F-1 visa expired? You can stay in US if student record is still active

Can you stay in the US with an expired F-1 visa? Yes, you can!. International students in the US whose F-1 visas have expired need not panic—so long as they remain enrolled and maintain active student status, they can legally stay in the country, immigration attorneys say.

 

The F-1 visa allows students to enter the United States to pursue full-time studies at accredited institutions, including universities, seminaries, and conservatories. With top-ranked colleges across the US, the visa remains a preferred route for many international students, including tens of thousands from India.

 

But with a renewed crackdown on migrants under the Trump administration, the visa has come under pressure. More than 300 F-1 visas have been revoked so far, the US government has confirmed. While some cancellations are tied to students’ involvement in pro-Hamas protests, others have reportedly lost their visas over offences such as drunk driving.

 

Many students now face a different kind of concern - what happens when their visa stamp expires while they remain in the US.

 

Visa expired but SEVIS active? You're still legal

 

“Students often confuse the expiration of the visa stamp in their passport with their legal status,” said Abhisha Parikh, a US-based immigration lawyer in a social media post. “But the visa is just an entry document. What matters once you're in the US is your SEVIS status.”

 

To remain legally in the US after the visa expires, a student must:

 

Be enrolled full-time at a Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP)-certified school  

Make normal progress in their academic course  

Ensure their SEVIS (Student and Exchange Visitor Information System) record remains active  

 

SEVIS is the electronic system used by the US Department of Homeland Security to monitor international students and exchange visitors. If the student's SEVIS status is active, they are considered lawfully present, even if the visa has expired.

 

What if the visa has been revoked?

 

Even visa revocation doesn't automatically remove the student from the country.

 

“Generally, if the visa of a student has been revoked in the US, the student is legally allowed to stay in the US and complete the education,” said Sheela Murthy, president and CEO of the US-based Murthy Law Firm.

 

“The visa revocation only applies to the visa that is stamped in the passport and does not apply to a person's legal status in the US. Under the law, the person's legal status remains intact and hence the F-1 student should be allowed to stay on F-1 status and continue the education in the US,” she told Business Standard.

 

Under current regulations, the US State Department can revoke F-1 and J-1 visas for those arrested or convicted of driving under the influence (DUI) or similar offences in the past five years. However, this only impacts the visa document, not a person’s presence in the country—so long as their SEVIS record is not terminated.

 

What if you need to travel?

 

“If you leave the US, you’ll need to apply for a new F-1 visa to re-enter. This is usually done at a US Embassy or Consulate in your home country,” said Parikh. “Most of the time, it’s a dropbox appointment—also known as an interview waiver.”

 

This means a student’s biggest risk isn’t overstaying in the US—it’s trying to leave and return. Many immigration attorneys and universities are now cautioning students to avoid travel unless absolutely necessary.