Change your Visa Status - Visa USA Expert

Can You Change Your Visa StatusSo what if you are already in the US on a valid non-immigrant visa for the purpose other than getting your college education? Let’s say you are here for tourism but now you want to go to a community college and then transfer to a four year university?In cases like these you will need to change the status of your visa.Tip: Finding and applying to a school is your first step in getting a student visa.  When it comes to the question of if you can change your visa, you have two options to think about:Leave the USA and go back and apply for a student visa from your home country:Apply to and receive acceptance from an SEVP-certified school. The Department of Homeland Security offers this search service here.Receive a new initial Form I-20 from your designated school official (DSO)Pay the I-901 SEVIS feeApply for an F or M student visaReturn to the United States to begin your studies.Stay in the US and submit an application to change your non-immigrant status:Apply and get accepted to a SEVP-certified school. I highly suggest making this school a community college for a variety of great reasons!Obtain an initial Form I-20 from the SEVP-certified school. The DSO should give change of status in the Issue Reason section of the Form I-20.Pay the I-901 SEVIS fee.File a Form I-539, “Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status,” with USCIS. Not all nonimmigrants can change, read carefully.If changing from B-1/B-2 to F or M student, don’t enroll or start classes until USCIS has approved your change of status.Enroll in and begin studies while your change of status application is pending if you meet the following conditions:Eligible to change statusHave submitted an application to change to F or M student statusNot currently in the United States on a visa waiver program or on a B-1/B-2. C, D, K, S or V visaReceive from USCIS (if approved), a Form I-797, which will include an updated Form I-94, “Arrival/Departure Record,” listing your new status.If USCIS denies your application, you must be prepared to leave the US when your current visa expires.If you are an F-1 student interested in changing your status to H-1B for employment purposes, your prospective employer must sponsor you and file that petition.You can learn more about filing this petition here on H-1B Status and Cap Gap for details.For further information, visit the USCIS page: Change My Nonimmigrant Status.GoUSA!– MikeAll information presented here is from my personal research and my attempts to save you time and money when pursuing your dream of coming to the USA to study. Do not take any of this information as LEGAL advice – I am not an attorney, nor do I play one on TV. This information is gathered from a variety of sources including many U.S. Government websites and I urge you to validate this information as much as possible, just as I do when posting on this blog.