Change of Status Request
College employees are not qualified or permitted by law to provide advice with respect to any legal matter including immigration and naturalization procedure. Please consult your attorney.
If you decide to apply to Macomb Community College and want to change your current visa status to an F-1 visa, you must complete these steps at least 60 days before your current visa expires.
- File for an extension of your current visa with a licensed immigration attorney.
- Create an admission account on our website and submit an application.
- Provide evidence of your English Language proficiency taking our placement test.
- Complete the Macomb Community College admission requirements.
- File for a change of status with a licensed immigration attorney.
In order for your attorney to file for the change of status, you will need an I-20. We will issue an I-20 if you meet our English language proficiency requirement and complete all the admissions steps and paperwork for admission to the College.
Once we know you have met our English language admission requirements, you will need to access your admission account to obtain and upload the additional required documents. We will send you an email to guide you through the steps.
It is recommended that you make and maintain copies of all documents submitted to the College.
After you have submitted the required paperwork to Macomb Community College, we will review the forms and if everything is complete, we will issue your I-20 and contact you that it is ready for pick up. You can then give it to your attorney so they can file the change of status forms.
While you are waiting for approval from USCIS (United States Customs and Immigration Service), you may register for credit classes; however if you are changing from a B visitor visa, you must wait to register for credit classes until your change of status has been approved. You may take non-credit classes as a B visa holder.
You will be notified by USCIS if you have been approved or if they require additional information. The school will not be involved at this point, so all your questions regarding your case must be directed to USCIS or your attorney.
Visa Waiver Program
If you are from a country that participates in the Visa Waiver program and are here on the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA), or have a WT/WB passport stamp, you cannot change your visa to F-1 while you are in the U.S. You must return to your home country and apply for a student visa from there.
If you are applying from your home country, plan at least six months to complete all requirements including the application for passport and visa, secure inoculation and vaccination and travel reservations.
If you have any questions regarding the application process or would like to make an appointment, please contact an International Student Representative at f1student@macomb.edu.
Disclaimer
The Records and Registration Office staff are not USCIS employees. Any questions, other than information pertaining to F-1 status, must be directed to USCIS.