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Hello all,
This is my situation:
I came to the US on a F1 visa in Jan 2001 to do my undergrad education. My visa was valid until Dec 2005. My education suffered many set backs (due to financial constraints) and I’m about to graduate in Dec 2008. I have also been out of status for a while (1.5 years), but got my self back into good standing by traveling to Canada and getting a new i-94. Due to my expired F1 visa I have not been able to travel to India all this while. I was considering going to India to get my visa extended but was scared about getting rejected. Many people recommended me against going to Canada or Mexico for visa extension. Recently I came to know that students, who are traveling to Mexico or Canada for a period of less than 30 days, are eligible to re-enter the USA even if the F-1 visa is expired. Students will need a recent signature on the back of their I-20 in order to be re-admitted. This opens up a new avenue for me—I can go to Canada/ Mexico and apply for visa extension and return safely even if rejected
This is my question:
1. What are the chances for getting an extension on my visa considering that:
a) I have taken unusually long (7 yrs) to get close to completion of the degree I got my visa for (supposed to take 4 yrs)
b) I was out of status for a substantial amount of time (even though I’m in good status now)
2. Is there a chance that the visa officer is able to cancel my I-20 or do something similar to prevent me from re-entering the US (because of reasons a & b from above)
3. Are there any other risks I’m failing to consider
I greatly appreciate any kind of guidance you folks are able to provide. Thank you.
This is my situation:
I came to the US on a F1 visa in Jan 2001 to do my undergrad education. My visa was valid until Dec 2005. My education suffered many set backs (due to financial constraints) and I’m about to graduate in Dec 2008. I have also been out of status for a while (1.5 years), but got my self back into good standing by traveling to Canada and getting a new i-94. Due to my expired F1 visa I have not been able to travel to India all this while. I was considering going to India to get my visa extended but was scared about getting rejected. Many people recommended me against going to Canada or Mexico for visa extension. Recently I came to know that students, who are traveling to Mexico or Canada for a period of less than 30 days, are eligible to re-enter the USA even if the F-1 visa is expired. Students will need a recent signature on the back of their I-20 in order to be re-admitted. This opens up a new avenue for me—I can go to Canada/ Mexico and apply for visa extension and return safely even if rejected
This is my question:
1. What are the chances for getting an extension on my visa considering that:
a) I have taken unusually long (7 yrs) to get close to completion of the degree I got my visa for (supposed to take 4 yrs)
b) I was out of status for a substantial amount of time (even though I’m in good status now)
2. Is there a chance that the visa officer is able to cancel my I-20 or do something similar to prevent me from re-entering the US (because of reasons a & b from above)
3. Are there any other risks I’m failing to consider
I greatly appreciate any kind of guidance you folks are able to provide. Thank you.
