Be careful not to “overstay” — that is, to remain in the United States past the expiration date of your visa. Overstaying is an immigration violation that could stop you from re-entering the United States for several years, depending on how long you remained in the United States without a valid visa. If you’ve overstayed, it’s a good idea to leave the United States within six months following your F-1 visa’s expiration date in order to avoid being barred from re-entering. If you overstay for six months or longer, you will not be able to return to the United States for three years. If you overstay for more than one year, you will be barred from the United States for 10 years. If, however, you’ve overstayed and your spouse who is a green card holder becomes a U.S. citizen before you leave the United States, you can generally then switch to the process described in Path 1 above. Any amount of time that you overstayed would then be waived as a benefit of being married to a U.S. citizen.