Can F-1 be extended for graduate studies?

das222 · 03-13-2008, 02:11 AM

This issue has been bugging me for a while, so I thought about posting at cc.

Take an international student who is going to US for his undergrad with F-1. What if he wants to study in graduate school there or maybe even try to get a phd and then return home? Doesn't his F-1 compels him to return after 4years+OPT(optional practical training) ? Can F-1 be extended for graduate studies?

Abhinav · 03-13-2008, 02:37 AM

I think you get a new F-1 for graduate studies.

b@r!um · 03-13-2008, 04:00 AM

Yes it can - in fact, you don't even need a new visa, you only need a new I-20 from the graduate school. That is because student visas are typically valid D/S - for the duration of status, meaning you can stay in the States as long as you keep your status as a full-time student.

b@r!um · 03-13-2008, 06:00 AM

I should add that a new I-20 is sufficient if you do not plan to leave the country. If you want to leave and re-enter the country and your visa has expired (most likely the case once you get into grad school), you have to apply for a new visa once you are abroad. Unfortunately it is not possible to renew a F-1 from within the US.

das222 · 03-13-2008, 07:45 PM

Thanks b@r!um, u're the best!

vicente · 03-26-2008, 01:54 PM

You get a new term of OPT every time you start a new degree type. So going from B.Sc. to Ph.D. gets you new OPT time, but starting another B.Sc. won't.

Grande Antilles · 04-15-2008, 08:30 PM

If you are from a country in the caribbean,Canada or Mexico you can go home and come back to the US without renewing your visa if you stay for a maximum of a month. They will let you come if you did not try to renew the visa in an emabassy. If you don't leave the US, you are all set as your new school give you a new I20. However once you leave the country you will need to renew your visa. Here are some informations that I got on the homeland security website for you:

"When you enter the United States on a student visa, you will usually be admitted for the duration of your student status. That means you may stay as long as you are a full time student, even if the F-1 visa in your passport expires while you are in America. For a student who has completed the course of studies shown on the I-20, and any authorized practical training, the student is allowed the following additional time in the U.S. before departure:"

"As an example regarding duration of status, if you have a visa that is valid for five years that will expire on January 1, 2001, and you are admitted into the U.S. for the duration of your studies (often abbreviated in your passport or on your I-94 card as "D/S"), you may stay in the U.S. as long as you are a full time student. Even if January 1, 2001 passes and your visa expires while in America, you will still be in legal student status. However, if you depart the U.S. with an expired visa, you will need to obtain a new one before being able to return to America and resume your studies. A student visa cannot be renewed or re-issued in the United States; it must be done at an Embassy or Consulate abroad.
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