{"id":6725,"date":"2015-11-10T11:03:34","date_gmt":"2015-11-10T11:03:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/?p=6725"},"modified":"2026-03-24T19:23:24","modified_gmt":"2026-03-24T19:23:24","slug":"change-to-f1-status","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/international-student-services\/new-f-1-students\/initial-i-20-request\/change-to-f1-status","title":{"rendered":"Change to F-1 Status"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span>Can I Change My Status to F-1?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Not everyone needs to change to F-1 status to study in the US. Please check the rules of your current status to see if study is permitted. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ice.gov\/doclib\/sevis\/pdf\/Nonimmigrant%20Class%20Who%20Can%20Study.pdf\">This guide<\/a> is a good resource to help you check. We also recommend consulting with an immigration attorney.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you do need F-1 status, you can choose one of the following two options:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Travel<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>You will request a Form I-20 from ISS. Once received, you will then apply for an F-1 visa at a US consulate (preferably in your home country), and enter the US again using that F-1 visa and Form I-20. This is the most common way to gain F-1 status.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Non-Travel (This is called \u201cChange of Status\u201d)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>You will request a Form I-20 from ISS, specifically for Change of Status. Once received, you will then file Form I-539 (submitting your Form I-20) with USCIS and wait for them to approve your F-1 status. With this method, you will not receive the visa stamp in your passport. 足彩app哪个是正规的 regular Form I-539 can take months for USCIS to adjudicate. Premium processing is available with USCIS if you need adjudication within 30 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How do I start the process?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Email our ISS advisors at uwbintl@uw.edu and indicate your readiness to move to F-1 status.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>After you&#8217;ve spoken to an advisor, we will give you access to the <a href=\"https:\/\/iss.uwb.edu\/\">International 足彩app哪个是正规的 Portal<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/international-student-services\/?page_id=24225\">Complete the I-20 request<\/a>, uploading the necessary information and documents.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>If your current status does not allow study in the US, please defer your start date to a future quarter before starting your I-20 request. You should defer based on <a href=\"https:\/\/egov.uscis.gov\/processing-times\/\">USCIS processing times<\/a> for the I-539.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How long does this take?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>ISS processing of your Change of Status I-20 varies depending on the time of year. We will usually process your request within 7 &#8211; 10 business days. During SEVIS registration periods, you may have to wait until 30 days after the start of the quarter for your request to be processed.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>All I-20s created for change of status must be used within 30 days.<\/strong> We will not defer your start date unless you prove that you have submitted your I-539. Do not hold onto or submit your I-20 beyond the program start date we have given you. We will cancel any change of status I-20 that has gone beyond the start date if you do not provide evidence of submitting your I-539.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>USCIS approvals can take a very long time. You should check current <a href=\"https:\/\/egov.uscis.gov\/processing-times\/\">USCIS processing times<\/a> for the I-539.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Important Deadline for Change of Status Applicants<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>If your F-1 Change of status has not been approved by the date that is one week before your program start date (program start date is printed on Page 1 of your I-20), ISS must defer your program start date to next quarter. You must notify us if you have not received a decision by that time. If you do not notify us, your SEVIS record will be cancelled and USCIS will deny your Change of Status.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What documents do I need?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A clear image of your passport biographical page (the entire page).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A clear image of the visa you used to enter the US (the entire page).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Your current <a href=\"https:\/\/i94.cbp.dhs.gov\/\">I-94 record<\/a>. If you have an I-797A from a previous change of status, you can use that instead.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Financial documents required for all F-1 applicants. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Clear images of the passport biographical pages for any dependents you might have. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Still have questions?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Contact the International 足彩app哪个是正规的 Services at <a href=\"mailto:uwbintl@uw.edu\">uwbintl@uw.edu<\/a> to discuss your situation and get your questions answered!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Additional Resources<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ice.gov\/doclib\/sevis\/pdf\/Nonimmigrant%20Class%20Who%20Can%20Study.pdf\">Visa types &#8211; Who Can Study?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/studyinthestates.dhs.gov\/change-of-status\">Study in States &#8211; Changing Your Status<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uscis.gov\/i-539\">USCIS &#8211; Change of Status<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Can I Change My Status to F-1? Not everyone needs to change to F-1 status to study in the US. Please check the rules of your current status to see if study is permitted. This guide is a good resource to help you check. We also recommend consulting with an immigration attorney. If you do&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"parent":24225,"menu_order":10,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_is_archived":false,"_archived_contact_email":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-6725","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":{"related_links":{"toggle_visibility":false,"link_1":"","link_2":"","link_3":"","link_4":"","link_5":""},"highlight_box":{"toggle_visibility":false,"title":"","content":"","button":"","button_style":"angled-purple-button","button_screen_reader_text":""},"contact_type_1":{"toggle_visibility":true,"contact_title":"","email":"uwbintl@uw.edu","phone":"","box":"","address_line_1":"","address_line_2":"","location":""},"contact_type_2":{"toggle_visibility":false,"contact_title":"","email":"","phone":"","box":"","address_line_1":"","address_line_2":"","location":""},"social_media":{"toggle_visibility":false,"facebook_url":"","instagram_url":"","linkedin_url":"","twitter_url":"","youtube_url":""},"blog_archive_sidebar_visibility":false},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Change to F-1 Status - International 足彩app哪个是正规的 Services<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/international-student-services\/new-f-1-students\/initial-i-20-request\/change-to-f1-status\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Change to F-1 Status - International 足彩app哪个是正规的 Services\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Can I Change My Status to F-1? 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