If you’re an international student who’s received your U.S. student visa, congratulations! You’ve made it to the United States and are now ready to embark on a lifetime of learning and living here in America. Here are 6 ways to extend your U.S student visa after graduation.
However, there may come a time when your visa expires and you need to apply for another one before graduation or before the end of your coursework program (if applicable). In this article, we’ll discuss some options for extending your visa once it has expired so that you can continue studying at an American university or college after graduating from high school.
6 Ways To Extend Your U.S Student Visa After Graduation
There are a number of ways to extend your U.S. student visa after graduation, each with its own pros and cons.
In case you’re wondering what the best option is for extending an F-1 visa after graduation, it depends on your situation and goals:
If you’re planning on returning home immediately or within a few months’ time (say, for spring break), then staying in the country is probably not worth it since there’s no need for long-term residency there.
However, if staying in the country longer than six months makes sense for other reasons, then taking advantage of this option might be worthwhile; just remember that some institutions have policies against students staying past their graduating date at all times!
So, you start applying early so as to not be stranded when your visa expires. Here are a few ways you could extend your visa:
Read Also: USA Scholarship
Pursue further education
Pursuing further studies in the U.S. can see you extend your stay even further if you meet the requirements of the course.
If you’re an international student looking to extend your education in the United States, there are a few things to keep in mind.
First, degrees from accredited U.S. institutions are much more likely to be recognized by employers than those from unaccredited schools or colleges overseas.
This is because many American employers require prospective employees to have completed at least two years of full-time post-secondary studies before they can obtain permanent residency status (permanent legal residence).
While it’s possible for international students who have graduated from an unaccredited university abroad and then enrolled at another one here in the United States, such as many universities that accept foreign students but aren’t accredited, this option isn’t recommended for most individuals seeking green card status because it can result in delays and other complications during processing time frames.
Secondly, you should also make sure that your chosen program is accredited by a U.S.-based organization such as WASC/NACUBO International Accreditation Service (IAS) or NCA International Accreditation Services (NCAIAS). Both groups offer independent evaluations of educational programs so that potential employers know exactly what kind of training their new hires will receive before hiring them for full-time positions with benefits packages.
Get a job offer from a U.S. employer
If you are an international student and have graduated from a U.S. university, the process of extending your visa can be quite straightforward. The key is to find a job offer from an employer in the United States before your current visa expires.
To apply for the extension of stay following graduation, you must:
● Have a job offer from an employer in the United States;
● File it with USCIS; and Pay all required fees
Read Also: Study in the USA for Free for International Students
Get married
If you are a student who wants to get married in the United States, there are many options. After graduation and before your visa expires, you can apply for an Adjustment of Status (AOS) petition on Form I-485 which allows you to marry your spouse in the U.S.
If your marriage happens outside of the United States, then you can make an adjustment from abroad using Form I-130 (with supporting documentation) or from within the U.S., using Form I-539 (with supporting documentation).
This process may be relatively simple for some people who have found love: you can marry a U.S. citizen and if there is concrete proof that the relationship is legal and not misleading, you could end up becoming a U.S. citizen.
Through marriage with a citizen of the United States, you will be able to extend your stay in the country permanently. This process requires a lot of documentation and you could require an experienced immigration lawyer to make the process much easier.
Apply for asylum in the U.S.
● What is asylum?
An asylum application is when you apply for permission to stay in the U.S. as a refugee. You need to prove that you are fleeing persecution in your home country and that there’s no other safe place for you to go back to or live peacefully with your family members.
● What are the requirements?
To qualify for asylum, you must show that:
1) Your life would be threatened if you returned home;
2) The situation made it impossible for law enforcement officials in your native country (or neighboring countries) to protect or help those who were targeted by violence;
3) There wasn’t enough time left before being deported/removed from another country without international protection status granted by USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services). If these conditions are met then USCIS will grant “asylum”
Read Also: Financial Aid For International Students in the US
Get a green card through your U.S. citizen parent or spouse
If you’re a U.S. citizen who has a parent or spouse who is already in the United States and wants to sponsor your Green Card, this is a good option for you. You can apply for an immigration waiver that will allow him or her to stay in the country permanently (and become eligible for citizenship).
To qualify for this type of visa, your parent(s) must:
● Be living legally in the United States as a permanent resident;
● Have been married for at least two years with no divorce proceeding pending;
● Be age 31 or older at the time of application and eligible under the ‘Adjustment of Status’ procedures outlined below;
● Be capable of supporting themselves without federal public assistance programs such as welfare benefits
H-1B visa Sponsorship (non-immigrant visa)
If you’re applying for an H-1B visa (a non-immigrant visa), you are permitted to work in the United States. However, if your employer doesn’t have a U.S.-based office and is not affiliated with a U.S.-based company, it’s possible that they won’t be able to sponsor your application for this type of visa.
If this is the case and you wish to pursue employment opportunities outside of the United States after graduation, consider applying for another type of temporary work visa instead:
Conclusion
If you are an international student who has graduated from a U.S. university, there are many ways to extend your U.S. student visa after graduation. The most common is to get married or apply for asylum in the U.S., but there are other options as well!
