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If you are studying at Florida Polytechnic University with F-1 visa status, your spouse and unmarried children (under age 21) are eligible to apply for F-2 visas and accompany you in the United States (US). You must submit the F-1 Dependent Request form to ISS.
All other family members must apply for a B-1 or B-2 visitor’s visa to gain entry to the U.S. For more information on B-1/B-2 visitor visas for other family members, refer to travel.state.gov website.
General Details about an F-2 Dependent:
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Holds legal immigration status as long as the F-1 visa holder maintains status, throughout the program of study and any authorized period of Optional Practical Training (OPT) after completion.
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May depart and re-enter the US with proper documentation and a travel signature from the DSO.
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May not work.
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May not be eligible for Social Security number.
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May engage in study at a SEVP-certified school in the US as long as they are enrolled in less than a full course of study.
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Should obtain an updated Form I-20 from the DSO if any information about the F-1 visa holder changes.
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May file for a change of status (contact ISS) if the adult-dependent wants to study full-time.
F-2 Dependents
The spouse and unmarried minor children (under age 21) of the F-1 student may be admitted into the US in F-2 classification if each dependent presents a SEVIS Form I-20 issued in his or her own name and an F-2 visa.
Documents Needed to Apply for an F-2 Visa
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Valid passport
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Photographs
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F-2 dependent SEVIS Form I-20
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Visa application fee
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Visa application forms
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Supporting documentation, including copies of the F-1 student’s immigration documents, proof of student status, and financial documentation.
Important Information about F-2 Status
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Once the F-1 student has completed his or her studies and has left the US, the F-2 dependents must leave as well.
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Dependent children over age 21 are no longer eligible to F-2 status and will need to change to another status such as F-1 (for full-time students) if they wish to stay in the US.
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At the end of the F-1 program, there is a 60-day grace period during which the F-1/F-2 may stay in the US; once the F-1 primary leaves the US, the F-2 dependents must leave as well.
Employment
The F-2 spouse and children of an F-1 student may not accept employment in the US. However, they may do volunteer work as long as there is no compensation of any kind and the F-2 dependent is doing a job usually done by volunteers.
Study
F-2 dependents of F-1 students in the US may study part-time at the post-secondary level in any certified program at a SEVP-certified school, as long as the study does not amount to what regulations define as full time for an F-1 student [defined in 8 CFR 214.2(f)(6)].
F-2 dependents may also study full-time in a vocational or recreational study, such as hobbies. F-2 minor children must comply with compulsory education requirements in attending kindergarten through 12th grade.
However, an F-2 dependent who wants to enroll full-time in a course of post-secondary academic or vocational study must apply for and obtain approval to change nonimmigrant status to F-1, J-1, or M-1 before beginning their full-time study.
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