You must discuss this procedure with your international student adviser before leaving the United States. Your adviser can discuss the risks and the actions you can take to minimize them. In general, the process for returning to active F-1 status by traveling is:

1. Meet with an international student adviser to discuss your situation.
2. Receive a new I-20 with a remark indicating that you are traveling for reinstatement.
   • You must provide financial documentation to verify you can afford to attend MU. Refer to the estimated expenses for more detailed information.
   • Your current I-20 will be terminated in the SEVIS system. You will be issued an initial I-20 for travel.
3. Travel outside of the U.S., pay a new SEVIS fee, apply for a new visa and re-enter with the new I-20.
4. Upon your return to MU, immediately meet with your international student adviser to check-in with International Student and Scholar Services and activate your new SEVIS record.

Eligibility requirements

• You must not have been out of status for more than five months. If you have been out of status for more than five months, you must travel for reinstatement unless you can prove that there were extraordinary circumstances that prevented you from applying for reinstatement earlier.
• The status violation must have been beyond your control.
• You do not have a record of repeated violations
• You are pursuing a full course of study.
• You have not worked illegally. You cannot apply for reinstatement if you have worked illegally; you must travel for reinstatement.
• You are not deportable on any grounds other than those for which reinstatement is being requested.

Application process

1. Meet with an international student adviser to discuss your situation. Bring these documents with you:
   • Letter explaining why you are out of status and specifically asking to be allowed back into F-1 status
   • Form I-539 (instructions)
     • Write “reinstatement” clearly across the top of the I-539
     • In part 1, write “D/S” in the “Expires on” field next to “Current nonimmigrant status”
     • In part 2, choose “reinstatement to student status”
     • In part 3, choose “duration of status, D/S”
   • Check/money order for $370 application fee payable to U.S. Department of Homeland Security
   • Copy of your original I-94 record
   • Copies of your current I-20, passport and visa (if you have dependents, provide copies of their documents as well)
   • Copy of the SEVIS receipt from your previous F-1 status
   • Recent financial documentation (refer to the estimated expenses for more detailed information)
   • Proof of enrollment in a full course of study
2. During the meeting with your adviser, you will receive a new I-20 with a remark indicating that you are applying for reinstatement.
3. Mail your application and all materials to USCIS.
   • By U.S. Postal Service:
     USCIS
     P.O. Box 660166
     Dallas, TX 75266
   • By express service (e.g., UPS, FedEx):
     USCIS, Attn: I-539
     2501 S. State Highway 121
     Business Suite 400
     Lewisville, TX 75067
   • Do not use any type of mail service that requires USCIS to sign for your application.
4. Approximately two weeks after submitting your application, you should receive a receipt notice (Form I-797). The document indicates your receipt number, which you may use to track the status of your case online. While your reinstatement application is pending, you are not eligible to work. If you decide to travel, you would need to apply for a new F-1 visa with a new I-20.
5. After your application is approved, immediately meet with an international student adviser to have your documents copied for your file and your SEVIS record reactivated. If your application is denied, please meet with an adviser to discuss your options.

Once you have obtained an I-20 or DS-2019 from International Student and Scholar Services, you can travel outside the U.S. (preferably to your home country), apply for an F-1 or J-1 visa at a U.S. embassy/consulate and re-enter the U.S. using your new visa. To apply for a new visa, you will need to present the following documents, along with any additional materials required by the embassy/consulate at which you are applying.

• I-20 or DS-2019
• Valid passport
• Copy of your admission letter from MU
• Financial documentation to verify you can afford to attend MU (refer to the estimated expenses for more detailed information)
• Proof of ties to your home country (e.g., family relationships, employment, property, etc.)
• Receipt showing you have paid the SEVIS fee

All of these documents should be presented when applying for your visa and (with the exception of proof of ties to your home country) again when you re-enter the United States. Upon clearing immigration inspection, you will be in F-1 or J-1 status and your new I-94 record will be marked accordingly. Review your I-94 to make sure the official marked the correct visa class.

Once you have obtained an I-20 or DS-2019 from International Student and Scholar Services, you may submit an application to USCIS to request a change in your nonimmigrant status to F-1/F-2 or J-1/J-2. The following steps are required for all change of status requests.

1. Prepare all of the required documents, including supplemental evidence based on your current status. You may use International Student and Scholar Services’ address on Form I-539. Your receipt notice and change of status adjudication notice would then be sent directly to our office, and we will notify you to come pick them up.
2. Mail your application and all materials to USCIS.
   • By U.S. Postal Service:
     USCIS
     P.O. Box 660166
     Dallas, TX 75266
   • By express service (e.g., UPS, FedEx):
     USCIS, Attn: I-539
     2501 S. State Highway 121
     Business Suite 400
     Lewisville, TX 75067
   • Do not use any type of mail service that requires USCIS to sign for your application. If you live outside of Missouri, please contact an international student adviser before sending the application. You may need to send it to a different USCIS location, depending on your return address.
3. Approximately two weeks after submitting your application, you should receive a receipt notice (Form I-797). The document indicates your receipt number, which you may use to track the status of your case online.
4. USCIS will adjudicate your application within several months of receiving it. Processing time varies by case and can take longer than five months. It is not unusual for USCIS to contact applicants with requests for more information prior to making a final decision.
5. If USCIS approves your application, you will receive an approval notice (Form I-797), which includes a new I-94 record and your new I-20/DS-2019. Remember to store these documents in a safe place and always keep them as a record of your status change.
6. Bring a copy of your new I-94 and I-20/DS-2019 to International Student and Scholar Services to complete your required check-in.

Please note that this option leads only to a change in your immigration status. You will not obtain a new visa in your passport. If you receive a change of status by application, you must still obtain a new visa the next time you travel outside of the United States if you wish to re-enter in your new status.

Important restrictions

If any of the following apply to you, your status cannot be changed by application. You can only change your immigration status by traveling outside of the U.S. if you are currently:

• In the U.S. under the visa waiver program or on a B-1/B-2 visa.
• In the U.S. as a J-1 exchange visitor or a J-2 dependent and are subject to the two-year home residency requirement
• In the U.S. and in violation of your current nonimmigrant status