H4 To F1 (Meaning, How-to, benefits)

The admission process into many universities proves to be quite tedious. Most of the issues with this course of action stem from legal actions and repercussions. The change from H4 to F1 is one such process.

When students apply for admission into colleges, it is of utmost importance that they find out if they meet the requirements of the college they intend to apply for.

It is important because the school chosen can help you achieve your post-school ambitions.

Table of Contents

Research Options in the US as a Non-Resident

There are three research options:

F1 visa research
Visa report for H4
H4 study and F1 visa study

H4 to F1

What is H4?

An H-4 visa is a United States visa issued to dependent family members of H-1B, H-1B1, H-2A, H-2B, and H-3 visa holders to travel to the United States and reunite with the principal visa holder.

The acquisition of H4 mostly involves a switch from dependent individuals who just got to 21. It often requires that those with the other immigration status apply for a change of status if they wish to change to H4.

A non-US citizen cannot obtain certain jobs and cannot acquire a certain course of study with the H4 status.

What is F1?

The F-1 Visa (Academic Student) is a visa that allows you to enter the United States as a full-time student at an accredited college, university, seminary, conservatory, academic high school, elementary school, or other academic institution or in a language training program.

This is usually a student program and allows you to get into any school pending authorization to teach international students.

Why Change From H4 to F1

People often wonder why you should change from H4 to F1; the reason is not far-fetched. For international students, one of the major factors that can affect your college choice is your immigration status.

Usually, students that receive an I-20 from a university may have to change their H4 status to F1. This process can happen in two ways: the student can fly outside the United States of America to get the F1 Visa stamped, or can choose to apply for it while still in the United States.

However, the change of immigration status takes about 4-8 months; this depends on the support center you submit the petition to. While awaiting an update on the change of status, you can partake in the educational program.

Furthermore, for those still planning to travel to the US, you can obtain your F1 status from the US consulate. But the most important question is, how do I go about changing from H4 to F1? Read on as we explain it.

Read this: O2 Visa – Everything You Must Know

How To Change From H4 to F1

According to USA Admission, students should pay for admission processes of about $485. The application and other documents submitted are usually made to the USCIS. The following are usually included there, namely;

A Copy of University’s I-20
The University acceptance letter that grants you entry
Print of receipt for the Service bill; the service charge is about $200, which can be charged electronically
Copy of new I-94
Passport duplicate – contains just the first column, the second column, and all parts of the visa stamps.
Archive of all previous I-797A approvals if there was submission of any H4 visa extensions.
Funds justification for paying fees and bills.
Cover letter detailing why you request for rank change from H4 to F1; since F1 is a non-immigrant visa, you must show your desire to leave to your home country while finishing your degree.
Copy of wedding certificate (in case of marriage)
Print of the passport of H1B spouse which should contain just the first page, the second page, and all the sections of the visa seal.
Your most current H1B spouse’s I-94
Your H1B partner‘s last three pay stubs
H1B Partner cover letter saying that he/she will fund your college bills.

After these documents have been submitted, the student then awaits the acceptance of the change of status.

Merits And Demerits Of H4 to F1:

Merits of H4 to F1:

H4 Visa to F1 Visa change of status is done basically by obtaining the form I-539.
The flexibility of the status change allows the applicant to file I-538 with help from the DSO without hiring an attorney.
The filling process is quite simple.
Complete Form I-539 is not complex.
Gathering the required documents is within the student’s reach.
Submission of the application to USCIS is easy.

Demerits of H4 to F1:

Time is one of the major issues associated with this switch as students cannot control have fast or slow their change of status is approved.

Another issue is that you may need to attend an F1 Interview while on OPT, which will disrupt your academic activities.

Read this: Telemedicine Job (Meaning, Benefits, companies)

Conclusion

Whether to retain your H4 status or switch to F1 is solely dependent on the applicant’s needs. One of the cons of getting the F1 status is that the F1 Visa is usually costlier than the H4 visa.

However, having the H4 limits the opportunities available to you, your most viable option is to function as an assistant. You can become either a teacher’s assistant (TA), testing assistant (RA), or an optional practical experience (OPT) assistant.

When deciding what visa you want to obtain, you must check if it aligns with your goals and what you want for your career.

However, it can be said that the choice to retain H4 or to switch to F1 can not be tagged right or wrong, as the needs of various students usually vary.

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H4 To F1 (Meaning, How-to, benefits)

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