pallavi79us-
Here is what my research on the visa process shows:
You are right in that there are 2 options for obtaining the F-1 visa if you are currently on H-1:
1. Change of status to be applied from within the US
2. Applying for the visa at a local consultate outside the US
1. Change of status
Wharton will send you an online form to be filled out to obtain your I-20. Once this form is filled out and submitted you will fax some key documents (passport copies, H-1 stamp copies etc) to Wharton. Wharton will then send along your I-20 to you.
Wharton will also be sending you an award notification letter (ANL) after you have submitted your needaccess and other financial forms (fellowship apps etc.) I have been told by Wharton that this letter is sufficient to establish proof that you can finance your education for the visa application process.
This is where things get tricky:
- You have to apply for the COS yourself by mailing the documents (ANL+immigration docs+I-20) to UCSIS
- USCIS will then respond to you with a reciept that they have recieved your application. The receipt is sufficient for you to start school in Aug
- You can only quit work within 30 days of the program start date (Aug 3)..this means that you can only quit work after Jul 4th
- The actual visa will come in 3-5 months AFTER you have submitted your appication..i.e around Oct/Nov
Based on this, I see that most people apply for the COS around May, get the receipt around June..and quit work after July 4th.
Note that this option means that the next time you leave the country you HAVE to get your passport stamped in order to come back to the US under F-1.
2. Applying for the visa at a local consulate outside the US
Fairly straightforward- take all your documents to local consulate and get interviewed and get your visa stamp. This option entails the risk that you may get denied (although this is very very rare).
Finally once you have your visa stamped, you can come back to the US ONLY if it is within 30 days of the program start date. Once again, that means you can only enter the country after July 4th.
Hope it helps!