Disclaimer: This is intended solely as an informational guide to help you and international students navigate conversations regarding visas. This should not be taken as professional legal advice. If you are asked for advice from a student, please refer them to professional help. Additionally, IFI does not provide legal services to students. Staff shall not be held accountable and will direct any further concerns to legal counsel.
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Lately, IFI staff, volunteers, and even students have been getting more questions about student visas— especially as policies and costs continue to change. For many internationals, navigating the U.S. immigration system is one of the most stressful parts of studying abroad. Understanding what they go through can help us be more compassionate, better-informed friends.
The F-1: Student Visa
Most international students in the U.S. hold an F-1 student visa. You may run across a student here and there with a different visa (examples include the J-1 visa, which is for short-term exchange programs or the F-2 visa, which is for a dependent of an F-1 visa holder) but the majority of students you meet will be on an F-1 visa. This visa allows them to study full-time and work part-time, if needed, due to financial instability. Students can generally work up to 20 hours per week on campus. Getting permission for off-campus employment is difficult and often requires university approval. Nonetheless, students should prioritize pursuing and completing their degree, as their student visa can be revoked as a result of failure to keep up with education requirements. Here’s some more information on working on an F-1:
- They can only work on campus through a job provided by the school up to 20 hours/week during the semester; during breaks, when school is not in session, they can work on campus up to 40 hours/week.
- The exception to work off-campus is pretty restricted, and the granted condition is pretty extreme; it should not be an option when talking to international students at all, as it can get illegal real quick.
- They can work off campus with Curricular Practical Training (CPT) (either during semester or during break, can be part-time or full-time), but:
- The job must be directly related to their field of study, fulfill their program requirements, and be approved by designated school offices (DSO)
- It usually requires an application for approval significantly earlier than when they're expected to start working, and they cannot start work unless approval is received
- If they received equal to or more than 12 months of CPT, they lost their eligibility to apply for OPT
Because of these limitations, it’s common for international students to experience financial struggles. Some may live with minimal furniture, eat very basic meals, or even skip meals altogether.
At IFI, we don’t provide direct financial assistance, but we do create spaces of care and community; many of our events include free meals and offer donated furniture or household items. Volunteers can make a big difference here: if you know a student who’s sleeping on an air mattress or eating on the floor, you might be able to connect them with a couch, a table, or a warm meal.
Work Visas: OPT, H-1B, and Beyond
Many students dream of staying in the U.S. after graduation to gain professional experience and to make a future here. For them, the next step after the F-1 visa is often OPT (Optional Practical Training), a temporary extension of their student status that allows them to work in their field for one to three years, depending on whether they’re a STEM major or not.
During this time, they often seek an H-1B visa, which allows longer-term employment in specialty occupations. However, getting an H-1B is challenging:
- Employers must sponsor the visa, a process that can cost multiple thousands of dollars and requires legal expertise.
- Many companies choose not to hire H-1B candidates due to the cost and paperwork.
- Even when successful, H-1B visas are temporary, typically valid for 3–6 years.
If a student cannot secure sponsorship, they may try to apply for a B-2 tourist visa to stay in the U.S. temporarily, though this is not recommended. Although there is a 60-90 day grace period for the student to leave the country after their F1 expires, some students will need to return to their home country after that grace period ends, even if they have a visa application pending. Most transitions to tourist visa status require the person to leave the U.S. and re-enter under a tourist visa. Remember: this visa does not allow them to study or work, which often leads to financial hardship. Also, failing to leave the country in the said grace period upon expiration of the visa can cause them to be deported or denied future entry to the U.S. entirely.
Religious Work Visas: R-1
Some international graduates feel called to ministry work and may pursue an R-1 religious visa. IFI has hired staff through this visa pathway, often as campus ministers.
An R-1 visa allows internationals to work for a religious organization for up to five years, but it comes with specific requirements:
- The application can cost $4,000 or more in total.
- The worker must receive a salary immediately, meaning they can’t start by raising support before getting paid.
- When applying for a religious visa, a ministry is committing to paying the R-1 recipient as soon as they get approved and are in the country. This means ministries, like IFI, have to plan to have funds ready in case the international staff member needs time to fundraise.
- Religious visa holders used to have to leave the country for 1 year before they could return under a new 5 year religious visa cycle. Good news is that the current administration just eliminated that requirement, allowing religious workers to reapply sooner!
After starting, R-1 visa holders can continue raising additional support to sustain their role. But for many, building a network of donors is difficult, as they may not have many local contacts.
That’s where partners like you come in. If your local IFI site hires an R-1 staff member, consider contributing financially or connecting them with others who might support their ministry. Your help could make it possible for them to stay and serve.
The Long Road to Permanent Residency
Each visa step comes with new expenses and uncertainties. For those who make it to an H-1B, the next dream is often a green card– a more stable, long-term visa that requires another round of costly sponsorship by an employer.
In IFI’s experience, the journey from student visa to green card costs from $6,000-$8,000 currently and takes 5 or more years. Some internationals go on to pursue U.S. citizenship, which requires five years as a green card holder (or three years if married to a U.S. citizen). Altogether, the process can cost more than $20,000.
Growing Concerns and God’s Plan
There’s growing concern that changes in the visa process is making staying in the country much more difficult for many international students. Because of current policies, countless students may have to return home, cutting short dreams and relationships they’ve built here.
While this could be discouraging for both volunteers and students, it’s important to remember what we are actually called to do. Ultimately, our mission is not to help students stay in America (although God may move us to help where we can in certain circumstances), but to extend hospitality and friendship to them while they are here. For some, we can also be a support to them in taking Jesus wherever they go from here, even if it means returning to their home country before they had intended.
Our vision is to extend God’s love globally in partnership with spiritually vibrant international students. Historically, God has used many less-than-ideal economic and political circumstances to move people to where He needed them to be for His plan to play out. (Consider the story of Joseph being sold as a slave in Egypt, Daniel as an exile in Babylon, and Ruth as a Moabite transplant.) It could be that the changes in difficulty of attaining visas in America is being used by God to move students where He wants them.
However, this is no excuse to stay hands-off in the realm of economics and politics. God is certainly at work in international affairs. He has also gifted his followers with the opportunity to work as His hands and feet in this world, as we rely on Him to shed light on every area of human experience. Ask God how He would have you respond to the changing political atmosphere rather than defaulting to a political bias. Our chief citizenship is in heaven.
One student recently told IFI, “I don’t feel like America is a welcoming place anymore.” As IFI partners, we likely can’t change visa policies, and we certainly don’t have the ability to fix every student’s situation, but we can make our communities more welcoming by reflecting Christ.
How You Can Help International Students Feel at Home
- Be attentive: Ask how your international friends are doing. Are they stressed about visas or finances? Do they feel welcome here?
- Be practical: Offer meals, furniture, or transportation help.
- Be generous: Support IFI locations that employ R-1 internationals or provide aid to students in other tangible ways.
- Be kind: A smile, a greeting, or a simple act of respect can restore someone’s sense of belonging.
- Be present: Shop at local international grocery stores near campus, attend cultural events, and engage with students where they are.
A Welcoming Presence Matters
While visa pathways can seem complex and discouraging, the heart of IFI’s mission remains simple: to extend life-changing hospitality and friendship to international students out of reverence for Jesus. Even as national policies change, each of us can help make international students feel like they have found a home away from home – one meal, one smile, and one friendship at a time.
Resources:
- https://www.uscis.gov/working-in-the-united-states/students-and-exchange-visitors/students-and-employment
- https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/study/student-visa.html
- https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/sevis-help-hub/student-records/fm-student-employment/f-1-curricular-practical-training-cpt
- https://www.uscis.gov/working-in-the-united-states/temporary-workers/h-1b-specialty-occupations/h-1b-electronic-registration-process
- https://www.lawfirm4immigrants.com/which-companies-no-longer-sponsoring-h-1b-visas-2025-update/
- https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-information-resources/visa-expiration-date.html
- https://www.uscis.gov/archive/faqs-for-individuals-in-h-1b-nonimmigrant-status#
- https://www.lawfirm1.com/non-immigrant-visas/r1-visas/
