What You Can and Cannot Do While an F-1 Reinstatement Application Is Pending
By Muntasir Minhaz • Published Aug 21, 2026
While your F-1 reinstatement request sits with USCIS, you have no work authorization, no international travel, and no eligibility for CPT or OPT. Staying enrolled supports your case, but it does not restore your legal status until USCIS approves the request.
🛂 Leaving the US while reinstatement is pending gets your application treated as abandoned.
💵 No on-campus or off-campus work, and no CPT or OPT eligibility.
🎓 Keep attending class, since USCIS checks that you pursued a full course of study.
⏱️ Processing commonly runs several months to over a year, so plan for a long wait.
A denied request leaves you out of status and you must leave the country.
Your status during the wait
Filing Form I-539 to request F-1 reinstatement does not restore your F-1 status right away. You remain out of status while USCIS reviews your case, and the request only takes effect once an officer approves it.
Treat every day of the pending period as if you have no F-1 benefits yet, because legally you do not.
Work: not authorized
You do not work on campus or off campus while a reinstatement request is pending, according to guidance from university international offices including the University at Buffalo's International Student Services .
This includes no eligibility for Curricular Practical Training or Optional Practical Training, even if you qualified before the violation that triggered your reinstatement request. Any paid work during this window counts as unauthorized employment and weakens your case directly, since one of the five reinstatement conditions requires a clean record on that exact point.
Travel: do not leave the country
Do not travel outside the United States while your reinstatement request is pending.
USCIS treats departure as abandonment of the application, closing your case and leaving you out of status with no pending remedy, according to guidance summarized by the University of Washington's International Student Services . If a family emergency forces travel, talk to your DSO and, ideally, an immigration attorney first, since re-entry after departure while a reinstatement case is open carries a real risk of being refused admission.
Enrollment: keep going, at your own risk
USCIS wants to see that you pursued, or intend to pursue, a full course of study as part of the reinstatement standard. Staying enrolled and attending class supports your case directly. That enrollment happens at your own academic and financial risk though, since a denial still leaves you having paid tuition for a term during which you were technically out of status.
Talk with your DSO about how your specific school handles this gap. Some schools let you continue coursework normally while a decision is pending, others pause certain services such as library access tied to active enrollment status, and requirements vary by institution.
What else changes while you wait
A pending reinstatement request does not grant a new SEVIS record or a new I-20 by itself, so your existing record stays in whatever state it was in when you filed. On-campus housing, an existing lease, and a bank account you already hold typically continue unaffected, since these are not tied directly to F-1 work authorization. Health insurance is worth checking separately, since some school-sponsored plans require active enrollment or active SEVIS status to stay valid.
How long the wait runs
Reinstatement processing runs on Form I-539 and moves at a pace that varies by service center and caseload, commonly taking several months and sometimes over a year. Check the official USCIS processing times tool for your specific service center rather than relying on a fixed number, since posted times shift from quarter to quarter.
Preparing your file while you wait
Gather evidence that supports your case while the clock runs: a personal statement explaining the circumstances of your violation, proof of continued financial support, an updated I-20 from your DSO reflecting your reinstatement request, and any documentation showing the violation was not a willful act on your part. Organizing this now shortens the time between an eventual approval and resuming normal F-1 activity.
If USCIS denies your request
A denial means you remain out of status.
You must leave the United States, since there is no appeal built into the reinstatement process itself.
Some students consult an immigration attorney at that point to look at other options, but a reinstatement denial generally ends your ability to continue in F-1 status on that particular SEVIS record.
Quick reference while your request is pending
| Activity | Allowed while pending |
|---|---|
| On-campus or off-campus work | No |
| CPT or OPT | No |
| International travel | No, treated as abandoning the request |
| Attending class | Yes, and it supports your case |
| Keeping your existing housing or lease | Yes, not tied to F-1 work authorization |
Talking with your DSO throughout the wait
Stay in regular contact with your DSO while the case is pending, not only at the start. Ask them to confirm what your SEVIS record currently shows, since a record still marked terminated can create confusion with employers, landlords, or banks that ask to see proof of your student status. Your DSO cannot speed up USCIS, but they can correct SEVIS-side errors and update your file the moment an approval notice arrives.
Set a calendar reminder to check the official USCIS case status tool periodically using your receipt number, rather than waiting for a decision to arrive by mail unannounced. This gives you and your DSO more lead time to plan your return to normal F-1 activity, including CPT or OPT applications, the moment your status is restored.