It is essential to remember that you must take full legal responsibility for maintaining your status with United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). You are responsible for finding out, understanding, and following any pertinent regulations. If you have lost your F-1 status, you must immediately make an appointment with an international student advisor to discuss about the re-entry and reinstatement options.

Re-Entry

If you choose to travel outside of the USA and re-enter the USA on a new I-20/status, you might lose certain benefits of your F-1 status. A meeting with an international student advisor is essential to learn about these impacts.

After you have met with an international student advisor and it has been determined that you are eligible for re-entry, apply here.

Reinstatement

You may apply to regain your F-1 status while remaining in the USA. If you remain in the USA and USCIS decides that you may be permitted to regain your status, then you will regain all of the F-1 student benefits. You will receive a packet of information from the International Student Advisor. Once you have gathered all of the necessary documentation, make another appointment with an International Student Advisor to finalize your application that you will send to USCIS.

If your case has been determined that you are eligible for reinstatement, request for an reinstatement I-20 here.