dbane001 Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 Hello All, I am planning to go the US in a couple of months on H4 visa as my wife is there on an H1B visa and working. I already have an MS in Computer science from the US and further intend to change my status from H4 to F1 visa for pursuing PhD in computer Science from a reasonably good university there. My question is, through the 'Change Of Status' procedure can i directly change my status from H4 visa to F1 visa while staying in the US on an H4 visa, and if so what financial documents do i need to furnish to the INS? Your replies are most appreciated and valued. Thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tino Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 Yes. But, you will change your status, not your visa. This means that you will still have an H4 visa in your passport, but the H4 will NOT be valid. You will have NO F1 visa, but you will have the status of and F1. What this means is that you can stay in the USA as F1, but if you leave the USA you have no valid visa in your passport to return. This is the main problem with Change of Status. As for documents, you don't need much: Just all you H4 docs, your I-94 (small paper they put in the passport when you enter the USA), the I-20 from the school you will enter, I901 from the school (or you will get it yourself, after you get the I-20 $100 at http://www.fmjfee.com), proof of finances to show you can pay for the school (the I-20 will tell you how much to show, you only need enough for the 1st year), and a lawyer. GET A LAWYER! A lot of people try to do it themselves, but a good lawyer is a big help... especially if anything goes wrong. You should be able to get a lawyer to do it for less than $1000 incl the govt. fees. (The fees are nearly $400) Tino Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbane001 Posted July 22, 2008 Author Share Posted July 22, 2008 Hi Tino, Many thanks and gratitude are due for your quick reply. :) I would like to ask just a few more questions. 1) After i have secured admission for a PhD program in the US, since the Phd program generally comes with an assistantship( research or teaching ), and assuming i get offered an assistantship with a full tuition waiver, in that case will i have to furnish the financial documents showing funds for 1 whole year or will that requirement be waived? 2) Assuming i get offered an assistantship with full tuition waiver, and even in this case if they ask us to produce proof of finances for one year, then will i have to deposit that amount to the University or just produce evidence of my funds for 1 year while pursuing Phd with full tuition waiver and stipend? 3) My wife is ready to sponsor my study in the US. Do you have a rough or an approximate idea as to how much is required to be shown as proof of funds and in what form? ( like for example Bank Statements showing how much, etc). 4) In case of the Change of Status from H4 to F1 i will not be able to travel out of US for the entire period of my F1. Is this understanding correct? Thanks so much Tino once again for your answers. They are really helpful to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paradox3696 Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 1) After i have secured admission for a PhD program in the US, since the Phd program generally comes with an assistantship( research or teaching ), and assuming i get offered an assistantship with a full tuition waiver, in that case will i have to furnish the financial documents showing funds for 1 whole year or will that requirement be waived? As long as your financial assistance from the school is more than the figure stated on I-20, you shall be fine. No further financial support statement is needed under normal circumstances. 2) Assuming i get offered an assistantship with full tuition waiver, and even in this case if they ask us to produce proof of finances for one year, then will i have to deposit that amount to the University or just produce evidence of my funds for 1 year while pursuing Phd with full tuition waiver and stipend? There is NO reason why the school would ask you to do so if the amount receives from the school is more than the total expeneses listed on I-20. 3) My wife is ready to sponsor my study in the US. Do you have a rough or an approximate idea as to how much is required to be shown as proof of funds and in what form? ( like for example Bank Statements showing how much, etc). The difference between the amount you receive from the school minus the totak expense on the i-20. If it is positive, then you shall be fine. 4) In case of the Change of Status from H4 to F1 i will not be able to travel out of US for the entire period of my F1. Is this understanding correct? You can still travel out of the country anytime you want. However, your status in USA is simply F1-status and you would need to apply for student visa in your home country (normally) and to re-enter USA. Check with your Foreign student advisor before leaving USA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbane001 Posted July 22, 2008 Author Share Posted July 22, 2008 Hi Paradox, A gargantuan thanks for your timely and quick information. This really helps me with setting some perspective. May i ask a few more questions ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbane001 Posted July 22, 2008 Author Share Posted July 22, 2008 Hi Paradox, A gargantuan thanks for your timely and quick information. This really helps me with setting some perspective. May i ask a few more questions ? Hi All, In case you may answer them for me i will be most thankful. Q1) Lets assume that i get an offer from the I-20 which states that i receive partial assistantship and say that amount is 'A'. Also assume that the total expenses for a year as mentioned in the I-20 is 'T'. In this case, during the 'Change of Status' will i be asked to show proof of finances for just 'T-A' or the whole of the total amount 'T' as per the I-20? Q2) My wife is currently working on H1B visa in the US since April 2008. Will she be eligible to show proof of funds for my PhD education, if i apply through a Change Of Status from H4 to F1 in US or directly apply for F1 visa from India ? Q3) If my wife can be eligible to sponsor my education partly, what documents can constitute proof of finances that my wife can show for me, who is currently in the US on H1B visa ? Q4) Is it allowed that if i apply for F1 visa directly from India, in that case can my wife be a partial sponsor showing 50% of the funds and my parents can also sponsor partly the other 50% of the total amount needed to be shown as proof of funds? :rolleyes: The answer to Question4 Q4 is most important for me. Thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbane001 Posted July 22, 2008 Author Share Posted July 22, 2008 I just want to reiterate that Paradox and Tino have been doing a wonderful job in answering my questions for which i did not have answers for a long time. Great job Paradox and Tino and many thanks once again!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbane001 Posted July 22, 2008 Author Share Posted July 22, 2008 In case you may answer them for me i will be most thankful. Q1) Lets assume that i get an offer from the I-20 which states that i receive partial assistantship and say that amount is 'A'. Also assume that the total expenses for a year as mentioned in the I-20 is 'T'. In this case, during the 'Change of Status' will i be asked to show proof of finances for just 'T-A' or the whole of the total amount 'T' as per the I-20? Q2) My wife is currently working on H1B visa in the US since April 2008. Will she be eligible to show proof of funds for my PhD education, if i apply through a Change Of Status from H4 to F1 in US or directly apply for F1 visa from India ? Q3) If my wife can be eligible to sponsor my education partly, what documents can constitute proof of finances that my wife can show for me, who is currently in the US on H1B visa ? Q4) Is it allowed that if i apply for F1 visa directly from India, in that case can my wife be a partial sponsor showing 50% of the funds and my parents can also sponsor partly the other 50% of the total amount needed to be shown as proof of funds? :rolleyes: The answer to Question4 Q4 is most important for me. Thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tino Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 I agree with what paradox has posted. Yes, your school will show how much they estimate you need for 1 year. They will subtract any assistantship payments from that, and you will need to show the remainder. Example: Total tuition and expenses: $42,000. Assistantship $24,000. Remainder: $18,000 The main way to show that is cash in the bank. CHecking and/or savings accounts. You can show your own, your wife's, joint accounts, and parents accounts in any combination. For example, the following would be good: Joint account: $5000 Personal account: $3000 Parent's savings: $10000 Tino Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paradox3696 Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 Sorry for the late reply. Q1) Lets assume that i get an offer from the I-20 which states that i receive partial assistantship and say that amount is 'A'. Also assume that the total expenses for a year as mentioned in the I-20 is 'T'. In this case, during the 'Change of Status' will i be asked to show proof of finances for just 'T-A' or the whole of the total amount 'T' as per the I-20? Yes, that is correct and has been pointed out by Tino Q2) My wife is currently working on H1B visa in the US since April 2008. Will she be eligible to show proof of funds for my PhD education, if i apply through a Change Of Status from H4 to F1 in US or directly apply for F1 visa from India ? Yes anyone can be your sponsor to include your wife. The tough part is to decide whether to change the status in USA or apply visa in your home country. Personally, I would change the status in the States first and get the visa later. Q3) If my wife can be eligible to sponsor my education partly, what documents can constitute proof of finances that my wife can show for me, who is currently in the US on H1B visa ? Her savings account, bank statement etc. Q4) Is it allowed that if i apply for F1 visa directly from India, in that case can my wife be a partial sponsor showing 50% of the funds and my parents can also sponsor partly the other 50% of the total amount needed to be shown as proof of funds? :rolleyes: Yes , certainly she can sponsor you. Cheers and best of luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbane001 Posted July 23, 2008 Author Share Posted July 23, 2008 Hi Tino and Paradox, Thanks for all the great assistance you rendered in answering my questions so accurately. This really gives me a whole lot of perspective!!! Thanks once again!! and wish me luck.... Cheers, dbane001 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbane001 Posted July 23, 2008 Author Share Posted July 23, 2008 Hi Tino and Paradox, I owe a million thanks to you guys as this really does provide me with a whole lot of insight and answers against the questions i could not seem to find an answer for. Thanks a lot for answering them!! And wish me luck.... Cheers, dbane001. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbane001 Posted July 23, 2008 Author Share Posted July 23, 2008 Hi tino and paradox, thanks a milion for answering my questions as i could not seem to find answers for most of them. This realy provides me with a whole lot of insight.... Thanks a million!!!! And wish me luck.... cheers, dbane001 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbane001 Posted July 23, 2008 Author Share Posted July 23, 2008 Hi Tino and Paradox, Many thanks to you for answering my questions that i didnt have answers for. May i ask one more question? As you have already stated that since i am planning to go for the PhD program in Comp Science in USA, only the amount of ( total expenses - total financial aid ) for the first year of study is required to be shown as proof of funds to the US consulate officials. However do i also need to show proof of finances for subsequent years? Please can you clarify this point? Thanks and Regards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tino Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 No. You only need to show enough for the amount on the I-20. And that amount will be the first year. However, the more money you can show, the better. The policy of the State Dept is that you need to show enough liquid assest to fund the 1st year. Tino Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbane001 Posted July 24, 2008 Author Share Posted July 24, 2008 Hi Tino and Paradox, Thanks are due once again!! This is great. You seem to have answers for every question posed. Can you tell me this please? Do the following categories of investments qualify as 'liquid assets' ? a) Fixed Deposits in well known Indian Banks. b) Property evaluation statements What other categories of investments can qualify as 'liquid assets' ? Hoping for your kind assistance. Cheers, dbane001. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tino Posted July 24, 2008 Share Posted July 24, 2008 LIQUID: 4 a: consisting of or capable of ready conversion into cash b: capable of covering current liabilities quickly with current assets In other words, cash or assets that can quickly become cash: checking accounts, savings accounts, CDs Bonds Stocks that can be cashed out. Things that are typically not liquid: property, retirement accounts, businesses, etc... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.