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How to change to F-1 status

You have two options for obtaining F-1 status:

• Apply inside the United States for a change of status.
• Leave the United States and apply for a new visa stamp at a U.S. Embassy.

To apply for a new visa stamp from your home country, you must first request a I-20 from OIS. Make an appointment with an OIS advisor by calling 812-855-9086 to see if you are eligible.

Option 1: Apply for F-1 status from inside the U.S.

Approval or denial of your Change of Status application can take at least four months. It is critical that you start the application process with USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services) well in advance of the start of your new program.

that applicants maintain their current immigration status until the Change of Status application is approved. Timing is especially critical if you will have funding from your department that will require you to work on campus in your first semester. Current processing times can be found on the .

You will need to provide us with:

• Updated financial documentation, less than 12 months old
• A copy of your passport identity page (including date of birth, name, photo, and expiration date)
• A copy of the passport identity pages for any dependents on your record

Once you have assembled the appropriate documents, contact OIS for Atlas access. Once it is granted, you can request your I-20 using .

Complete the Change of Status application (Form I-539) from USCIS

You may wish to engage an experienced immigration attorney. To apply for a change of status, you will need to submit an application directly to USCIS. Following are some of the documents you may need to include:

•  (online or paper with USCIS)
• Appropriate payment of the I-539 fee
• Copies of:
  • Your new I-20
  • Your admission letter from the Office of International Services
  • Financial documents showing that funds are available to cover the expenses as listed on the I-20 (Learn more about estimated expenses.)
  • Your I-94 document
  • Your passport’s identification page (including date of birth, name, photo, and expiration date)
  • Documentation that proves you have been maintaining your other immigration status
  • A of the I-901 SEVIS fee
  • A statement asserting that you are aware that, as a Ï㽶ÊÓƵ, you may be subjected to a two-year home residency requirement.

Option 2: Apply for F-1 status from outside the U.S.

Request the appropriate form from OIS

To apply for a new visa stamp from your home country, you must first request an I-20 from OIS. Make an appointment with an OIS advisor by calling 812-855-9086 to see if you are eligible.

You will need to provide us with:

• Updated financial documentation, less than 12 months old
• A copy of your passport identity page (including date of birth, name, photo, and expiration date)
• A copy of the passport identity pages for any dependents on your record

Once you have assembled the appropriate documents, contact OIS for Atlas access. Once it is granted, you can request your I-20 using .

Apply for a new visa

After you have obtained your I-20, apply for the visa stamp at the U.S. consulate or embassy in your home country. If you’re unsure where your embassy is, see this .

You can learn more about applying for a visa in the F-1 Ï㽶ÊÓƵ section. See also the for information for nonimmigrants present in the United States, as well as visiting Canada or Mexico.

Once you’ve re-entered the United States using your new F-1 visa and I-20, your new status will take effect.

Get help with your Change of Status application

Call us at 812-855-9086 to make an appointment with an advisor if you want to discuss your options.

You may wish to retain experienced immigration counsel to review your options and to assist with a change of status application or considerations in applying for a F-1 visa stamp from a US Embassy or Consulate outside the U.S.

If you decide to apply for a change of status in the US, be sure to provide OIS with a copy of your receipt notice and the documentation of the final decision as soon as you receive them. OIS will use that information to ensure that your SEVIS record is kept up-to-date.

If your application is approved, your new status will begin on the date indicated by USCIS on your Approval Notice.