Changing your Immigration Status from B-2 Tourist or
B-2 "Prospective Student to F-1
If you are currently in B-1 or B-2 status and you want to pursue a program of study, you must change your visa status to F-1 (or another visa status that would allow you pursue a degree program).
To change from B-2 tourist or B-2 "prospective student" to F-1 student status within the U.S., complete the application packet (available at the ISSO or on-line below), and mail the items suggested in the application to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). After you are approved for the change of status, the next time you travel out of the U.S., you will have to go to a U.S. consulate to apply for the F-1 visa stamp in order to re-enter the U.S. in F-1 status. Make certain your complete application is reviewed by an ISSO staff member before mailing. The Vermont Service Center usually takes between 1 and 3 months to approve a change of status application. Please note: Your application to change to F-1 student status MUST BE APPROVED before you may legally enroll in classes.
Items to send to USCIS:
- Fee (currently $300): check or money order made payable to the Department of Homeland Security; write your I-94 card number, name (if not already printed on your check), and the type of application you are requesting on the face of your check or money order.
- A receipt showing that you have paid the “SEVIS fee” which you can print when you pay the fee on line at: www.FMJfee.com.
- A letter from you, requesting the change of status and explaining why you did not enter the US on an F-1 visa. If you entered on B-2 prospective student status and this is noted on your visa stamp or on your I-94 card, the change of status request is usually routinely granted, if all other documents are in order. Changing from the B-2 tourist status to F-1 student status is much more difficult, especially if the application is made in less than three months after your arrival in the US. Please consult with the ISSO before coming to the US on a B-2 visa. An adviser at the ISSO should look at your letter before you mail your packet to the USCIS.
- Completed Form I-539, Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status (ISSO adviser can help you with items you don't understand; remember to fill out both sides of the form, answer questions in Part 4 item 3 on a separate page when necessary, and complete the mailing label).
- Your Cornell I-20. Send the original, not a copy. Be sure to read page 2 and sign on page 1, Item 11.
- Photocopies of your immigration documents:
ID page of your passport
page in passport showing expiration date if different than ID page
your B-2 visa page
BOTH sides of the I-94 card - Financial documentation: evidence which supports section 8 on your I-20 (personal or family bank statements and/or letter from your academic field describing your assistantship).
Staple all of the items together (keep a copy for your records) and mail by certified mail to:
United States Citizenship and Immigration Services
Eastern Service Center
75 Lower Welden Street
St. Albans, VT 05479-0001**
**Please Note: This is the service center to use if you are currently living in Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, U.S. Virgin Islands, Vermont, Virginia or West Virginia. If you are NOT living in one of these states, please contact an advisor at the ISSO about where to send your application.
NOTE: After your I-20 and new I-94 are returned to you, send or bring a photocopy of the documents to the ISSO.