H1B to F1 (for full-time evening MBA)

[Jarritos]

Hi,

I'm on H1B and would like to start an evening MBA course (it is considered full time due to the number of credits) on F1 visa. I plan to quit my job and change my status from H1 to F1 and do the course. I have following questions about the CoS:

1. Can I continue working until I get the H1 to F1 CoS approval from USCIS? Or do I need to quit as soon as I apply for CoS?

2. How much time will H1 to F1 CoS take?

3. If the H1 to F1 CoS gets rejected, will I be out of status? If not, will my H1 be valid? Can I continue to work on H1B status? Will my employer know of this CoS rejection?

4. If I become out of status, how much of grace period will I have to leave the country? My husband is on H1. In case of H1 to F1 CoS rejection, can I apply for H1 to H4 CoS without leaving the country?

[JoeF]

You are on H1 until the COS is approved. So yes, you can continue working until the F1 is approved.

If the F1 gets denied, you continue to be in H1 status.

[Jarritos]

Thanks a lot for the quick response.

In general, is there a way to confirm such fine points of law other than consulting an immigration attorney (we already did that but could not ask this particular question) and posting on discussion groups?