US makes F1 visa easy for children of H-1B visa holders |
The US Citizenship and Immigration Services is giving a new policy update which will make it easier for children of non-immigrant visa holders in the US to shift to a F-1 student visa, benefiting the children of thousands of H-1B visa holders in the US, especially Indians. Earlier, applicants needed to maintain status up to 30 days before the program start date, which required them to file multiple visa extensions to ensure that they do not have a `gap` in status. To prevent a `gap` in status, the change of status to F-1 will be effective the day an applicant`s Form I-539 is approved. I-539 is an application to extend/change non-immigrant status. If they approve an application more than 30 days before the student`s program start date, the student must ensure they do not violate their F-1 status during that time. The move is expected to reduce costs and workloads for both, applicants and the immigration department. Under the existing policy, dependent children of H-1B visa holders who are waiting for their permanent residency application to be approved `age-out` on turning 21, which is also when a majority of them switch to an F-1 student visa. Since the student visa would be applicable only 30 days before the start of their program, they would often have to file visa extensions in order to remain in the country for the short period between their earlier visa lapsing and the student visa being valid.
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