Resuming your F-1 / F-3 Status

Resuming Your F-1 / F-3 Status

                                                                                                                                                                                                                 I-20 Request Form

If you are OUT of status, then you need to get back INTO status in order to legally continue your studies at UTEP.

Here are some common reasons why students lose F-1 / F-3 status:

  • Not enrolling in sufficient credit hours, student has a full-time I-20
  • Not earning sufficient credit hours (“W” grades don’t count as credit earned to maintain immigration status), student has a full-time I-20
  • Being fired from a full-time CPT during a semester in which a student was not taking any classes
  • Allowing the I-20 to expire and not requesting an extension by the expiration date; or not completing the program by that date, and being ineligible for an I-20 extension
  • Being a part-time Border Commuter whose I-20 expires at the end of the term and forgetting to submit a request form for an I-20 renewal by the expiration date of the current I-20

 

Consequences of losing your status:

When you lose your status you lose your eligibility for Curricular Practical Training and Optional Practical Training for one year.

 

To get back into full-time F-1 / F-3 status, follow these steps:

  1. Request a letter from your academic advisor stating when you are expected to graduate. Note: the graduation completion date should be based on you taking the minimum number of required credit hours per fall & spring semester (12 for undergraduates, 9 for graduates). Summer enrollment should not be included in this calculation.
  2.  Submit the letter with an I-20 request for “Resuming full-time attendance” at the Office of International Programs  (OIP). In some cases, you must show an updated “Confirmation of Financial Resources” or PASE approval before you can get a new I-20. For more information, click here: Confirmation of Financial Resources (CFR). For more information about  PASE, click here: PASE.
  3. Assuming you submitted all required information and there is nothing else preventing an I-20 be issued, in five business days, your new I-20 will be ready to pick up. You will receive an e-mail confirmation from the OIP advisor processing your request.
  4. Pay the SEVIS I-901 fee of $200 online at www.fmjfee.com/i901fee. Print the receipt.
  5. Turn in your I-94 at a US port of entry and exit the United States
  6. Re-enter the US with your passport, visa, new I-20, and I-901 payment receipt. You must be given a new I-94 when you do this.
  7. YOU MUST HAVE A MULTIPLE ENTRY VISA TO DO THIS. IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A MULTIPLE ENTRY F-1 VISA, PLEASE SEE AN INTERNATIONAL STUDENT ADVISOR AT OIP.
  8. IF YOUR F-1 / F-3 VISA HAS EXPIRED, YOU MAY HAVE TO OBTAIN A NEW F-1 / F-3 VISA BEFORE YOU CAN RE-ENTER THE US. For more information on reentering the US with an expired visa, click here: Travel & Re-Entry.
  9.  Request a new I-94 at the port of entry.
  10. Once you have reentered the US, go to OIP and provide a copy of your I-20 with the stamp from the port of entry as well as a copy of your new I-94.
  11. Provided you are enrolled full-time for the term in which your I-20 begins, OIP will register your I-20 record in SEVIS and your F-1 / F-3 status will be valid again.

 

If you are a Mexican student and you plan to enroll part-time in the term for which you are requesting the new I-20, you may resume your F-1 / F-3 status as a part-time Border Commuter. In this case, you need to complete a part-time Border Commuter request form at OIP. For more information, click here: Border Commuter.


Office of International Programs
203 Union East Bldg * (915) 747-5664 * oip@utep.edu * Hours: Monday-Tuesday 8-6 Wednesday-Friday 8-5