Is a reinstatement a change of status or are they just two different things entirely ?
What are my chances of getting one?
Reinstatement can mean many different things. Since we don’t know the details of your story, the best source of information will be the international students office at your school.
Based on the information you shared in your other thread, you wouldn’t qualify for reinstatement.
https://iss.washington.edu/procedures/reinstatement-reentry/#option_1_reinstatement
But the reason I’ve been out of school hasn’t been under my control. There was an economic recession in my home country and my family was badly affected. And in my moms furniture business my moms would supplier couldn’t sell his usual amount of wood because of pests and the recession
You didn’t advise anyone, at the university, that you would be out of compliance with your visa. This is not the university’s requirement, it’s the federal government’s immigration department.
As aunt bea said, you would not be a good candidate for reinstatement based on the length of time you have been out of status alone.
The choices you made after you fell out of status also don’t align with the intent of US immigration policies. You were required to leave the country as soon as possible after you withdrew from school. (If you had departed a month late because that’s how long it took you to collect the money for airfare, you would be in a much better position to argue that you did the best you could under the circumstances.)
You need the explicit approval of your college to apply for reinstatement (through an endorsement on your I-20 form). If you haven’t already, you should schedule an appointment with an adviser at the international student office to discuss your options.
Reinstatement will only be considered if you satisfy all requirements for the F-1 status. In particular, you need to document sufficient financial resources to finance the remainder of your degree program. Since you got into financial trouble once already, expect that part of your application to be heavily scrutinized.
You could try to file for reinstatement DESPITE the low odds of success if your DSO approves. You would be allowed to remain in the US and study (but not work) while your application for reinstatement is pending. The bad news is that you’d have to depart immediately, possibly in the middle of the term, if the application gets rejected. (You might lose your tuition money AND not earn any credits for the term. Double whammy.)
Wow!^^
I don’t understand why you are not asking your university staff.
I don’t think anyone here would really be able to help you get around this. Pleading with people here about not being able to return home, for whatever reason, doesn’t make sense.
I’m wondering how you were able to survive, financially, for a year, in the US. An airline ticket would cost less. If I’m wondering this, you can bet that the government would ask similar questions.
I had help from alot of friends
And I’m not pleading with anybody here I’m asking for advice on it.
And I told the school that I wasn’t sure when I will be able to leave.
Because the recession was that serious on my family
Unfortunately, you broke the law by staying in the U.S. when you should have left. By doing so, you have created a HUGE legal barrier for yourself. As we advised earlier, you now need a lawyer. Reinstatement at your school is a secondary issue, and a moot point if you’re out-of-status. (Which you are.)
I am not sure what you mean. Reinstatement only applies when a student is out of status for some reason.
I meant out of status in terms of a visa
Exactly. One would apply for reinstatement of F-1 status because one is out of status (and only then). I am confused why you said that being out of status makes applying for reinstatement a moot point.
Got it. I thought the issue was reinstatement to the school. My mistake.