F-2 Dependent Visas (Spouses & Children)
Guide
Your eligible family members can join you in the U.S. on F-2 visas, tied to your F-1 status. Learn what you need to know in this overview of F-2 Dependent Visas for spouses and children.
Written by Robin Catmur-Smith, Managing Director of the International Student Resource Center
Last updated: July, 2026
Who qualifies
F-2 status is for your spouse and your unmarried children under 21 (same-sex spouses qualify if the marriage is legally valid where celebrated). Domestic partners, fiancés, and other relatives don't qualify. F-2 status is always tied to your F-1 status.
Bringing your family
Dependents may come with you or join later, if you show sufficient funding and they obtain F-2 visas. Your sponsor issues a separate I-20 form for each dependent; the process mirrors the F-1 visa process (DS-160, fees, interview), though F-2s don't pay a separate SEVIS I-901 fee.
Working and school
An F-2 spouse is not eligible to apply for work authorization from USCIS.
F-2 spouses are not eligible to enroll in full-time degree programs, but may enroll in casual part-time classes.
F-2 children may attend public or private K-12 school, and college in F-2 status. They can't work, and need their own visa status to stay past 21.
Travel and your F-1 status
Your dependents can usually remain in the U.S. while you travel briefly, as long as your F-1 program stays active and they maintain F-2 status. If your JF1 status ends, theirs ends too. If you are outside the U.S. for more than a few weeks, your dependents should leave the U.S. until you return. If you don’t have a status in the U.S. because you have left the country, then technically they don’t either.
