Returning Student I-20

Regaining F-1 Status

Maintaining lawful status requires making normal progress toward completing a course of study and complying with the following immigration regulations. For more information on the benefits and restrictions of your F-1 student status, contact an adviser in International Student Services.

Immigration Regulations

• Pursue a “full course of study” at the school listed on your current Form I-20. A full course of study is 12 or more credits per quarter for undergraduate students and 10 or more credits per quarter for graduate students. Exceptions to the full-time requirement must be authorized in advance by your ISS adviser.
• Complete your studies before the program completion date listed in item 5 of your I-20.
• Keep your I-20 valid by following proper procedures for a program extension, change in educational level or field of study, and transfer of schools.
• Remain in the U.S. for no longer than 60 days after completing your current program of study or after completing an authorized period of practical training.
• Keep your passport valid at all times unless you are exempt from the passport requirement.
• Accept no employment except that which is authorized in accordance with immigration regulations.
• Report any change of address to immigration within 10 days of the change. Local address updates made on MyUW will be automatically sent to immigration through the SEVIS system unless you have graduated and are authorized for OPT. To change your permanent address, review the instructions for permanent address updates.

If you fail to maintain your status, you are ineligible for any of the benefits of F-1 status (for example, employment authorization). There are two ways to regain status: apply for reinstatement or depart the U.S. and seek a new admission to the U.S. in F-1 status.

Option 1: Reinstatement

When requesting reinstatement, you must establish to the satisfaction of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) that you:

• Have not been out of status more than 5 months at the time of filing the request for reinstatement (or demonstrate that the failure to file within the 5-month period was the result of exceptional circumstances and that you filed for reinstatement as soon as possible under these circumstances).
• Do not have a record of repeated or willful violations of immigration regulations.
• Are currently pursuing, or intending to pursue, a full course of study in the immediate future at the school which issued the Form I-20.
• Have not engaged in unauthorized employment.
• Are not deportable on any ground other than overstaying or failing to maintain status.

You must also establish that:

• The violation of status resulted from circumstances beyond your control. Such circumstances might include serious injury or illness, a natural disaster, or inadvertence, oversight, or neglect on the part of your ISS adviser, but do not include instances where a pattern of repeated violations or a willful failure on your part resulted in the need for reinstatement, or
• The violation relates to a reduction in your course load that would have been within the international student adviser’s authority to authorize, and that failure to approve reinstatement would result in extreme hardship to you.

If USCIS approves the reinstatement request, the adjudicating officer will update your SEVIS record to indicate that you have been reinstated. If USCIS does not approve the reinstatement request, you may not appeal the decision and need to prepare to leave the U.S. immediately.

Reinstatement Application Procedure

1. Schedule an appointment with your assigned International Student Services (ISS) adviser to discuss your options to regain F-1 status. At the appointment, the ISS adviser will review your eligibility for F-1 reinstatement and will discuss the application process.
2. Submit the online I-20 request through MyISSS. You will be asked to upload scans/photos of financial documentation. The financial documentation must show enough funds to pay for at least three quarters of expenses (unless you are requesting an I-20 for only one or two quarters).
   Allow time for ISS processing. ISS will create a new I-20 for your reinstatement application. You will receive an email from ISS when your I-20 is ready for pickup.
3. Prepare your reinstatement application following the list of documents. Submit your reinstatement application to USCIS either online or by mail. If you plan to mail a physical application, mail the following documents to the USCIS Lockbox.
   • Form I-539 (write “REINSTATEMENT” at the top of the form)
   • Form I-539 filing fee paid by money order, personal check, cashier’s check, or credit card using Form G-1450, Authorization for Credit Card Transactions. If you pay by check, you must make your check payable to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
   • Photocopies of all previously-issued I-20s.
   • Original I-94 (the white card stapled inside your passport) or I-94 printout obtained at https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/I94/.
   • Photocopy of new Reinstatement I-20 signed by ISS adviser.
   • Evidence of source and amount of financial support.
   • A letter requesting reinstatement to F-1 student status which explains your situation and truthfully states that failure to maintain status was due to any or all of the reasons previously listed.
   • Supporting documentation (for example, a letter of support from a faculty adviser familiar with the circumstances of your case).
   • Current transcript and transcripts from other U.S. schools previously attended.
   • Photocopy of passport identification and visa pages; do not send your passport.
   • Completed G-1145 Form (optional; it signs you up for email/text message notification of your application’s arrival at USCIS).
4. Keep a copy of your entire application for your records. Students can apply online using the USCIS portal, or by mail.
   If you choose to apply by mail, it is recommended that you send your application by certified mail, return receipt requested.
   Mailing Address
   USCIS
   P.O. Box 660166
   Dallas, TX 75266
5. Provide a copy of your USCIS receipt notice through MyISSS.

Option 2: Travel and Reentry

In some cases, it may be advisable to depart the U.S. and re-enter with a new I-20, rather than applying for reinstatement. You may do this by obtaining a new I-20 from the school you are currently attending or wish to attend, then departing the U.S., applying for a new F-1 visa if the F-1 visa stamp in your passport has expired, and returning to the U.S. Note that students who violated status are not eligible for automatic visa revalidation. A re-entry to the U.S. after a status violation is viewed by Immigration as “initial attendance” in F-1 status. As such, you are bound by restrictions placed on new students, such as the academic year waiting period for eligibility for practical training.

To request a new I-20 for travel and reentry:

1. Schedule an appointment with your assigned International Student Services (ISS) adviser to discuss your options to regain F-1 status. At the appointment, the ISS adviser will review your situation and discuss the travel & reentry process in detail.
2. Submit the online I-20 request through MyISSS. You will be asked to upload scans/photos of financial documentation. The financial documentation must show enough funds to pay for at least three quarters of expenses (unless you are requesting an I-20 for only one or two quarters).
   Allow time for ISS processing. ISS will create a new I-20 for your reinstatement application. You will receive an email from ISS when your I-20 is ready for pick up.
3. ISS will create a new I-20 for your travel & reentry.

Frequently Asked Questions