Part F - Students (F, M)
Resources
22 CFR 41.61 Students - academic and nonacademic
8 CFR 214.1(c)(5) - Decision on application for extension or change of status
8 CFR 214.13 - SEVIS fee for certain F, J, and M nonimmigrants
8 CFR 214.2(f) - Students in colleges, universities, seminaries, conservatories, academic high schools, elementary schools, other academic institutions, and in language training programs
8 CFR 214.2(m) - Students in established vocational or other recognized nonacademic institutions, other than in language training programs
8 CFR 214.2(q)(5)(ii) - Petition for multiple participants
8 CFR 214.3 - Approval of schools for enrollment of F and M nonimmigrants
8 CFR 274a.12(c) - Aliens who must apply for employment authorization
INA 101(a)(15)(F) - Academic student definition
INA 101(a)(15)(M) - Vocational student definition
INA 214(c) - Admission of nonimmigrants
INA 214(m) - Nonimmigrant elementary and secondary school students
Appendices
| Requirement | F-1 | M-1 |
|---|---|---|
| Acceptance at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP)-certified school | Required | Required |
| Bona fide student pursuing full course of study | Required | Required |
| Sufficient funds | Must have sufficient funds that are or will be available to successfully study without resorting to unauthorized employment in the United States for financial support | Must have immediately available funds or assurances of support necessary to pay all tuition and living costs for the entire period of intended stay |
| Full-time study | Required, unless Designated School Official (DSO) or the Secretary of Homeland Security (in a Federal Register notice) authorizes a reduced course load | Required, unless DSO authorizes a reduced course load for medical reasons |
| Public schools | No study permitted at a public school for kindergarten through grade eight. Study is only permitted at an U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP)-certified public high school (grades nine through 12) and is limited to 12 months. The student must demonstrate that they have paid the unsubsidized cost of the education to the educational agency. | No study permitted at a public school for kindergarten through grade eight |
| School transfers | Allowed, DSO must record in Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) | Allowed if it is less than 6 months into program of study and student cannot remain at present school due to circumstances beyond their control. USCIS must authorize. Student cannot change educational objective. |
| Curricular Practical Training | Allowed, DSO must authorize | Not applicable |
| Optional Practical Training (OPT) (pre-completion) | Allowed, if student has been enrolled for 1 full academic year. Must be directly related to the student’s major area of study. Cannot be full-time while school is in session. DSO must endorse, and USCIS must approve and issue employment authorization document (EAD) prior to the student starting OPT. | Not applicable |
| OPT (post-completion) | Allowed, must be directly related to the student’s major area of study. Requires DSO endorsement, approval by USCIS, and issuance of EAD | Not applicable |
| Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) OPT Extension | Allowed, must have a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, or doctorate degree that is on the STEM Designated Degree Program List (PDF); receive DSO endorsement; and receive USCIS approval to qualify for a 24-month OPT extension | Not applicable |
| Practical Training | Not applicable | Allowed after completion of the student’s course of study. Must be related to the student’s course of study, and employment comparable to the proposed employment is not available to the student in the country of the student’s foreign residence. Requires approval by USCIS and issuance of EAD. |
| Maximum Stay | Duration of status | 1 year, plus extensions not to exceed 3 years |
| Program Extension | Allowed, if the student has continually maintained F-1 status, the need is caused by a compelling academic or medical reason, and the student applies to the student’s DSO for the extension before the student’s Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status (Form I-20) expires | Allowed, the maximum cumulative time of extensions is 3 years from original start date. M-1s must apply for an extension beyond the end date of their Arrival/Departure Record (Form I-94) by filing an Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status (Form I-539) with USCIS |
| Family members | Spouses and unmarried children under the age of 21 are eligible for the F-2 visa classification | Spouses and unmarried children under the age of 21 are eligible for the M-2 visa classification |
Updates
This technical update to Volume 2, Nonimmigrants, clarifies that an F-1 student may apply for a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Optional Practical Training (OPT) extension no later than 60 days after a designated school official’s recommendation in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS). This technical update aligns the guidance with the regulations.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is updating policy guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual regarding when students may be eligible for optional practical training (OPT) for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields; as well as clarifying guidance concerning online study, school transfers, the grace period, and study abroad.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is issuing policy guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual to address the nonimmigrant student (F and M) classifications, including USCIS’ role in the adjudication of applications for employment authorization and change or reinstatement of status to F or M classifications.
2 USCIS-PM F.1 - Chapter 1 - Purpose and Background
2 USCIS-PM F.2 - Chapter 2 - Eligibility Requirements
2 USCIS-PM F.3 - Chapter 3 - Courses and Enrollment, Full Course of Study, and Reduced Course Load
2 USCIS-PM F.4 - Chapter 4 - School Transfer
2 USCIS-PM F.5 - Chapter 5 - Practical Training
2 USCIS-PM F.6 - Chapter 6 - Employment
2 USCIS-PM F.7 - Chapter 7 - Absences From the United States
2 USCIS-PM F.8 - Chapter 8 - Change of Status, Extension of Stay, and Length of Stay
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is issuing policy guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual to clarify the validity period of employment authorization for F-1 students experiencing severe economic hardship due to emergent circumstances (also known as special student relief (SSR)).
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is issuing policy guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual regarding applications for change of status (COS) to F-1 classification.
This technical update replaces all instances of the term “alien” with “noncitizen” or other appropriate terms throughout the Policy Manual where possible, as used to refer to a person who meets the definition provided in INA 101(a)(3) [“any person not a citizen or national of the United States”].
1 USCIS-PM - Volume 1 - General Policies and Procedures
2 USCIS-PM - Volume 2 - Nonimmigrants
6 USCIS-PM - Volume 6 - Immigrants
7 USCIS-PM - Volume 7 - Adjustment of Status
8 USCIS-PM - Volume 8 - Admissibility
9 USCIS-PM - Volume 9 - Waivers and Other Forms of Relief
10 USCIS-PM - Volume 10 - Employment Authorization
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is revising its policy guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual to align with the Fee Schedule and Changes to Certain Other Immigration Benefit Request Requirements Final Rule, published in the Federal Register on August 3, 2020. This guidance becomes effective October 2, 2020. For information regarding implementation, see Appendix: 2020 Fee Rule Litigation Summary.
1 USCIS-PM A - Part A - Public Services
1 USCIS-PM B - Part B - Submission of Benefit Requests
2 USCIS-PM - Volume 2 - Nonimmigrants
7 USCIS-PM A - Part A - Adjustment of Status Policies and Procedures
7 USCIS-PM F - Part F - Special Immigrant-Based Adjustment
7 USCIS-PM M - Part M - Asylee Adjustment
11 USCIS-PM A - Part A - Secure Identity Documents Policies and Procedures
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is updating and incorporating relevant Adjudicator’s Field Manual (AFM) content into the USCIS Policy Manual. As that process is ongoing, USCIS has moved any remaining AFM content to its corresponding USCIS Policy Manual Part, in PDF format, until relevant AFM content has been properly incorporated into the USCIS Policy Manual. To the extent that a provision in the USCIS Policy Manual conflicts with remaining AFM content or Policy Memoranda, the updated information in the USCIS Policy Manual prevails. To find remaining AFM content, see the crosswalk (PDF, 309.83 KB) between the AFM and the Policy Manual.
1 USCIS-PM - Volume 1 - General Policies and Procedures
2 USCIS-PM - Volume 2 - Nonimmigrants
3 USCIS-PM - Volume 3 - Humanitarian Protection and Parole
4 USCIS-PM - Volume 4 - Refugees and Asylees
5 USCIS-PM - Volume 5 - Adoptions
6 USCIS-PM - Volume 6 - Immigrants
7 USCIS-PM - Volume 7 - Adjustment of Status
8 USCIS-PM - Volume 8 - Admissibility
9 USCIS-PM - Volume 9 - Waivers and Other Forms of Relief
This technical update replaces all instances of the term “foreign national” with “alien” throughout the Policy Manual as used to refer to a person who meets the definition provided in INA 101(a)(3) [“any person not a citizen or national of the United States”].
1 USCIS-PM - Volume 1 - General Policies and Procedures
2 USCIS-PM - Volume 2 - Nonimmigrants
6 USCIS-PM - Volume 6 - Immigrants
7 USCIS-PM - Volume 7 - Adjustment of Status
8 USCIS-PM - Volume 8 - Admissibility
9 USCIS-PM - Volume 9 - Waivers and Other Forms of Relief
10 USCIS-PM - Volume 10 - Employment Authorization
Version History
No historical versions available.