Students holding an F-1 visa are required to maintain a legal status at all times by: enrolling at full-time status, keeping a valid passport, avoiding unauthorized employment, and making normal progress toward their degree.

Students who fail to maintain their F-1 status may apply for reinstatement of their status with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). VIU will evaluate the circumstances in which the student fell out of status and only those that went beyond the student's control will be considered for the reinstatement process. Students who have been out of status for more than five months will not be eligible for reinstatement.

Applying for Reinstatement

The International Student Advisor will require the following documents for reinstatement application:

1. Form I-539: Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status
• The phrase "reinstatement to F-1 status" should be written at Part 2, Item 1. The student should complete the entire form and sign it.
2. Form I-539 fee, made payable to "U.S. Department of Homeland Security"
• Get the most current fee amount from the USCIS website.
3. A new, original I-20, issued for reinstatement, and all I-20s previously issued to the student
4. A letter from the student explaining the situation and requesting reinstatement
• This letter should establish that the violation resulted from circumstances beyond the student’s control. It may also relate to a reduction in course load that would have been within the ISS Office's power to authorize.
5. A letter from the ISS Office recommending reinstatement and providing corroboration of the situation
• This is required ONLY when the violation of status resulted from an error on the part of the ISS Office.
6. Copy of the new financial support documents in order to support the issuance of a new I-20 for reinstatement
7. Original Form I-94
8. Copy of identity pages from the student's passport
9. Any other documentation that might help establish the nature of the violation, to document that the violation occurred less than 5 months ago, or to justify why it should be accepted even if the violation occurred more than 5 months ago, and that the student is pursuing or intending to pursue a full course of study
10. Transcripts from all the schools the student has attended in the United States
11. If you have any dependents in the United States, you must also include them in the application since a violation of your F-1 status affects your dependent family members as well