IS

    F-1 to F-2   

F-1 to F-2 (student to student spouse)

• To qualify to change from F-1 to F-2,
  • you must
    • be in good legal standing with USCIS (must have maintained full-time status while in school)
    • be a bona fide nonimmigrant and
  • the F-1 principal, your spouse whose status yours will be attendant to, must be in good status.
• To apply, submit the following documents to International Services for review:
  1. Completed Form I-539 (Application for Change of Nonimmigrant Status)—Form I-539 may be downloaded here and filled in by using your keyboard before printing or obtained from International Services.
  2. Copies of your passport pages including your visa, passport number and expiration date, and your picture.
  3. Departure Record—Form I-94—This small white card is usually stapled to your passport next to your visa.
  4. A photocopy of your spouse's current Form I-20
  5. New Form I-20 issued through International Services—Sign in the space on item 11 at the bottom of page one.
  6. Proof of financial support for both you and your spouse
  7. A notarized copy of your marriage license or certificate—if this is not in English, it must be translated into the English language.
  8. Money Order or personal check for $300.00 made payable to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services—Cash is not accepted.
  9. Copy of paper confirmation of payment of $100 SEVIS fee. This can be paid online; click here.
  10. (Optional) Personal statement explaining why the Change of Status (COS) is necessary
• General information for preparing application materials
• After our document review and copies are made for your records, mail the documents listed above to:
  U.S. Department of Homeland Security
  U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
  California Service Center
  P.O. Box 10539
  Laguna Niguel, CA 92607-1053
• It will take from 60-120 days to hear back from the CSC. Normally the Form I-94 is returned to International Services. We will notify you as to when you can come and pick it up.

    F-1 to H   

F-1 to H-1 (student to specialty occupation or dependent— more

• International Services does not process changes from F-1 to H.
• If you desire to work for a U.S. company in H-1B status, contact the human resource department of that company regarding the process to change your status.
• If you desire to work at BYU, you should contact the BYU General Counsel (Legal Office) at 422-3528, located in A-357 of the ASB.
  

    F-1 to J-1   

F-1 to J-1 (student to exchange visitor)

• You qualify to change from F-1 to J-1 if you
  
  • are and have been in status and
  • are a bona fide non-immigrant, namely one who has no intention of remaining in the United States, but will return to your home country after completing degree requirements.
• To apply, submit the following documents to International Services for review:
  1. Completed Form I-539 (Application for Change of Nonimmigrant Status)—Form I-539 may be downloaded here and filled in by using your keyboard before printing or obtained from International Services.
  2. Form DS-2019 issued through International Services. In order to be issued a valid Form DS-2019, properly signed by International Services and by you after having been invited to BYU as a visiting scholar or admitted to a BYU degree program as a J-1 student.
  3. financial documentation used to obtain a Form DS-2019. 
  4. Copies of your passport pages including your visa, passport number and expiration date, and your picture
  5. Original Form I-94—Departure Record—This small white card is usually stapled to your passport next to the visa.
  6. All your original I-20s forms
  7. Dependent Applications—If you have dependents here in the U.S. on F-2 visas, each of them must also submit applications, providing all of the above documentation plus a copy of the original marriage certificate (or birth certificate for children) with a notarized translation of the certificate(s).
  8. Money Order or personal check for $300.00 made payable to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services—Cash is not accepted and an additional $10 for each dependent. On the front of the money order include the student's name, date of birth, and Form I-94 admission number for reference.
  9. (Optional) Personal statement explaining why the Change of Status (COS) is necessary
• General information for preparing application materials
• After our document review and copies are made for your records, mail the documents listed above to:
  U.S. Department of Homeland Security
  U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
  California Service Center
  P.O. Box 10539
  Laguna Niguel, CA 92607-1053
• It will take from 60-120 days to hear back from the CSC. Normally the Form I-94 is returned to International Services. We will notify you as to when you can come and pick it up.

    F-1 to PR   

 F-1 to PR (student to permanent resident)

If you marry a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, you may have your spouse apply to USCIS in your behalf to adjust your status to a permanent resident; this would allow you to live and work in the U.S. while retaining citizenship in your home country.

• Requirements
• The marriage must:
  • not have been entered into for the sole purpose of conferring permanent residence status on the alien,
  • be legally binding when performed and
  • be currently in effect.
• Application Procedure
• Obtain and complete the required forms and documents as listed by USCIS on their Web site,
• You may also apply for an employment authorization document (EAD) which authorizes you to work where and when you would like. Information is on the USCIS Web site.
• If you plan to travel during the processing of the application, you should apply for the appropriate travel documents and receive authorization before you travel. Information is on the USCIS Web site.

NOTE: For answers to questions and concerns, you should consult directly with USCIS officers (appointments are made at the InfoPass Web site) or with an attorney knowledgeable in immigration law since the application process involves your immigrant status and International Services works with non-immigrant status.

• Process
• Submit your application for conditional permanent residency after your marriage.
• Processing may take up to 14 months and involves interviews and providing biometrics. During this time you may work and travel outside the U.S. only if you have applied for and have received the appropriate work and travel authorizations. These take approximately three months to process.
  NOTE: Under most circumstances during this time, you become ineligible for non-immigrant benefits like re-entry into the U.S. with a Form I-20 after a temporary absence from the country.
• You are officially designated as a conditional permanent resident when a designating stamp is placed in your passport. Conditional permanent residency extends for two years.
• Within 90 days before the two-year anniversary of being granted residency, you must apply to have the conditions removed and to become a permanent legal resident; otherwise, your residency is automatically terminated. Legal permanent residency is granted for ten years and may be renewed multiple times. After a minimum of three years of legal permanent residency, you may apply to become a U.S. citizen. This process is called naturalization.