The USCIS determination of eligibility for change of
status to F-1 consists of two levels of inquiry:
-
Check or
money order for $290, made payable to the Department of
Homeland Security or U.S. Citizenship and immigration
Service. If someone else writes the check, make sure
your name is somewhere on the check.
-
Properly Filled I-539 form, Application to
Change/Extend Immigration Status
-
Original I-20 (the entire form)
-
Proof of payment of the SEVIS I-901 fee (http://www.ice.gov/sevis/i901/)
-
Original
form I-94, Arrival/Departure Record
-
Photocopy
of current immigration status documents, visa stamp,
and passport ID pages
-
Photocopy
of financial support documents
(same financial support information used to
obtain the I-20 from the school)
-
If applicable, dependent
family member(s)
documentation (If
dependent family members currently in the U.S. plan
to change their status as well, their information
should be included in Form I-539,a
nd documentation showing the validity of
their current immigration status, including their
Forms I-94, should be included
-
Letter
from the student. Although
optional, a strong letter can help
convince USCIS of the student's temporary intent as
well as persuade USCIS that the student did not have
a pre-conceived intention to study in the U.S.
An
applicant for change of nonimmigrant status to F-1
may start attending school even before the
application has been submitted or approved, except
for the following, who must wait until their change
of status application is approved by USCIS:
