BIG NEWS FOR F-1 STUDENTS
ON JULY 20, 2021, USCIS HAS MADE A LONG-AWAITED (COMPLAINED) POLICY CHANGE REGARDING ITS THE “BRIDGE THE GAP” POLICY.
In brief, nonimmigrants applying for a change of status to F1 Student from other nonimmigrant visa categories (such as B2-Tourist) are no longer need to request an extension to their status while waiting for their F1 application to be approved. This is big news for two reasons: 1) it is expected that this change will drastically cut the waiting time for F1 Change of Status approvals, and 2) it will eliminate the cost of the extension requests by nonimmigrants (usually on B2) that they do while their Change of Status application is pending.