Change of Status to F-1
Updates
Oct 3, 2024: We’ve revised this webpage. Please read through it carefully. This topic can be complex.
Note: We’ve heard of certain nationalities having longer processing times even when they pay for Premium Processing (Russian, Iranian, and Chinese nationals, so far).
Apr 1, 2024: USCIS has increased I-539 fees for Change of Status and Premium Processing. Please plan accordingly.
What is this page about?
This page is about how nonimmigrants can gain a new status in the U.S., through either changing status within the U.S. or through travelling outside the U.S. and re-entering with a new visa.
Table of Contents
- What should I know about Change of Status vs. Travel & Re-entry?
- About Change of Status
- Who is Eligible for Change of Status?
- About Travel & Re-entry
- For those changing to an academic Status
- 1. I want to travel & re-enter with a new status. How do I plan this?
- 2. I want to stay in the U.S. and apply for Change of Status. How do I plan this?
- Special Notes – Biometrics, Current visa type considerations
- Pictured below: Change of Status I-20 vs. Travel & Re-entry I-20
What should I know about Change of Status vs. travel & Re-entry?
About Change of Status
Some non-immigrants in the U.S. (e.g., F-2, F-1, etc.) may want to change to a new, non-immigrant visa status while inside the U.S.
This process is called Change of Status, and is achieved through a specific Change of Status I-20 and submission of Form I-539 to USCIS.
Key considerations of Change of Status:
- Change of Status will not yield a visa stamp in the passport.
- Change of Status is a process that must be completed while the individual is in the U.S.
- Departure from the U.S. while the application is pending will forfeit the application.
- Change of Status is not a good option for those with any international travel plans while the application is pending.
- The application has two stages:
- Work with ISSS to prepare documents for application, including getting the new Change of Status I-20.
- Submit the Change of Status I-20 with Form I-539 to USCIS.
- The application can take 9-13 months, and the only way to fast-track it is to pay for Premium Processing, which can drop the processing speed to 30 days. It’s very expensive. We’ve heard of certain nationalities still having longer than 30 days’ processing time even when they pay for Premium Processing (Russian, Iranian, and Chinese nationals, so far).
- Those with dependents who will also change status with them must apply by mail. Individuals without dependents should apply online–it’s cheaper and easier.
- Sufficient funding is required for all those who will change status at the time they request the Change of Status I-20 and submit Form I-539. Please see our Estimated Expenses page, which changes (usually increasing) each summer.
- See the bottom of this page for an image of the Change of Status I-20 versus the Travel and Re-entry I-20.
Who is eligible for Change of Status?
Who often does Change of Status with Form I-539?
- Those who have maintained their non-immigrant status, including F-1, F-2, H-4, and L-2.
- B-1 / B-2 status holders who have been here more than 90 days or who have “prospective student” on their B-1/B-2 visa stamp.
- J-visa status holders who are exempt from the 212(e) two-year home country physical requirement or who have received and maintained a waiver may change to F-1 or F-2 status this way.
Who can’t do a Change of Status with Form I-539
- C, D, K, or M visa holders.
- those who entered the United States under the terms of the Visa Waiver Program.
- J-visa status holders who are subject to 212(e) two-year home country physical requirement may not change status in the U.S. unless a waiver has been granted. It is the individual’s responsibility to obtain the 212(e) waiver and ISSS cannot guide them on that process.
- Those wishing only to obtain an immigrant status (e.g., Permanent Residence); the Change of Status I-539 Form is only for non-immigrant change of status, so you can’t apply for an immigrant status with that form.
What nonimmigrant status could I change to with ISSS immigration documents?
- F-1 full-time, in-person student at CSU admitted to either a degree program (not a certificate program) or PLACE (our intensive English program)
- F-2 (spouse or child)
About Travel and Re-entry
There is another, often faster and simpler, method of gaining a new status, which is Travel and Re-entry.
- The individual leaves the U.S. with the proper immigration document, gets a visa stamp for their new status from a U.S. consulate or embassy abroad, and then re-enters with that visa and immigration document to establish the new status in the U.S.
- This route is not usually advised for those whose country of origin has tense relationships with the U.S., as administrative processing is common and significantly delays the new visa by 4 months or more. If many others from your home country face common visa denials and delays, you might too.
- Canadian Citizens: Please note that Canadian citizens are exempt from the requirement of a having an F-1 visa stamp to re-enter the U.S. in F-1 or F-2 status. But travel and re-entry are still required for Canadian citizens to obtain F-1 status. You must present your new I-20 to CBP when attempting to re-enter the U.S., and you should plan to have your financial documents and admission proof ready in case they ask for it. We hear of many issues with Canadians trying to enter or re-enter the U.S. You should clearly state that you are entering the U.S. as an F-1 for studies or as an F-2 as the dependent of an F-1, whichever applies to your situation. Check the instructions below for travel and re-entry, ignoring only the aspects about obtaining the visa stamp. All other instructions will apply to you.
For those changing to an academic Status
Those wishing to change to an F-1 status must first be admitted to their desired program before we can issue the immigration document for them.
Below are instructions for both pathways
- Travel and Re-entry
- Change of Status
1. I want to travel & re-enter with a new status. How do I plan this?
- Get Advised
- Make an appointment with an international student advisor to talk through your plan.
- We cannot guarantee your visa will be approved, but we can help you weigh your options and plan for the process, and we do issue one crucial document you need for the new visa (the Travel & Re-entry, AKA Initial Attendance, I-20).
- Check your passport
- Make sure it will be valid for the exit and re-entry process
- If your passport will expire in the near future, consider taking your international trip as an opportunity to renew your passport from your home country, too.
- Get Admitted (only for those re-entering as F-1; not applicable for those changing to F-2)
- If you will be re-entering the U.S. as an F-1, apply for and be admitted to a Fall or Spring-start, in-person, degree program at CSU, or any term PLACE (our Intensive English Program) allows.
- If you will be re-entering the U.S. as an F-2, then you don’t apply for anything. Full-time study is prohibited for F-2s. Work of any kind is also prohibited for F-2s in the U.S.
- Budget & Plan
- Prepare financial documents sufficient for estimated expenses which meet our standards for financial documents.
- Estimate your airfare cost.
- Plan which U.S. Consulate / Embassy abroad you will apply for your visa at.
- Not all consulates / embassies will accept applications from individuals who do not live there.
- For example, if you want to apply for a U.S. visa in Vancouver but you aren’t from Canada, check first to see if they will even accept an application from you before you plan on applying there.
- (Required) $160 visa application fee per person
- (Required for F-1s) $350 for I-901 fee (after you get your visa)
- F-1s academic planning: you are prohibited from entering the U.S. in F-1 status earlier than 30 days before the program start date listed on your I-20. Plan to have a full course load (12 credits for undergrads, 9 credits for most grad programs, 18 contact hours for PLACE Intensive English students) for every semester in your program except for your final semester. Consult with your academic department’s curriculum / Road Map and check to see if some required courses are offered infrequently.
- Request I-20
- Submit our Immigration Document Request Form.
- Leave U.S. & Get Visa
- Leave the U.S. and get your U.S. Visa for the new status at a U.S. Consulate or Embassy abroad.
- If you will be travelling and re-entering to become an F-1 upon re-entry, you must also pay the I-901 fee after you get your visa.
- Come back to the U.S.
- You must enter the U.S. no earlier than 30 days before the program start date on your I-20.
- Cover your previous visa stamp in your passport with a simple sticky note (to avoid I-94 mistakes).
- At Customs & Immigration, present your passport, new visa stamp, and I-20 and state that you are here for studies (F-1) or as the dependent of an F-1.
- Check your I-94 (“Get most recent I-94” tab) immediately, as soon as you pass CBP/Immigration. The I-94 should say you were admitted in F-1 or F-2 status for “D/S” (Duration of Status). Check your name and other info.
- If you see any I-94 errors, immediately seek assistance from CBP in that airport for correction.
- Notify ISSS when you re-enter the U.S.
- F-2: Please email ISSS when you successfully re-enter in F-2 status! We’ll need to clean up some records.
- F-1s who were previously in F-2 status: Please email ISSS when you successfully re-enter in F-1 status! If your F-2 record was under a CSU F-1 record, we’ll need to update that file, and these updates aren’t automated. Please don’t forget this!
- Do IDR & Orientation (F-1 only; not for F-2)
- IDR = Immigration Document Review
- Orientation is for those re-entering in F-1 status, to familiarize you with the requirements and options of your status.
- Begin Studies (F-1 only) and Maintain Your Status!
- As always, keep copies of all of your immigration documents!
- Begin a full course load and maintain your status.
2. I want to stay in the U.S. and apply for Change of Status. How do I plan this?
Note for those changing to F-1 status:
- Unless otherwise authorized, work is prohibited until you correctly re-enter the U.S. with F-1 status or until the Change of Status is formally approved, and even then, there are restrictions on what kind of work, where, and how much work F-1s can do and when. Submitting the Change of Status application isn’t an approval. Approval comes via formal documentation saying you’ve been approved and from what date your new status begins.
- If you depart the U.S. while your Change of Status application is pending, it will be considered abandoned. You will not receive a refund.
- If you depart the U.S. after your F-1 Change of Status application is approved, you must apply for and receive an F-1 visa stamp* at a U.S. Embassy or consulate before you can return to the U.S. In other words, Change of Status approval will not result in a visa stamp in your passport, which is required for re-entry to the U.S.
- *Canadians do not require an F-1 visa stamp. They should read carefully the notes on this page for Canada nationals, as we’ve heard many stories of Canadians encountering issues for travel, even after they are approved for Change of Status.
planning for change of status—Read thoroughly!
- Get Advised
- Make an appointment with an international student advisor to talk through your plan.
- Note: you are responsible for your Change of Status application; we cannot guarantee it will be approved by USCIS, but we can help you weigh your options and plan for the process, and we do issue one crucial document you need for the process (the Change of Status I-20).
- Check your passport
- Make sure it will be valid for the duration of the process.
- For those filing Premium Processing: your passport should be valid for at least 3 months (occasionally USCIS refunds the Premium Processing fee to take longer than 30 days)
- For those filing at standard (longer) speed: passport should be valid for the next year and a half, ideally.
- If you need to renew your passport, check the Consulate or Embassy of your nationality here in the U.S. for passport renewal processes, or else consider exiting the U.S. and re-entering with a new passport and opting for a new U.S. visa, too, instead of Change of Status.
- Get Admitted (only for those applying for Change to F-1 Status; not applicable for those changing to F-2)
- Prospective F-1 only: apply for and be admitted to a Fall or Spring-start, in-person, degree program at CSU, or any term PLACE (our Intensive English Program) allows.
- If you won’t be paying for Premium Processing, you should avoid programs which only begin once a year (some programs at CSU only accept new students each Fall semester, for example).
- If your Change of Status is still pending after the original program start date has passed, ISSS must defer the start date on your I-20 each semester to keep the SEVIS record from auto-cancelling. Follow up with us each semester no later than one week after classes start to update us on your situation.
- You must tell us if and when USCIS takes action on your case. Failure to do so can result in a loss of your new status, even if you were approved.
- Prospective F-2 only: Full-time study is prohibited for F-2s. Work of any kind is also prohibited for F-2s in the U.S.
- Budget
- Prepare financial documents sufficient for estimated expenses which meet our standards for financial documents.
- (Required) $350 for I-901 fee
- (Required) $420 for online* I-539 OR $470 for paper* I-539
- *Those without dependents joining their status may and should file online. Those with dependents joining their status must file by mail with a paper document set. If filing by mail, budget at least $30 to mail the packet securely with tracking.
- (Optional) $1965 Premium Processing. USCIS guarantees ‘action’ on the application within 30 days of Premium Processing fee payment or else they will refund the fee; sometimes they do take a little longer than 30 days, but most people we’ve seen with Premium Processing got their results within a month. ‘Action’ isn’t necessarily approval. ‘Action’ often is approval, but could also be an RFE/RFI (Request for Evidence / Request for Information) where they pause the application and ask for further documentation with a reply timeline, or ‘action’ could be a denial.
- Note: As of Oct 3, we’ve heard of certain nationalities having longer processing time even when they pay for Premium Processing (Russian, Iranian, and Chinese nationals, so far).
- Plan Your Studies (F-1 only)
- Following approval of your new status, you will need to begin studies at the next available term with a full course load (in-person).
- Do not plan to start a degree program in the summer.
- Map out your degree plan using department resources (reference the curriculum or ‘degree roadmap’) to make sure you will be fully enrolled in every term except your final term (or except for while you working on thesis/dissertation after completion of coursework). Ask your department which courses are offered infrequently to avoid problems. Some courses are only offered every spring, for example. See our Enrollment page to learn more about this aspect of your prospective F-1 status.
- Because of how unpredictable the standard timeline is for Change of Status, many prospective graduate students pursuing F-1 status through Change of Status experience hardship due to assistantships requiring a clear start date or departments being inflexible with the start date of you joining the cohort. You may want to talk to your department to see what their rules and policies are, especially if you won’t be paying for Premium Processing.
- Request I-20
- Confirm that you have read this entire page and understand it thoroughly.
- Submit our Immigration Document Request Form. Depending on the time of academic year, it may take up to 7-10 business days for our office to process your request once our office receives the complete document set for that form request. It’s your responsibility to provide sufficient financial and passport documentation at the time of your request.
- Gather Application Materials
- We strongly encourage that you make another appointment with ISSS to review the materials before you submit the packet to USCIS! You’d bring the following materials to your appointment (screensharing is fine for those who can apply online).
- Copy of Passport bio page
- Copy of current visa status, and any other current immigration documents relevant showing that you are currently in lawful non-immigrant status.
- Copy of your entire new Change of Status I-20 (print in color and sign in “Student Attestation” section on page 1 of the form before making a copy).
- A copy of your most recent I-94
- Prepare Form I-539
- online: create a USCIS account and then navigate to “File a Form online” after logging in, then select I-539 as the type of form you will file from the drop-down menu. Make it as far in the application as you can without help but DO NOT PAY until you’ve had an ISSS advisor help you look over it. Payment is the final step, after which you cannot go back and make edits. You can pay with credit or debit card.
- paper form I-539 and its instructions. If you must file by mail, please also prepare your payment method following USCIS payment options for mailed in forms and bring all paper documents to be reviewed by ISSS. We can help you catch clear errors and mistakes.
- Pay the I-901 fee and print receipt / save or print the receipt as pdf (you can wait to do this until we’ve reviewed your application packet, if you like–just don’t forget to do it before submitting your application to USCIS!)
- Evidence of financial support
- Former J-1/J-2 visa holders only: Copy of the waiver of the 212(e) Two-Year Foreign Residency Requirement (if you were previously in J status and subject to the requirement), if 212e applied to you (check with ISSS if you have doubts about this).
- (Optional but recommended) Letter written by you.
- A strong letter can help convince the USCIS adjudicator of your temporary, non-immigrant intent as well as show that you did not have a pre-conceived intention to study in the U.S. for those who came in via B-1/B-2
- We don’t have templates for this, as each person has different circumstances.
- If you want to include a letter, write it before making the second appointment with ISSS for help reviewing your document set, as we will want to help you look over the letter, too.
- For those filing by mail only, we recommend filling out and putting on top the G-1145, E-Notification of Application/Petition Acceptance.
- Apply
- Submit your application to USCIS correctly.
- Check your online account regularly and Receive Receipt Notice
- This will be a formal document from USCIS labelled I-797 and described as “Receipt Notice.” It is a formal notice to you that USCIS has received your application, and it means your application is now pending their review. Ideally, you should both find an electronic, temporary version in your online USCIS account and then the more formal version should come by mail.
- Please email this I-797 document to ISSS when you have it.
- Wait
- It may take up to 9-13 months for your application to be processed by USCIS.
- If you have not received a decision after 15 months from the date the application was received by USCIS, speak with an ISSS Advisor.
- You can check your status at https://egov.uscis.gov/casestatus/landing.do with your receipt number.
- Notify ISSS when your application is approved/denied/issued an RFE/RFI
- new F-1s: You must tell us if and when USCIS takes action on your case. Failure to do so can result in a loss of your new status, even if you were approved. It has happened before.
- F-2: please email ISSS when you get results of your application! We’ll need to clean up some records.
- F-1s who were previously in F-2 status: Please email ISSS to let us know the results of your application! If your F-2 record was under a CSU F-1 record, we’ll need to update that file, and these updates aren’t automated. Please don’t forget this!
- Remember: you can’t have a full course load or work on-campus until after your Change of Status application has been approved. Talk to ISSS if you get confused.
- RFE = Request for Evidence and RFI = Request for Information. If USCIS needs more info/evidence to make a decision on your case, they will pause the application and send you a notice with what information/evidence they need and a timeline by which you must respond.
- Denial: please prepare to show us the denial notice so we can put it in our records and help look over the reasoning for denial. You can make an appointment if this happens to you to get guidance on what it means for you.
- Do IDR & Orientation (F-1 only; not for F-2)
- IDR = Immigration Document Review
- Orientation is for those beginning F-1 status, to familiarize you with the requirements and options of your status.
- Begin Studies (F-1 only) and Maintain Your Status!
- As always, keep copies of all of your immigration documents!
- Begin a full course load at the next available term! Talk to ISSS to make sure you know when that’s required for your situation.
Special Notes
Biometrics
- It is no longer required to submit a biometrics fee!
- But USCIS may still require you to make a Biometrics appointment during the application.
- If USCIS requires a Biometrics appointment from you, it will be scheduled after the applicant receives a biometric services appointment notice and will occur at the USCIS Application Support Center closest to your address;
- If you are required to do a Biometrics appointment, your dependents, regardless of age, must each schedule an appointment at the same USCIS Application Support Center as you.
Current Visa Type Considerations
Canadian Citizens: Please note that Canadian citizens are exempt from the requirement of a having an F-1 visa stamp to re-enter the U.S. in F-1 or F-2 status. But travel and re-entry are still required for Canadian citizens to obtain F-1 status. You must present your new I-20 to CBP when attempting to re-enter the U.S., and you should plan to have your financial documents and admission proof ready in case they ask for it. We hear of many issues with Canadians trying to enter or re-enter the U.S. You should clearly state that you are entering the U.S. as an F-1 for studies or as an F-2 as the dependent of an F-1, whichever applies to your situation. Check the instructions on this page for travel and re-entry, ignoring only the aspects about obtaining the visa stamp. All other instructions will apply to you.
B-1/B-2 CONSIDERATIONS: Individuals currently in B-1/ B-2 status must first be approved for F-1 status before beginning a program of study. Enrolling in classes while still in B-1/B-2 status will result in a status violation and you will not be eligible to extend your B status or change to F-1 status. There are no exceptions to this regulation.
F-2 CONSIDERATIONS: Individuals currently in F-2 status must first be approved for F-1 status before beginning a full time program of study. Your F-1 spouse/parent must be in the U.S. and in status when you are requesting this change.
H-4 CONSIDERATIONS: H-4 dependents may study in the U.S., but the duration of their stay is dependent upon the H-1B’s period of stay. When H-4 dependent children turn 21, they are no longer considered “children” and are no longer eligible for H-4 status. To remain in the U.S., they must change to another nonimmigrant status. H-4 dependents are not subject to F-1 requirements to pursue a full course of study, but they are not eligible for F-1 benefits such as on-campus employment or practical training. Weigh the benefits carefully before changing status. Individuals in H-4 status who do not already possess an EAD cannot receive an assistantship until F-1 status is approved.
J-1 or J-2 CONSIDERATIONS: Individuals with J-1 or J-2 status with a two-year home residency requirement will not be able to apply for a change of status while in the U.S. You are required to travel outside of the U.S. to obtain an F-1 visa. See USCIS website for more information about changing status within the U.S.: https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/files/form/i-539instr.pdf
Pictured below: Change of Status I-20 vs. Travel & Re-entry I-20
Notice that the Form Issue Reason at the top left is different between them. You must have the correct type of I-20 for your pathway to the new status.