Change to F-1 Status
Eligibility:
- Valid non-immigrant status
- Admittance to St. Cloud State University
- SCSU-issued I-20
Not Eligible:
- Holders of C, D, K and M visas
- Visitors with WT or WB status (Visa Waiver Program)
- J-1 & J-2 non-immigrants with a 2-year home residency requirement
- Non-immigrants who overstayed or violated their status
- B-1/B-2 visitors who arrived into the United States after 4/12/2002 are not permitted to enroll or attend classes until their F-1 status has been approved.
- F-2 Dependents may not enroll in a degree program until their F-1 status has been approved.
Documentation and Procedures
Please schedule an appointment with the Center for International Studies and bring the following documents:
- Letter of acceptance from SCSU
- Original SCSU I-20 (I-20 should state: Initial Attendance - Change of Status requested)
- Financial documents indicating availability of funds as shown on I-20
- Completed I-539 form
- Cover letter explaining the circumstances leading to the need for a change of status
- Photocopy of passport (biographic pages, visa stamp, passport expiration date)
- Original I-94 card & original I-94 cards of dependents also changing status to F-2 (If applicable)
- Check for $300 payable to Department of Homeland Security
- Copy of SEVIS fee receipt (more information on paying the fee is available online at www.FMJfee.com).
- If you currently hold dependent status (e.g. F-2, J-2, H-4) also include photocopies of the principle visa holder’s valid status (e.g. I-94, visa, passport identity page, I-20, etc.)
After the Center for International Studies verifies your application to ensure its correctness, then you should mail your application to:
United States Citizenship and Immigration Services
P.O. Box 10539
Laguna Niguel, CA 92607-1053
You will receive a receipt from US CIS in 2-3 weeks. It may take 2-4 months for US CIS to make a final decision. You may track your petition on the following website: https://egov.uscis.gov/cris/caseStatusSearchDisplay.do
If your application is approved, you will receive the I-20 form back from US CIS with the approval stamp and a new I-94 card. If the application is denied, you will receive a letter to depart the U.S. Please bring your change of status notification to the Center for International Studies so that we may update your file in our office.


