In order to better study and live in the United States, and to better safeguard our legitimate rights and interests, as international students, it is necessary for us to know in advance which minefields can't be touched in the United States and which laws are easily ignored by us.
F 1 Student credits and attendance rate require full-time students to hold F 1 visas. Undergraduate students must complete 12 credits per semester, and graduate students require 9 credits. Except in the last semester of graduation (or under special circumstances), unqualified students will lose their F 1 status. According to the regulations, the attendance rate of F 1 students must reach 85% or more than 90%, otherwise the visa of F 1 will be cancelled. Transfer students must report to the school that obtained the visa for at least one year before transferring, otherwise they will lose their school status. Within one year of their first arrival in the United States, students must obtain the approval of the current (initial) school and file it with the US Department of Homeland Security. After one year, students can transfer to other schools at will, as long as they are admitted to other schools and filed with the US Department of Homeland Security. F 1 Students apply to the Immigration Bureau for OPT after graduation and get at least one year's internship; If you don't apply for graduation internship, there will be a 30-day legal residence buffer period. If you fail to report to the school or commit other serious illegal acts, the school may terminate the identity of F 1 and need to leave the country immediately, otherwise it will be regarded as illegal residence. If you stay in the United States illegally for more than 3 months, you will face a penalty of not entering the United States for 3 years. If you stay illegally for more than one year, you will face the penalty of not entering the United States for 10 years.
F 1 Student driver's license and SSN (or individual tax return number ITIN) stipulate that American driver's license can be used as identification documents, and each person can only have one driver's license in one state. If you have a job in America,
You must apply for a social security number (SSN) or an individual tax return number (ITIN) to file a tax return. As long as your annual income exceeds $600, you must file tax returns. You can apply for a social security number (SSN) or an individual tax return number (ITIN) at the local Social Security Bureau, and provide valid documents to prove that you live and work legally in the United States. It is recommended to pass it on during school.
Working on campus got the social security number. Drug laws and regulations
Article 250.5 of the American Model Criminal Code also stipulates the crime of drunken drug taking, that is, the actor ingests alcoholic beverages, anesthetics or other drugs for purposes other than medical treatment, causing an affected state in public places, to the extent that it harms himself or others' bodies or property or makes people nearby feel uneasy, which constitutes a crime. In order to combat drug crimes, the United States has promulgated a series of anti-drug crimes laws, such as the Harrison Drug Law, the Comprehensive Prevention and Control of Drug Abuse Law, and the Anti-Drug Smuggling Law. It is illegal to buy, possess, carry and use drugs. You will be arrested, investigated for criminal responsibility and deported. People with this record will not be allowed to get a green card in the United States.
The rule for drunk or tired driving is that people under 2 1 year-old are not allowed to drink or buy alcohol. /kloc-Under the age of 0/8, you can't smoke or buy cigarettes. Don't drive within 1 hour after drinking a can of beer, and don't drive within 4 hours after taking Tylenol and other hypnotic flu drugs. If drunk driving causes death, it can be designated as second-degree murder in Michigan. Driving under the influence of alcohol or escaping after an accident, regardless of the consequences, is a criminal offence. Once found, they will be arrested, investigated for criminal responsibility and may be deported. People with this record will not be allowed to get a green card in the United States.
Since 1996, the United States has passed four related laws to restrict adult websites. The US Federal Bureau of Investigation has set up a special agency to identify and investigate pornographic images of children published on the Internet, search for relevant criminals and impose legal sanctions on them. In 2004, during the large-scale manhunt called "Operation Falcon", the FBI prosecuted more than 1 10, and 36 of them were convicted. Among the 52 states in the United States (including Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C.), 50 states have strict restrictions and laws on minors' exposure to pornography, and prohibit minors from browsing pornographic websites and reading pornographic books online.
The United States not only enacted the Anti-Cruelty to Animals Act, but also enacted the Animal Welfare Act. For cruelty to animals, fines are only one of the means of punishment, and those with very bad means will go to jail. The length of imprisonment varies from state to state. The longest is Louisiana and Alabama, which takes 10 years, and the shortest is Ohio, which takes 3 months. According to the American Overseas Chinese News Network, this year, Chen, a China student at Santa Barbara College, was sentenced to one year in prison for dog abuse and domestic violence.
Provisions on Piracy According to the US Intellectual Property Protection Law, it is forbidden to reprint, upload, download and use non-original resources without copyright permission. Zhou, who went to an American university to study business last year, just got the first-instance judgment of the court a few days ago. He uploaded an office software on the forum without authorization, and will face a fine of $250,000, or choose to serve five years in the United States. Los Angeles Li Tongxue recently returned to the United States from a vacation in China. When entering the customs, he was found to be carrying 2 1 DVD "All the latest American blockbusters". After confiscation, he was fined as much as $2,654,380+0,000.
Racial Discrimination In the United States, racial discrimination is a very serious accusation. Students studying in the United States may be misunderstood unconsciously because of language barriers and different behavior habits from Americans. If you encounter such a situation, you must explain it clearly in time and even seek the help of a lawyer. Similarly, if students studying in the United States think that they have encountered racial discrimination in the United States, they can appeal to the school according to the regulations and even solve the problem through legal channels.
The United States is a country where citizens can legally hold guns in the face of police interrogation. Therefore, in order to protect their own lives, when facing gangsters, if they suspect that the other party is drawing a gun, they can shoot at each other. Some foreign students were warned by the police because they were eager to show their certificates to prove their identity. Although it was a false alarm in the end, I believe no one wants to go through this experience. If you are asked by the police, don't make any suspicious action of drawing a gun, otherwise there may be serious consequences. At the same time, if the police want to arrest for some reason, never excuse and arrest because they think they are innocent, otherwise they may be accused of disturbing police law enforcement.
Pay attention to joking in public places, and don't make verbal threats. Article 2 1 1.3 of the American Model Criminal Code stipulates: "In order to cause others to panic, or to evacuate others from buildings, places or public transport, or to cause great inconvenience to the public, or to ignore the behavior that will cause the above panic recklessly. Don't joke about public affairs in crowded public places such as airports and railway stations. The United States, which attaches great importance to counter-terrorism, cannot joke about endangering public safety. There is a sign at the security checkpoint of Los Angeles International Airport that says "Don't joke." If you don't pay me back, I'll kill you! ""I will waste you sooner or later! "In America, never say that people are responsible for their own language. Once your remarks involve intimidation and threats, and you are prosecuted, the judge will order you to stay away from the defendant and not to appear near the defendant's home and work unit. If you violate the court's decision, you will be arrested. If your threats are vicious, the other party will claim that you have been hurt in some way. If you hire a barrister, you may be sentenced to jail and suffer economic losses. A few years ago, Zhai, an international student in China, had an argument because of his academic disagreement. The professor reported to the school police because of his threatening words of "beating when he is older" Zhai was sadly expelled from school and accused of being a "terrorist" in prison.
Peeping at Privacy In China, it seems that people are not very strict about the definition and maintenance of privacy. For example, when a company recruits employees, it can ask the applicant to provide ID number, age, medical history, marital status, birthday, criminal record and so on. In the United States, these contents are personal privacy, and it is illegal for companies to require candidates to provide these contents. /kloc-international students over 0/8 years old are protected by FERPA in the United States, and their school information is also personal privacy. Unauthorized schools are not allowed to provide it to anyone, including parents. Xiao, a student from China, took photos of her without her roommate's consent and uploaded them to Twitter and other websites. Later, my roommate and his parents found out about it and asked the police to handle it.
In addition to the precautions listed above, as international students, there will definitely be a lot of things we don't understand when we are alone outside. At this time, we should communicate with the school more. As lawyer Cai, who is in charge of studying abroad, said: "It is not unusual for international students not to understand foreign laws, but once they encounter unclear situations or legal troubles, they must communicate with the staff of the international students' office in time, which can greatly avoid many problems. Once the school thinks that the situation is too serious, it often advises students to hire a lawyer or help them contact a lawyer. Therefore, international students must communicate with the school more in order to be aware of it. "