Increased Denials & Delays in some US Visa Categories, Rajiv in QnA, Feb 12, 2025
Nonimmigrant Visas
SUBSCRIBE to Immigration.com YouTube Channel for further updates.
mmigration.com, Law Offices of Rajiv S. Khanna PC, US Immigration Attorney
Search
Can I volunteer with a Non-Profit while on any temporary visa (for example, F-1 OPT)?
Question details
I am on F1 OPT and working for a company. I have a few questions:
1. Am I eligible to volunteer with a nonprofit organization related to my field if the work involves event organization (webinar or In-person training)?
2. If I volunteer to review research papers or articles in my field, would that be considered permissible, or would it be classified as work?
FAQ Transcript
Yes, you can volunteer while on a temporary visa as long as you are not compensated in cash or kind.
For F-1 OPT, if the volunteer work is meant to count toward your OPT compliance, it must be at least 20 hours per week and related to your field of study. If it’s purely additional volunteer work (e.g., helping at events, reviewing research papers) and not counted for OPT compliance, there’s no issue, but check with your DSO.
However, you cannot volunteer for a for-profit company, as that could violate labor laws, though the violation would be on the company’s part, not yours.
Getting F-1 while I-485/AOS is pending
Trying to get an F-1 while an AOS/I-485 is pending has been a recurring theme in our community. Last year in May/June we had spent two hours talking about this theme in our community conference calls. A lot of people wanted to do their MBA and were not able to wait for their green cards to join school.
Generally speaking when you have exhibited immigrant intent, getting an F-1 becomes difficult. On top of that, USCIS has said that F-1 is not compatible with a simultaneous I-485. But USCIS has never told us what happens if do file for an F-1 while an I-485 is pending.
Visa after B-1 to F-1 conversion
Here is a question from a community member: