A student who has failed to maintain F-1 student status and who wishes to return or transfer to Colorado State University must apply for and be granted reinstatement to F-1 student status by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). This process can take a long time and is not guaranteed to result in approval.

Students who don’t want to apply for reinstatement or who don’t feel they will be successful in their reinstatement application may leave the U.S. and re-enter using a new I-20 with a new SEVIS number and new I-901 fee payment.

Either option to regain status should be discussed with an International Student Advisor.

Please note: 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 your request.

Common Violations of F-1 Status Include (But Are Not Limited To)

• Failure to extend I-20 before the program expiration date
• Failure to complete F-1 transfer-in or transfer-out procedures in a timely manner
• Failure to enroll in a full course of study (without prior authorization from ISSS to do so)
• Failure to notify ISSS of an address change

If you think you may be out of status, please visit ISSS immediately and meet with an International Student Advisor during Open Advising hours. The longer you wait to address the problem, the more difficult it can become to fix it.

Eligibility to Apply for Reinstatment

An F-1 student may be reinstated to F-1 status by USCIS if the student can establish the following:

• Have not been out of status for more than 5 months at the time of filing the request for reinstatement
• Does not have a record of repeated or willful violations of F-1 regulations
• The need for reinstatement did not result from “a willful failure on the part of the student”
• Is currently pursuing, or intending to pursue, a full course of study at the school that issued the I-20
• Has not engaged in unauthorized employment
• Is not deportable on any ground other than the status violation for which reinstatement is being requested

Application Checklist

• A copy of your previous I-20 form
• A copy of your I-94 form
• Evidence of continued funding
• A copy of your transcript or class schedule
• A letter written by you addressed to USCIS, requesting reinstatement and explaining that the violation of student status resulted from circumstances beyond your control and/or that the failure to be reinstated would result in extreme hardship
• Any other documentation that supports your claim.
• Prepared but not submitted Form I-539
  • If you are eligible to apply online, we recommend that you plan to apply online to avoid the delays that occur by mail
  • If you plan to apply online, please work with us in real-time on the online application before submitting it to USCIS (we will issue the Reinstatement I-20 as you are ready to begin the online application; it is a required document for the application)
  • If you have any dependents that you are including with your application, you cannot apply online and your dependents must each complete and sign a separate Form I-539A
  • If you’re applying by mail, please complete the paper I-539 before requesting the Reinstatement I-20 from ISSS
  • Parents or guardians may sign on behalf of children under 14 or any co-applicant who is not mentally competent to sign.
  • If applying by mail, write REINSTATEMENT written on the top of the form in red
• A $370 filing fee for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security
  • If filing online, this will be collected in the online form at the end of the process
  • If filing by mail, we recommend money order rather than hand-written check
  • If filing by mail, do not abbreviate and follow the official instructions for how to address the fee payment
• It is no longer required to submit an $85 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. Co-applicants who wish to be scheduled at a different ASC location should file a separate Form I-539.

Once all materials are gathered, meet with an International Student Advisor. They will review the packet and issue you a special reinstatement I-20, as well as a letter from our office recommending you for reinstatement. You will submit the Reinstatement I-20 and letter along with all the other documents above in your application.

Please Note: It may take several months for your application to be processed by USCIS. As of Oct 3, 2023, Reinstatement applications are not eligible for Premium Processing. Do not travel outside of the U.S. during this time, or USCIS may consider your application abandoned. You can estimate processing times at USCIS’ website, and after applying you can check your status by referencing your receipt number.