F1 student(wife of a GC holder) - pregnant

F

f1gc

New Member
Hi Everyone,
I've got couple of questions.

1. I'm on F1 and got pregnant. Can i take a break for sometime and get back to studies?

2. My husband is a GC holder..well we got married after he got GC ( i know what you guys must be thinking :-))...now can he apply for a family based GC for me, i kind of know that it takes atleast 4 yrs for me to get GC...but just wanted to make sure that he can apply while i'm on F1...pls share your views...

Thanks a lot in advance
Babli
 
A1: You need to maintain your F-1 status. You will need to take the minimum amount of classes/credits in order to maintain your status.
A2: He can file an I-130 for you but there is a good 4 to 6 years before it becomes current. How many years before he is eligible to apply for US citizenship?

f1gc said:
1. I'm on F1 and got pregnant. Can i take a break for sometime and get back to studies?

2. My husband is a GC holder..well we got married after he got GC ( i know what you guys must be thinking :-))...now can he apply for a family based GC for me, i kind of know that it takes atleast 4 yrs for me to get GC...but just wanted to make sure that he can apply while i'm on F1...pls share your views...
Click to expand...
 
Most students attend classes until delivery and return to school within 2 to 3 weeks of a normal delivery. Your professors will work with you to assist you in keeping up. Check with your office of services for special students to see what services are available to you. Check with your DSO to confirm the minimum number of credit hours are required in your situation.

Your question makes it sound like you want to take a semester or more off. That is not typically done in the US. It is easier (due to your relatively flexible schedule) to be a pregnant and new mother as a student than as a working person. Look for a babysitter now or arrange your classes when your husband is free to babysit.

You were aware of the requirements of your visa status. You should expect to follow the rules. It is not as hard as you think it may be; infants are very portable.
 
Contact the International Student Office at your university. They can grant a medical exception to allow you to take some time off. Depending on when the birth is going to happen, you may be able to get the whole semester off. But if the birth would happen in the summer break, you normally would not need or get any special permission for time off, since you are not required to take classes in the summer anyway.

He can file the green card paperwork and you can still keep your F-1 status while it is in progress. However, you should be aware that once you leave the US you may be unable to return using the F-1 visa, because the combination of the immigrant petition + a US citizen child + permanent resident spouse would be big indicators that you have immigrant intent.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Thanks TripleCitizen, Concerned4us and Jackolantern for ur views..

to answer your questions..

he has got his GC around 2 years ago.

Yes..probably summer semester wont be an issue..i'll need to take the April semester off..i'll talk to my school officials and if they can accept, well and good..

as far as going out of US, after filing GC paper work, yes that seems an issue to me as i visit my home country a lot :-(
do you have any other suggestions?

Thanks again for all your responses.
 
f1gc said:
as far as going out of US, after filing GC paper work, yes that seems an issue to me as i visit my home country a lot :-(
do you have any other suggestions?
Click to expand...
Don't ever leave the US until you get an H1B, green card, or Advance Parole. It sucks that you'll be stuck in America for a few years, but it's better than being stuck outside the US.

And make sure the International Student Advisor (or whatever name they call the people who monitor F-1 students at your school) gives you the medical exception in writing.
 
There is another alternative. It really depends on whether you are a grad or an undergrad student. I had a international grad student who took half a semester off for pregnancy, but she was registered as a full time student during the time (the Intl office refused to give her a medical time off). She was a senior grad student so she needed only 1 credit to be considered full time. This may NOT apply in your case since this scenario was a specific case with different conditions than yours.

But, the bottom line is, if you are in grad school almost anything in negotiable, except work :-)
 
There are other options for maintaining fulltime student states. Most departments have an "independent study" class. This allows a student to pursue a special project at their own pace. You would be able to schedule your work to have it completed before you need the time off.

Discuss your study options with your advisor as well as the DSO.
 
Yep, independent study was what I was referring to. Again, if you are an undergrad it might be much more difficult to get this done.

The downside is you have to pay for your credits..
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top