Update December 21, 2022
We are continuing to see faster adjudication times for I-539 changing status to F-1. This example is about 2 months and the posted timeframe is at 18 months.
Original Post December 6, 2022
We are seeing faster adjudication of change of status requests to F-1. Below are some recent samples showing total processing times of under 4 months. Compared to a few years ago, when status changes to F-1 took well over a year, this is a significant improvement. Also note that, unlike in previous years, applicants are no longer required to extend their B-2 while their change of status to F-1 remains pending. Bridging the gap is no longer a requirement.
