Student to Spouse of Student
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:
- Have your spouse request an application I-20 showing you as a dependent. This will require your spouse documenting his or her current finances and $2,000 for you. Then submit the following documents to International Student Services for review:
- 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.
- Copies of your passport pages including your visa, passport number and expiration date, and your picture.
- Departure Record—Form I-94—This small white card is usually stapled to your passport next to your visa.
- A photocopy of your spouse's new Form I-20
- New Form I-20 issued through International Services—Have your spouse sign in the space on item 11 at the bottom of page one.
- Proof of financial support for both you and your spouse.
- A notarized copy of your marriage license or certificate—if this is not in English, it must be translated into the English language.
- Money Order or personal check for $370.00 made payable to U.S. Department of Homeland Security—Cash is not accepted.
- (Optional) Personal statement explaining why the Change of Status (COS) is necessary
- After our document review and copies are made for your records, apply on line at USCIS.gov.
- You will submit the form and pay the fee on line and then mail in the required documents to the address listed on the cover page you will print at the end of the process.
- When approved, the service center will return a new Form I-94 indicating your new status to the address indicated on your Form I-539 application. Make sure that if you move, you have your mail forwarded.
- It is advised that you do not travel outside of the U.S. with a change of status application pending.