Changing of Status (COS) Information:


General Information

IESC assists students with the process of changing their legal immigration status to F-1, non-immigrant student. A COS can be obtained through one of the following procedures:

  • Travel outside the U.S. with all appropriate documents and have an F-1 visa stamped in your passport. Re-enter the U.S. in valid F-1 status.
  • Mail an application to change your current legal immigration status to the California Service and obtain a Change of Status. Remain in the U.S.

Note: A Change of Status is not a visa. You will have to obtain an F-1 visa stamp in your passport the next time you leave the U.S and plan to re-enter in legal student status.

Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible for a COS, you should first have been admitted to the University as a Non-resident. IESC will issue an I-20 for you to process the Change of Status.

Procedures: Please choose one:

  • COS with a VISA: Students who plan to travel outside the U.S. and re-enter with an F-1 visa should arrange to receive their I-20 from IESC and apply for a visa at a U.S. embassy/consulate in their home country. A Visa is a stamp or sticker placed in your passport at a U.S. consulate or embassy outside the U.S. A visa is only a permit to enter the United States.

Information on visa applications and US embassies is available at www.travel.state.gov. Please verify application requirements, processing times and other information specific to your individual case and home country.

Students are responsible for paying all required fees. The new SEVIS I-901 fee of $200 for F-1 applicants went into effect on October 27, 2008. Please verify whether you need to pay this fee when applying for your visa. Information on the SEVIS I-901 fee is available at www.fmjfee.com/i901fee.

  • COS through mail in process: Students who plan to remain in the U.S and apply for a COS to the California Service Center (CSC) are required to meet with a Foreign Student Advisor to discuss their current immigration status, academic status and possible options. All information is case specific. The CSC may take more than 90 days to process your application.

Required Documents:

For either option, please bring the following to your mandatory meeting with a Foreign Student Advisor:

  • Proof of admission to CSUN (for new students)
  • Unofficial Transcript (for continuing students)
  • Original Affidavit of Financial Support available online.
  • Original Bank Statement verifying the funds from the Affidavit of Financial Support
  • Health and accident insurance policy offering at least U.S. $ 100,000.00 in major medical and hospital coverage plus $30,000.00 in repatriation and evacuation coverage through the end of the academic year.

A policy can be purchased online here and must be paid separately from your tuition. Payments are to be made online only. IESC will not, under any circumstance facilitate payment submission for the purpose of purchasing health insurance.

If the policy is purchased elsewhere, please bring a receipt showing proof of expiration date as well as the policy, or a letter from the insurance company with your full name verifying that your current insurance meets the above requirements.

Policies purchased in countries other than the United States must be officially translated in English and all relevant amounts must be in US dollars.

copies of:

  • Passport: Valid for at least six months
  • Visa stamp in passport that was utilized to enter the U.S.
  • Front and back of I-94
    (You may have more than one I-94 if you entered on one visa status and have already obtained a COS prior to applying for COS to F-1).

IESC will take 1- 3 weeks to review and process the request. Please call 818-677-3053 to ask if the I-20 is ready for pick up.

Important

  • Students who intend to mail in their application for a COS to the California Service Center (CSC) must submit a completed form I-539 along with a fee of $300.00 with their application. The I-539 can be downloaded from www.uscis.gov.
  • Consulting with an immigration attorney of your choice is highly recommended.
  • You may request a FSA to review the application packet before you mail it to the CSC.
  • You will be billed non-resident tuition effective the semester for which an I-20 is issued by CSUN.
  • IESC does not require ANY fees for the services it provides to international students. No fees, under any circumstances, shall be submitted to IESC. If a student is submitting an application to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), a check payable to "Department of Homeland Security" will accompany the student's application. Advisors' responsibilities are limited to reviewing the check for accuracy and returning to the student who will mail the application directly to USCIS.

Please contact IESC at (818) 677-3053 or email a Foreign Student Advisor for questions and/or clarifications:

Brenda Acosta

  • College of Engineering and Computer Science

Patricia Marquez

  • College of Art, Media, & Communication
  • College of Social and Behavioral Science
  • College of Education

Rhonda Myers

  • College of Health and Human Development
  • College of Science and Math
  • College of Humanities

Roopa Rawjee

  • College of Business and Economics

RR 11/19/08