SEVIS Transfer, F-1 Renewal, Summer Studies
Hi y'all this is a rare situation. Any help or clarification is appreciated!
I am finishing my MA from School A in May and will start my PhD at School B mid August. My F-1 is expiring in May so I want to go home to renew my F-1, with I-20 from School B. Given that I'm a SEVIS transfer student, the 30-day entry rule shouldn't apply to me and I can return to the US whenever I want.
The issue is that I need to do summer studies at School C. I don't want to use School C's I-20 to renew my F-1 because I'm worried that they might only give me a 3 month visa instead of 5 years, which I need for my PhD.
Now I need School B to approve incidental/concurrent studies for my summer program and hold my SEVIS record. What are my chances here? Has anyone been in this situation before? My status as School B will be "initial" since I haven't technically started there. Any chance they would grant the incidental studies confirmation for me to go to School C?
Also, if I come back to the States mid June for my summer program, ca. 60 days before my phd starts, do I need to explain to the officer at the customs about my summer program? Will they be asking questions? I wanna make sure I'm not in any gray area and I am guaranteed to get into the country.