Reentry to U.S. to Acquire F-1 Status

Individuals who choose to reenter the U.S. to acquire F-1 status, must follow the steps below.

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1. Obtain an F-1 Form I-20 from ISSS

The I-20 is a "certificate of eligibility" for F-1 status; the form alone does not grant F-1 status itself. 

Before requesting your I-20, you should be certain of your plan to acquire F-1 status via reentry (see ‘Reentry vs. Change of Status’).  

To request your I-20: 

Please be aware that all I-20 requests require you to provide funding documentation that meets ISSS’s financial documentation policies.

An AI “Determine Current Visa Status” registration hold will be added to your UMN record as part of the I-20 processing. This hold will be removed once your F-1 status has been approved, and you have reported it to ISSS (see #4).

2. Apply for an F-1 Visa

Apply for an F-1 Visa by following these 5 steps.

3. Re-enter the U.S. Before Your I-20 Program Start Date

Reenter the U.S. before your I-20 program start date. The earliest you are allowed to reenter the U.S. is 30 days before your I-20 program start date; this “Earliest Admission Date” will be displayed on your I-20.

4. Report your F-1 Approval

Your F-1 status is granted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) upon your reentry to the U.S.. Upon your return to the U.S. in F-1 status, you must report your F-1 approval to ISSS.

  • New Students: Complete your New Global Gopher Required Tasks. 
  • Continuing Students: Complete the ‘Report F-1 Approval’ forms in your Change of Status to F-1 checklist in MyISSS. 

After completing the above forms, an ISSS staff person will update your UMN record to indicate you are in F-1 status as of the effective date on the approval notice. If you are not already paying international student fees, they will be assessed as of your F-1 approval date and applied to your student account.

Failure to report your change of status in a timely manner may result in the loss of your newly gained status.

Last updated: April 21, 2026