Orientation Program

MIT International Students Office (ISO) International Student Orientation Program

U.S immigration regulations require ALL New/Incoming International Students to go through an immigration orientation course/session and to submit required documentation/information upon starting their program at MIT. Therefore, there are a few steps that all incoming MIT international students are required to complete in order for the International Students Office (ISO) to activate their U.S. Immigration status in the U.S. and with MIT.

ATTENTION: This is NOT an automatic process, so students must be proactive. Students will not be able to complete their enrollment/registration for the term until they have completed the below requirements.

Who Is Considered A “New/Incoming International Student”?
Required Steps To Activate A U.S. Immigration Status
Undergraduate Students
Non-Degree Students
Graduate Students
Additional Information

Who Is Considered A “New/Incoming International Student”?

New/Incoming students to the U.S., in F or J status.
‘Return from Leave of Absence’ (RLOA) students, in F or J status.
Transfer-In students (i.e., “Transfer Students” are defined as students who transferred their current SEVIS record (F or J) to MIT from another U.S. institution/school).

Required Steps To Activate A U.S. Immigration Status

STEP 1: Attend a Virtual ISO Immigration Orientation Session

NOTE: Undergraduate Students and Undergraduate Special Program Students CANNOT register for an ISO Immigration session in iMIT. They are required to attend the session provided during the International Orientation Week or the Special Student Program Orientation.

All other New/Incoming International Students are required to attend an ISO Immigration Orientation Session. [NOTE: Any ISO Virtual Forum that a student attended was optional and does not count as the student completing the mandatory orientation session requirement.]

Students are required to register for an ISO Immigration Orientation Session in advance via their iMIT portal account, under “Events” section in their iMIT homepage. The student will select the “Event” they want to attend and then click “I’m Going” to register for the session.

STEP 1: Attend a Virtual ISO Immigration Orientation Session

An ISO Immigration Orientation Session will always start promptly at the start-time listed and students are required to be on-time and stay for the entire duration of the session – this is a federal requirement – and attendance will be taken for the session.

All New/Incoming International Studentscan attend a required ISO Immigration Orientation Session virtually from inside or outside the U.S. When attending the ISO session, students should have:

Their most recently issued passport.
Their MIT issued Form I-20 or MIT issued Form DS-2019.
Their most recently issued I-94 Record, but only if the student is inside the U.S.
- NOTE: Students can only retrieve their I-94 Record after they have entered the U.S. in F or J status. Students can obtain their I-94 Record online from the U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP) ‘Get Most Recent I-94’ webpage. If a student is still currently abroad, then they do not have an I-94 Record yet. However, once they enter the U.S., they must obtain this document.

During the required ISO Immigration Orientation Session, students will learn about their U.S. immigration documents, maintaining their legal U.S. immigration status, traveling within and outside the U.S., employment in the U.S., and other important information related to adjusting and living in the U.S. and studying at MIT, as well as additional resources.

Once a student has attended an entire ISO Immigration Orientation Session, then 3 business days after the session, the specific “ISO Orientation Hold” will be cleared from the students MIT record.

Following the completion of the ISO Immigration Orientation Session, if a student has additional questions, they can use the search tool on the ISO website, review frequently asked questions on the ISO Knowledge Base webpage, or they may contact their ISO Advisor.

STEP 2: Complete The Required Immigration Online Check-In Process

ATTENTION: The Online Check-In requirements can only be completed once the student has entered into the U.S.

All New/Incoming International Students are required to submit the appropriate “Academic Term” Online Check-In e-Forms in iMIT AFTER their arrival to the U.S. [For example, if a student’s program at MIT will begin in Fall 2023, then the student can only submit the Fall 2023 Check-In e-Forms.] Students can find specific instructions on how to complete their immigration check-in requirements on the ISO Online Check-In webpage. The ISO is then required to review and approve a student’s Online Check-In e-Forms, information, and immigration documentation. Therefore, students must follow the specific instructions and guidance as listed on the ISO’s Online Check-In webpage.

Undergraduate Students

New/Incoming Undergraduate International Students will attend mandatory Fall 2023 ISO International Undergraduate Student Orientation Program from August 21 through August 23, 2023.

The full schedule of the ISO International Undergraduate Orientation is available here. New/Incoming Undergraduate International Students will also receive additional notification from their ISO Advisor confirming times and locations.

As a reminder, New/Incoming Undergraduate International Students CANNOT register for an ISO Immigration session in iMIT. They are required to attend the sessions provided during their International Orientation Week as noted above. However, all New/Incoming International Undergraduate Students are required to complete the Online Check-In requirements, in iMIT. See the above titled section, ‘Complete The Required Immigration Online Check-In Process’for additional information.

Non-Degree Students

Students who will come to MIT to participate in a “Non-Degree” program will apply through the program headquarters/department and should contact the program directly for information on admissions and orientation procedures.

Students participating in the Visiting Student Program (VSP) or the Advanced Study Program (ASP), are required to sign up for the appropriate orientation session through their iMIT portal account and they must also complete the Online Check-In requirements.

Exchange Students and Undergraduate Students in the MIT Special Student Program will receive specific information about their required ISO Immigration Orientation Session from their program coordinator and CANNOT register/attend an ISO Immigration Orientation Session in iMIT. However, they are required to complete the Online Check-In requirements.

Graduate Students

All New/Incoming International Graduate Students are required to attend an ISO Immigration Orientation Session before completing their required Online Check-In requirements, in iMIT. Review the above titled section, ‘STEP 1: Attend A Virtual ISO Immigration Orientation Session’ for information on how to register for an ISO Immigration Orientation Session.

Additional Information

English Evaluation Test (EET)
Graduate Students (ONLY): All New/Incoming Graduate International Students, pursuing a degree at MIT and where English was not their primary language of instruction from the age of six through high school, are required to attend and complete the English Evaluation Test (EET) requirements. Students can find a helpful information and frequently asked questionsabout the EET the Comparative Media Studies/Writing (CMSW) website.

ISO Graduate Welcome Reception
The ISO will host a Graduate Welcome Reception for all new/incoming graduate students and their families (spouse/partners and/or children). Appetizers will be served. While attendance is optional, students are required to sign up in advance to attend. Email invitations will be sent to all new/incoming graduate students, and they must sign up by Tuesday, August 22.

Date: Tuesday, August 29, 2023.
Time: 5:00pm – 7:00pm (EST).
Location: Will be shared with attendees

ATTENTION: Students who WILL NOT be entering U.S. to pursue their MIT program are REQUIRED to contact their ISO Advisor BEFORE the start date listed on their MIT “Certificate of Eligibility” document(s) (Form I-20, Form DS-2019)

Disclaimer: The information on this webpage is for MIT students only. For additional questions, students should email their ISO Advisor directly.