For those who know!

[Gaila]

Hey guys,

Here is the situation, I am currently on OPT, OPT will be expiring next year. I will be applying for gradschool in October 2006. However, my passport will be expiring next year around fall time 2007. I have tried to contact embassy, but no one picks up the damn phone. I am afraid if i go home in the summer, they will not renew my passport 5 months in advance. What are the rules? How soon can I exchange my passport? What's the deal with that. I will have to be returning to school in august. I am afraid I won't make it in time and will loose half a year.
Does anybody know, if there is any way to renew passport prior the expiration date. This info would be highly appreciate or any further suggestion what i should do.
Thanks you very much!!
Gaila

[Frida]

Well, if you get admitted to grad school, just go ahead and start your classes, dont worry about exchanging your passport or anything, cause your status will still be F-1 and you shouldnt have any problems in the US. However, I dont think you can travel to Mexico or Canada or anywhere else. Wait till summer 2008 and then go home. In that way you will get your new passport and with your new I-20 get a new visa for your grad studies. I think you will pay a little bit fine for your expired passort, but it wont be a big problem.

If the first option is not gonna work for you, and if you have to go home earlier, I dont think you will have any problems getting a new passport earlier, just find a right person and pay a right "fee" ;). Actually all the people who come to the US with different programs - sometimes their program makes them to get the new passport if their expires within six months. As they dont want a people be in the country with expired docs. So I knew two people who got new passports 4-5 months before they were 25.

[Royal]

Hey guys,

Here is the situation, I am currently on OPT, OPT will be expiring next year. I will be applying for gradschool in October 2006. However, my passport will be expiring next year around fall time 2007. I have tried to contact embassy, but no one picks up the damn phone. I am afraid if i go home in the summer, they will not renew my passport 5 months in advance. What are the rules? How soon can I exchange my passport? What's the deal with that. I will have to be returning to school in august. I am afraid I won't make it in time and will loose half a year.
Does anybody know, if there is any way to renew passport prior the expiration date. This info would be highly appreciate or any further suggestion what i should do.
Thanks you very much!!
Gaila
Because of You're in overseas You must go to local embassy/consulate office to do that..phone's are always busy , don't stop calling them, better call early morning, if You must just go there or send fax/email...

[forex]

You can't stay in the US with expired passport.Not longer than 6 months.You will eventually have to get a new one,this is your main ID.There is an agreement between Uzbekistan and the US,allowing Uzbek citizens to enter The Republic of Uzbekistan with expired passport,as long as it hasn't been more than 6 months.Afterwards,you will have to get a letter from embassy or consulate,which is a lot of headache,especially,with our shithead officials.
It's more realistic to change the passport and get a new before it expires.If you tell them you are going abroad to study,they will do it.There must a solid reason for renewing a passport before it expires.Being absent at the time of expiry is a good reason,and you will be away for your studies.
So If I were you,I would go back home for summer and get this issue resolved before you go go further into problems.

[Black]

Adding to above usefull posts I would like to say that, as I heard, according to Uzbek laws, if there is a solid reason, you can change you passport up to 6 months before its expiration date (just get some kind of "spravka" proving that you are going to gradschool this year). At least, you can do whatever you want in Uzb., as long as you find right ppl to do it.