【Successful E-2 to F-1 Change of Status Case | Green Card Priority Date Pending + Arrest Record + NOID — Approved Despite High Risk】 Student W, age 36, is based in California and is a citizen of Canada. He has not completed a bachelor’s degree. In early June 2025, Student W’s E-2 visa was revoked due to a prior arrest record, placing his immigration status at immediate risk of interruption. As he already has a pending U.S. green card priority date, he needed to maintain lawful status in the United States while waiting for his priority date to advance. During the E-2 grace period following the visa cancellation, Student W formally engaged Ivy International to assist with changing his status to F-1. In late June 2025, we assisted Student W in obtaining admission to an undergraduate program at a university in California. On July 2, 2025, we filed his E-2 to F-1 change of status application, and in late September 2025, we submitted a premium processing request. After biometrics were completed in late October 2025, USCIS issued a NOID (Notice of Intent to Deny) on November 7, 2025, citing concerns related to Student W’s prior arrest record. At that point, the case entered a high-risk stage. In response, we provided a clear, well-reasoned explanation addressing the arrest record and the overall case circumstances, supported by multiple strong pieces of favorable evidence. These materials effectively mitigated USCIS’s concerns and significantly reduced the risk of denial. Approximately one month after the NOID response was submitted, USCIS issued an additional RFE in mid-January 2026, requesting an updated I-20, as the original document had expired. Notably, after the school updated Student W’s I-20 on January 22, 2026, USCIS was able to view the updated SEVIS record in its system and approved the F-1 change of status on the same day — even before the new I-20 was uploaded by the applicant. (Click to view the USCIS approval notice)

【Successful Case of Changing Status from H1B to F1】Y, a 28-year-old from China with a master’s degree, had been working in Northern California on an H1B visa since October 2023. After leaving the job on October 31, 2024, Y decided to stay in the U.S. to continue studying. On November 8, 2024, Y received an admission offer to an associate degree program at a community college in Northern California. With the help of Ivy International Consulting, Y submitted a well-prepared H1B to F1 premium application, which was received by USCIS on November 22, 2024. No additional documents were needed, and the application was successfully approved on November 27, 2024! (Click to view the USCIS approval notice)

【Successful Case of Changing Status from H1B to F1】Y, a 30-year-old from China with a master’s degree, had been working in the U.S. on an H1B visa since October 2019. As the six-year H1B limit was approaching, Y decided to switch to an F1 visa to stay in the U.S. for further studies. In late October 2024, Y received an admission offer from a graduate program at a university in Massachusetts. With the help of Ivy International Consulting, Y submitted a well-prepared H1B to F1 premium application, which was received by USCIS on December 3, 2024. No additional documents were needed, and the application was successfully approved on December 12, 2024! (Click to view the USCIS approval notice)

【Successful Case of Changing Status from B2 to F1】B, a 23-year-old student from India with a bachelor’s degree, entered the U.S. in September 2024 on a B2 visa. In November, she entrusted Ivy International with her change of status to F1 application. On December 4, we submitted her application with premium processing. Although she chose a community college, which is a lower academic level than her previous degree, we provided a well-reasoned explanation of her circumstances, mitigated all risks of denial, and prepared comprehensive supporting documents. Remarkably, her application was approved the very next day, on December 5, 2024! (Click to view the USCIS approval notice)

【Successful Case of Changing Status from H1B to F1】G, a 37-year-old from China with a master’s degree, had been working in Pennsylvania on an H1B visa since October 2023. After leaving the job at the end of July 2024, G decided to stay in the U.S. to continue studying. In late August 2024, G received an admission offer from a graduate program at a university in California. With the help of Ivy International Consulting, G submitted the H1B to F1 application, which was received by USCIS on September 6, 2024. The application was well-prepared with no additional documents required, and it was successfully approved on November 27, 2024! (Click to view the USCIS approval notice)

【Successful Case of Changing Status from L1 to F1】W, a 32-year-old from China with a master's degree, worked in the U.S. on an L1 visa since September 2022. After losing the job in December 2024, W chose to stay and study. In early November 2024, W was admitted to a graduate program at an East Coast university. With Ivy International Consulting's help, W submitted a fully prepared L1 to F1 premium application on November 22, 2024. No additional documents were required, and the application was approved the same day! (Click to view the USCIS approval notice)

【Successful Case of Changing Status from H1B to F1】Y, a 32-year-old student from China with a bachelor’s degree, worked in Virginia on an H1B visa starting in 2018. Y applied for employment-based immigration, but the application was denied in July 2024. Afterward, Y decided to resign and change to F1 status to stay in the U.S. to study. In mid-August 2024, Y was admitted to an MBA program at a university in Virginia and submitted the H1B to F1 status change application to USCIS. On September 5, 2024, Y received a Request for Evidence (RFE) from USCIS. Due to previous immigration applications, the requested materials were numerous and complex, and Y was unable to handle it alone. Y sought assistance from Ivy International Consulting, and we helped Y gather and prepare all the required documents. The completed RFE was submitted to USCIS on September 27, 2024, and the application was successfully approved on October 3, 2024. (Click to view the USCIS approval notice)

【Successful Case of Changing Status from H1B to F1】G, a 32-year-old student from China with a master’s degree, worked in Northern California on an H1B visa starting in November 2021. After resigning from the job on July 31, 2024, G decided to stay in the U.S. to study. On September 18, 2024, G was admitted to a master's program at a university in Northern California. Ivy International Consulting assisted G in submitting an expedited application to change from H1B to F1 status on September 24, 2024. Just one day later, on September 25, 2024, the application was successfully approved! (Click to view the USCIS approval notice)

【Successful Case of Changing Status from H4 to F1】Ms. J, 34 years old, from India, with a bachelor's degree, entered California, USA in September 2023 on an H4 visa to accompany her husband, who holds H1B status. Ms. J entrusted Ivy International to submit an expedited H4 to F1 application on August 28, 2024. After updating the I-20 as per USCIS's RFE request on September 16, 2024, her F1 visa was successfully approved on September 17, 2024! (Click to view the approval notice from USCIS.)

【Successful Case of Changing Status from B2 to F1/F2】Ms. L, 44 years old, holds a bachelor's degree. After entering Southern California on a B2 visa for tourism, she decided to change her status to F1 to study in the United States. Her spouse and child also needed to change their status to F2. Ms. L's spouse, as the principal applicant, is currently waiting for their employment-based immigration application to be processed. Ivy International assisted Ms. L in applying to a language school in Southern California, and on November 29, 2023, they submitted the application to change her status from B2 to F1. On January 25, 2024, she successfully obtained F1 status, and her spouse and child were simultaneously approved for F2 status! (Click to view the approval notice from USCIS.)

【Successful Case of Changing Status from B2 to F1】Mr. W, 29 years old, holds a bachelor's degree. He came to Michigan, USA, on a business trip in September 2023 and then decided to stay in the U.S. to pursue further studies. We assisted Mr. W in applying for a master’s program at a university in Michigan and submitted an expedited application to change his status from B1 to F1. Just six days later, on January 23, 2024, his application was successfully approved! (Click to view the approval notice from USCIS.)

【Successful Case of Changing Status from B2 to F1】Student W, 16 years old, was a high school student who had her F1 student visa application rejected in China in December 2022. She traveled to Southern California in May 2023 and then decided to stay in the U.S. to continue her studies. Ivy International assisted her in applying to a language school in the U.S. and submitted the B2 to F1 status change application in September 2023. In December 2023, she received a request for additional documents from USCIS. After submitting the requested documents, her application was successfully approved on January 9, 2024! (Click to view the approval notice from USCIS.)

【Successful Case of Changing Status from B2 to F1/F2】Ms. L, 41 years old, with an associate degree, entered Southern California on a B2 visa for tourism and decided to change to an F1 visa to stay in the U.S. for further studies. Ivy International assisted Ms. L in applying to a school in Southern California for both language and undergraduate programs. On January 8, 2024, we submitted an expedited application to change her status from B2 to F1. Just three days later, on January 11, 2024, her application was approved, and her spouse and child were simultaneously approved for F2 status! (Click to view the approval notice from USCIS.)

【Successful Case of Changing Status from B2 to F1】Ms. S, 40 years old with a master's degree, entered Southern California on a B2 tourist visa and traveled for a few months. She then decided to change her status to F1 to stay in the U.S. for studies. Ivy International Consulting assisted Ms. S in applying to a doctoral program at a university in Southern California and submitted her B2 to F1 status change application on September 1, 2023. The application was successfully approved on December 12, 2023! (Click to view the USCIS approval notice)

【Successful Case of Changing Status from B2 to F1/F2】Ms. W, 72 years old, from China, entered California, USA in January 2023 with her 76-year-old spouse on a B2 visa. In March 2023, W's daughter in the U.S. entrusted Ivy International to assist her parents in applying to a language school and changing their status from B2 to F1/F2 . The application for changing status was submitted on June 13, 2023. Since all the documents were well-prepared, no additional evidence was required, and on December 6, 2023, both the F1 and F2 visas were successfully approved! (Click to view the USCIS approval notice)

【Successful Case of Changing Status from B2 to F1】Ms. J, 62 years old, from China, with a high school education, entered Southern California, USA on a tourist visa for travel and later decided to change to F1 status to stay and study in the U.S. Ivy International Consulting assisted Ms. J in applying to a language school in Southern California, and submitting her expedited B2 to F1 application on November 16, 2023. Her application was approved by USCIS in just one day! (Click to view the USCIS approval notice)

【Successful Case of Changing Status from B2 to F1/F2】Mr. F, 51 years old from Southern California, holds a self-study undergraduate certificate but does not have a formal undergraduate degree. After entering the U.S. on a tourist visa, he decided to change his status to F1 to stay and study. Ivy International Consulting assisted Mr. F in applying to a language school in Southern California and submitted the B2 to F1 status change application on June 2, 2023. No additional documentation was required, and the application was directly approved on October 31, 2023. His wife’s status was also successfully changed to F2! (Click to view the USCIS approval notice)

【Successful Case of Changing Status from B2 to F1】Mr. A, 41 years old, from Pakistan, with a bachelor's degree, entered Northern California, USA in May 2023 on a B2 visa. After traveling, he decided to change to an F1 visa to stay and study in the U.S. Ivy International assisted Mr. A in applying to a master's program at a university in Northern California, and submitted his B2 to F1 application on September 12, 2023. Since all the documents were well-prepared, no additional evidence was required, and his application was approved on October 27, 2023, just 45 days after submission! (Click to view the USCIS approval notice)

【Successful Case of Changing Status from H4 to F1】Student W, with an undergraduate degree from China, was in New Jersey on an H4 visa accompanying her H1B spouse. In November 2022, W contacted Ivy International Consulting with the intention of changing her status to F1 to pursue a master's program. Ivy International Consulting assisted W in applying to a master's program at a university ranked in the top 70 in New York State and secured a $25,000 scholarship for her. The H4 to F1 status change application was submitted to USCIS on March 15, 2023, and was approved on June 7, 2023. (Click to view the USCIS approval notice)

【Successful Case of Changing Status from B2 to F1】Student Z, 48 years old with an undergraduate degree, entered California on a B2 visa for tourism and decided to change to F1 status to stay in the U.S. for studies. Ivy International Consulting assisted Z in applying for both a language program and conditional admission to a master’s program at a California University. The B2 to F1 status change application was submitted on March 16, 2023, and was successfully approved on May 19, 2023. (Click to view the USCIS approval notice)

【Successful Case of Changing Status from B2 to F1】L, a 38-year-old student from China with a bachelor's degree from China and a college diploma from Canada, entered Alabama on a tourist visa and decided to change to F1 status to study in the U.S. Ivy International assisted L in applying for a master’s program and submitted the application to change from B2 to F1 status on June 1, 2022. The application was successfully approved on March 2, 2023. (Click to view the USCIS approval notice)

【Successful Case of Changing Status from B2 to F1/F2】T, a 34-year-old student from China with a master’s degree, entered California on a tourist visa and decided to change to F1 status to study in the U.S. Ivy International assisted T in applying for a doctoral program at a university in California and submitted the application to change from B2 to F1 status on February 6, 2023. T’s spouse also applied to change from B2 to F2 status. Both were successfully approved on April 28, 2023. (Click to view the USCIS approval notice)

【Successful Case of Changing Status from B2 to F1/F2】X, a 46-year-old student from China with a master’s degree, entered Texas on a tourist visa and previously applied for a B2 extension. Later, X decided to change to F1 status to study in the U.S. Ivy International assisted X in applying for a dual admission program (ESL and master’s) at a university in Texas and submitted the application to change from B2 to F1 status on January 23, 2023. X’s spouse also applied to change from B2 to F2 status. Both were successfully approved on April 14, 2023. (Click to view the USCIS approval notice)

【Successful Case of Changing Status from B2 to F1】H, a 29-year-old student from China with a high school diploma, entered California on a tourist visa and decided to change to F1 status to study in the U.S. Ivy International assisted H in applying for a dual admission program (ESL and undergraduate) at a school in California and submitted the application to change from B2 to F1 status on January 26, 2023. On April 14, 2023, H received a Request for Evidence (RFE) from the immigration office. The requested documents were submitted on May 12, 2023, and the application was successfully approved on May 15, 2023. (Click to view the USCIS approval notice)

【Successful Case of Changing Status from B2 to F1】S, a 28-year-old student from China with a bachelor’s degree, entered California on a tourist visa and decided to change to F1 status to study in the U.S. Ivy International assisted S in applying for a dual admission program (ESL and master’s) at a school in California and submitted the application to change from B2 to F1 status on April 13, 2022. On January 17, 2023, S received a Request for Evidence (RFE) from the immigration office. The requested documents were submitted on February 15, 2023, and the application was successfully approved on February 28, 2023. (Click to view the USCIS approval notice)

【Successful Case of Changing Status from F1 to F2】Y, a 25-year-old student from China, originally studied for a bachelor's degree in California on an F1 visa. As OPT was about to end, Y wished to change to F2 status to stay in the U.S. with their spouse. Ivy International assisted Y in submitting the application to change from F1 to F2 status on April 26, 2023. With sufficient documentation provided, no additional documents were required. The application was successfully approved on May 24, 2023. (Click to view the USCIS approval notice)

【Successful Case of Changing Status from B1 to F1】Mr. L came to California on a B1 business visa in mid-February 2020 and was stranded in the U.S. due to the pandemic. Mr. L decided to use this time to study English in the U.S. Ivy International Consulting assisted Mr. L in applying to a nearby language school and submitted the B1 to F1 status change application on May 18, 2020. The application was approved directly without additional documentation on November 4, 2020. (Click to view the USCIS approval notice)