USA · CHAPTER 18
Staying safe and wellin the USA.
Call 911 for police, fire or ambulance, and 988 (call or text) for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Campus counselling is usually free or covered by your student health plan, and your international student office (DSO) is the first stop for anything touching your F-1 status. The Embassy of India in Washington and consulates in New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Houston, Atlanta and Seattle handle passport emergencies. Watch for callers posing as immigration officers or the IRS.
Published by Althéa Consulting · Adviser: Harshita Kohli
Source review: · How to use our guides
- Emergency
- 911
- Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
- 988
- Call or text, 24 hours
- Status questions
- Your DSO
- International student office
- Fraud reports
- reportfraud.ftc.gov
Mental health and wellbeing
US campuses run counselling and psychological services (often called CAPS) that are free or included in the student health fee, plus 24-hour crisis lines. An ambulance or ER visit can be very expensive, so know what your student insurance covers and use urgent care for non-emergencies.
Dropping below a full course load for health reasons is possible only with your DSO's approval (a reduced course load). Never just stop attending: it can terminate your SEVIS record.
Scams aimed at international students
- Callers claiming to be ICE, USCIS, the IRS, the FBI or police, saying your visa or SEVIS record has a problem and demanding payment. Government agencies do not demand money by phone, gift cards, wire or crypto; hang up and call your DSO.
- Spoofed phone numbers that show a real government or embassy number.
- Rental listings that ask for a deposit before a viewing or a signed lease.
- Fake jobs and "check cashing" offers; any off-campus work without CPT or OPT authorisation breaks F-1 rules.
- Report scams to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov and, for online fraud, to the FBI's IC3.
Discrimination and campus safety
Universities must have reporting routes for harassment and discrimination; report to campus police, the dean of students or the equity office. Bias incidents can also be reported to local police and, for civil-rights complaints in education, the US Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights.
Many campuses have night escort services and emergency call points. Save the campus police number alongside 911.
Everyday safety
- Keep your I-20, passport and visa safe at home; carry a copy and your student ID.
- Learn which areas near campus your university advises against at night.
- Never share your SSN unless an employer or bank genuinely needs it.
- If stopped by police, stay calm, keep hands visible and ask for your DSO to be told if you are detained.
When to contact the Indian mission
- The Embassy of India in Washington DC (and consulates in New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Houston, Atlanta and Seattle) issues emergency certificates if your passport is lost or stolen (report it to the police first and keep the report).
- It helps in arrests, hospitalisation, a death, or when a student is missing; families in India can raise a request on the MEA's MADAD portal.
- It cannot pay your bills, get you out of a legal case or intervene in visa decisions of the host country.
- Save the mission's emergency number from its website in your phone before you fly, and register any address change with it if asked.
QUICK ANSWERS
Your questions, answered.
988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, by call or text at any hour. Your campus counselling centre is the usual first step for ongoing support.
No. Government agencies do not demand payment by phone, gift card, wire or crypto. Hang up and contact your DSO.
WHERE TO GO NEXT
Keep going: the pages that help next.
Each card says what you will find there. Looking for something else? See every page on the site.
USA GUIDE
Health insurance & banking
University health insurance for international students in the USA, waivers, campus clinics, opening a bank account and phone plans.
USA GUIDE
First weeks in the USA
After arriving in the USA: check your I-94, report to your international office, enrol, open a bank account and apply for an SSN if you get a job.
FROM INDIA
Scams & emergencies abroad
Study abroad fraud warnings for Indian students: fake agents, offer letters and visas, forex and job scams, plus lost passports and emergencies abroad.
FROM INDIA
A guide for parents
Study abroad answers for Indian parents: true costs, loans and co-applicants, sending money, safety, health, visiting your child and checking an agent.
TOOL
Compare countries
Compare countries on fees, living costs, visa rules and post-study work, in one table.
FRANCE
Study in France
The full France guide: degrees, fees, Campus France, visa, housing and work, chapter by chapter.
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