H1 -> F1 transfer

MBA
1

Hi , Currently I am on an H1 visa in the US , I have got admission into a B School here and would be joining the school in August. What is the process for converting your H1 to an F1 VISA , what steps do i need to take after recieving the I-20 …

2

Hi ,
Currently I am on an H1 visa in the US , I have got admission into a B School here and would be joining the school in August. What is the process for converting your H1 to an F1 VISA , what steps do i need to take after recieving the I-20 .

Will I have get a restamping done on my passport ?

Also, before I leave the US do I have to get a new I-94 ?

thx for the help.

MBABUSTER

3

Hello,

I can give you some more information on H1 to F1 transfer.
you can email me and then i can tell u som more things

Ashish

4

Ashish...it would be great if you can post the information here.

5
Hi ,
Currently I am on an H1 visa in the US , I have got admission into a B School here and would be joining the school in August. What is the process for converting your H1 to an F1 VISA , what steps do i need to take after recieving the I-20 .

Will I have get a restamping done on my passport ?

Also, before I leave the US do I have to get a new I-94 ?

thx for the help.

MBABUSTER


From what I know if you are planning to stay in US then you can simply file for change of status from H1 to F1. It might take 2-3 months to do so but again it could be as little as less than a month. You will need to get the stamping done only when you are coming back to US from some international destination. Assuming u file for change of status while in US you will get the new I-94 once your application is approved.

If you are leaving US then you can simply file for F1 at the consulate and get the stamping etc done as you would have done for H1 or F1. I am going for this route ...take a break ..this is one opportunity you don't wanna miss 😃
6
From what I know if you are planning to stay in US then you can simply file for change of status from H1 to F1. It might take 2-3 months to do so but again it could be as little as less than a month. You will need to get the stamping done only when you are coming back to US from some international destination. Assuming u file for change of status while in US you will get the new I-94 once your application is approved.

If you are leaving US then you can simply file for F1 at the consulate and get the stamping etc done as you would have done for H1 or F1. I am going for this route ...take a break ..this is one opportunity you don't wanna miss :)


I will also be taking that route , will be leaving for India and then get it stamped there, but I have heard that there are chances of rejection in India but if you get it done in the US , chances are nill
7

Hello

I agree with gtg617 and mba buster
The info u guys have is correct but there are some different views i have heard from int office people from diff school.
The timing for applying change of status is critical. Indiana resident like me apply to calif office and as of date it takes 4 months to get it approved.. but as soon as it is approved we have to stop working..
so if u guys are planning to leave the country after applying.. u have to plan things very carefully..

I dont think so i want to take a chance of getting my visa stamp before school starts. I am planning to get it stamped in Dec08.. i guess if we r in middle of program then we have less chances of rejection..
i know it is difficult to explain all constaints in here,..
send me a personal message and i can share my cell phone number to chat at length..

good luck to all.. and lets be in touch to know exactly what and when to do all the things

Ashish

8
Hello

I agree with gtg617 and mba buster
The info u guys have is correct but there are some different views i have heard from int office people from diff school.
The timing for applying change of status is critical. Indiana resident like me apply to calif office and as of date it takes 4 months to get it approved.. but as soon as it is approved we have to stop working..
so if u guys are planning to leave the country after applying.. u have to plan things very carefully..

I dont think so i want to take a chance of getting my visa stamp before school starts. I am planning to get it stamped in Dec08.. i guess if we r in middle of program then we have less chances of rejection..
i know it is difficult to explain all constaints in here,..
send me a personal message and i can share my cell phone number to chat at length..

good luck to all.. and lets be in touch to know exactly what and when to do all the things

Ashish


Well you may be right that there are some people who do not get F1 from back home but you have to realize that there are several other factors which we might not be privy to with the applications that are rejected ...so if you know that there is nothing wrong with your application and you feel comfortable with taking a little risk then I don't see any problems ...more or less it is a very simple and straight forward process and I don't see any point in debating "if then" conditions without actually knowing the problem areas with ones application...
9

Hi I am in India and have a valid H1...do you guys see any pain points in a transfer to F1??

10

I am also looking for various avenues for getting my F1. At present I am more inclined towards getting it done in India. But I am also gathering info about if I can get it done in a consulate near US.
Anyone else looking to get the F1 stamped in Toronto or Mexico consulate??

11

hi all

m a little confused :huh:

i m on h4 in the USA
i hav an admit from college A
i m going to get the I 20 from them
suppose i receive an admit from college B n want to get into college B
suppose i have the f1 by then ... wat happens to the F1 .. how is it transferred to college B

also suppose i have filed for COS n while the process is on - i say yes to college B
wat happens under that scenario

thanks for ur help

:-o

12
hi all

m a little confused :huh:

i m on h4 in the USA
i hav an admit from college A
i m going to get the I 20 from them
suppose i receive an admit from college B n want to get into college B
suppose i have the f1 by then ... wat happens to the F1 .. how is it transferred to college B

also suppose i have filed for COS n while the process is on - i say yes to college B
wat happens under that scenario

thanks for ur help

:-o

Once you have the F1 you can go to whatever Univ. and study there irrespective of what I-20 you used to get the F1. F1 is not specifically granted for only one school/univ. For more information you might want to search through the forums on murthy.com
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gtg617c Says
Once you have the F1 you can go to whatever Univ. and study there irrespective of what I-20 you used to get the F1. F1 is not specifically granted for only one school/univ. For more information you might want to search through the forums on murthy.com




thanks mbabuster :p

do v have to inform sevis about transferring from college a to b

n do v have to transfer the financial records from college a to b (under the circumstances stated above)

:tellme:
14

Hi
As far as I know, you can convert your H1 to F1 either from US or coming back to India. Normally when you come back to India, you will have to show financial documents and intent to come back. One advantage is that you have already been in US and have a good track record. You can also apply from US, but it might take a bit longer and you will have to apply at specific consulates depending on your location.

One more thing, which I think is important to understand is the remaining term when you have a H1 visa and you are staying in US.

As far as I have read and know, if you have a valid H1 visa and you are not outside Us for more than a year, you will not be considered back in quota while you convert your F1 back to H1. but the term will be the remaining term of your original H1. I cannot confirm on this, but this is what I have come to know from different sites.

Thanks

15

I am on L1 and want to transfer to F1. I have following three choices:

1. COS(This takes around 4 months). So I will not be able to work for my assistantship.
2. Going to India(home country). Will be very costly. I just returned from India and do not want to go now again
3. Going to Canada. I heard it is very risky.

Please help how I should approach this problem

16

Hi All,
I am going to apply for H1 visa. I am planning to go to US for studies in 2011.
Do you see any issue in H1 to F1 conversion? Will they ask me during interview that what is your intent to stay in the US as you already have H1?
Or is it better that I do not apply for H1?
Are there any other possibilities/issues in this case that you can notice? Please reply me back.

17

hi anyone can please answer this?