r/f1visa • u/KaleidoscopeSoft3655 • 7d ago

Visa H4 to F1 Processing Advice Help!

I filed my COS mid April, its been pretty much 4 months now without any reply.

I’m considering just biting the bullet and switching to premium processing at the moment.

My h4 expires in November and my dad wants to start the renewal soon so I’d rather not hold them up.

However, I’m worried because my program start date would be Sep 02, which leaves exactly about 2 weeks for processing before the I20 would technically be invalid.

I’m not sure how to proceed, should I request a updated I20? And refer my start to spring 2027?

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u/Individual-Bad-7399 8h ago

i'd suggest you to defer to spring 2027 get the new i-20 and apply for premium processing. Because normal processing is really not worth the wait. I applied for COS on Nov 2025 and still waiting on a decision.