My visa has expired. Do I have to leave US?

No, you don't have to. Visa is only important when you enter US, and when you try to show that you had entered US legally. (See also Visa/Status.)

Once you're in US in student (F1) status, here is what you need to maintain your legal status:

- unexpired I-94. Either with a date that is in the future, or with "DOS" instead of a date.

- unexpired I-20.

- You need to be full-time student during every spring and fall semester

- Don't accept any unauthorized employment

Can I work while in student (F1) status?

With permission of your foreign student advisor, you can work on-campus. You can work 20 hours per week during spring and fall semesters and 40 hours per week during vacations.

For off-campus work there are several possibilities, but the are not available until you have been in student status for at least 9 months. In all cases, you can work full-time only during vacations. If you apply for a work permit during regular semester, it has to be part-time, with maximum 20 hours per week. This applies for the total number of hours for on-campus and off-campus work.

- Optional practical training (OPT) -- the easiest to qualify for. You have to apply through INS, which can take up to 90 days. You get an EAD (employment authorization document) card. You don't need a job offer to get OPT approved. While in OPT, you can freely change jobs. You can have multiple jobs at the same time, as long as the total number of hours per week does not exceed the amount applied for. You can have up to 12 months of OPT. If you change schools or academic programs, you don't get new OPT quota.

You can save all your OPT for after graduation. In that case, you have to apply within 3 months of graduation. Post-graduation OPT often leads to H1. If that is your goal, spend this year looking for an employer who will sponsor you for H1 after OPT expires.

- Curricular practical training (CPT) -- the simplest procedure, but harder to qualify for. You need to have a job offer, and you have to convince your foreign student advisor that this employment is part of your curriculum. Here are some examples:
   - if the work experience (internship) is required for you to graduate.
   - if you get academic credits for it
The foreign student advisor the nake an annotation to your I-20, which allows you to work. This can be a matter of minutes. With CPT, you can only work for the authorized employer and no more hours per week as authorized. You can have CPT for up to 12 months total. But if you use 12 months of CPT, you lose your OPT, so make sure you use less than 12 months CPT total!

- Economic hardship work permit -- If your financial situation changes for no fault of your own, you can apply for a work permit (EAD) based on your economic hardship. You use the same form as for OPT. You will have to prove three poitns:
   - your financial support has decreared signifficantly
   - it has not decreased because of your academic performance, or anything else you can control
   - this was unexpected
For example: the government in your home country gave you a scholarship to study in US. Then the government changes, and the new government does not want to support you.