There are a number of reasons why a student may need to take a break from their studies. Examples may include personal/family reasons, financial issues, military service, etc. Students must receive authorization from ISSS prior to dropping their courses. Once a leave request is approved by ISSS, the student's SEVIS record will be closed, and they must depart the US. When the student is ready to return to Emory, they must contact their ISSS advisor to have their SEVIS record reactivated (if eligible) or obtain a new SEVIS record.

Alternatively, students with medical issues who are receiving treatment in the US, may be eligible for a medical reduced course load.

The US government considers it an international student or scholar's responsibility to keep their immigration documents (passport, I-20, DS-2019, I-797 etc.) up to date. Additionally, if a document is lost or stolen, a new document needs to be obtained. The procedures for requesting a new or updated document depends on the type of immigration document. Visit the Outdated, Lost, or Stolen Documents section of ISSS' Travel page for more information.