 is valid through December 31, 2026. It only needs to be valid when you apply for the study permit. It does not matter if it has expired by the time classes start. If you apply again after a study permit is approved or refused, you need a new letter. From January 22, 2025, a transfer also requires a new letter.