U.S. Clarifies Study Abroad Policy for F-1 Visa Holders

IFSA | Dec. 11, 2024

Good news for F-1 visa holders who want to study abroad. On November 26, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services made a “technical correction,” removing concerning policy revisions made in August. The August update had raised serious concerns that international students pursuing college degrees in the United States faced potential restrictions from studying abroad for longer than five months.  

As NAFSA recently noted on LinkedIn, the current policy now refers F-1 students to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) page, Study in the States, to learn more. Because this content is incomplete at this time, NAFSA affirmed “the long-standing understanding that a student who remains enrolled in their I-20 school during their study abroad program can remain in active SEVIS status even in if the program lasts more than five months.” NAFSA also offered a variety of resources to learn more.