After changing from L-2 to F-1, what happens if I drop out of school?

After changing from L-2 to F-1, your immigration status depends on being regularly enrolled in a full-time course of study, with academics as your primary purpose. If you drop out, you no longer meet that central requirement and your student status becomes compromised.

In practice, withdrawing from school typically leads to loss of F-1 status, meaning you are no longer in compliance with immigration rules. From that point, the available paths generally include:

• Requesting reinstatement of status with the relevant authorities, where applicable.
• Pursuing another status for which you are eligible, if one exists.
• In situations where neither option is viable, departing the country may be necessary.

Dropping out is therefore not an isolated decision: it directly affects your immigration situation. Before making any change to your academic path, the safest course of action is to speak with your institution’s international student office (DSO) and an immigration specialist, and to confirm current options and rules with USCIS so you do not lose status unnecessarily.

About the author

Victoria Harper

Editor-in-Chief

Meet the author

As a journalist and lead editor at Visto n’ Visa, Victoria helps ensure that immigration topics are covered in a clear, trustworthy, and easy-to-understand way. Her focus is on delivering useful, human, and relevant content for people exploring new paths abroad.