Girlfriend F-1 (I-20) one month extension. Please Help

[Rick1197 0]

Hi everybody, hope all is well. Here is my question. My girlfriend is from Germany and is currently studying here in Hartford, CT. When we planned the visit we had assumed her stay until August would be fine. Her I-20 expires at the end of May. So now she may have to leave by the end of July. Does anyone know how we may file for an extension. Her classes end May 7th.

Is it as simple as filing for the i-539?

Please help, thank you all so much in advance.

Kind regards, Rick

[Little_My 464]

Is she graduating in May? She can't file for an extension for no reason - if the needs to extend for an extra semester to finish her classes, she can do that, but if she is graduating and done with her studies, she has no basis for extending her I-20. If she is graduating, she can always apply for OPT which will buy her another 12 months in the US, if she can find someone willing to hire her in the field she graduated from.

[Rick1197 0]

Is she graduating in May? She can't file for an extension for no reason - if the needs to extend for an extra semester to finish her classes, she can do that, but if she is graduating and done with her studies, she has no basis for extending her I-20. If she is graduating, she can always apply for OPT which will buy her another 12 months in the US, if she can find someone willing to hire her in the field she graduated from.

Thank you for the response. Well here's the thing, I don't know if she necessarily NEEDS to extend the I-20.. My goal is simply to have her stay until the end of August. Can she just file for a different kind of Visa?

[Little_My 464]

No. Visas are not issued in the US, they are issued via US embassies and consulates abroad. She cannot just switch to another visa in the US. Technically, she could leave the US and go to Canada (or anywhere else outside the US), file the ESTA online, and if approved, re-enter under Visa Waiver Program, i.e. as tourist, and stay for up to 90 additional days. However, given that she has just been studying here and lived here for an extensive period of time, if she were to leave the country for a few days and attempt to re-enter as tourist, there is a pretty good chance of her being denied entry.