Reviewed by André Matias, Esq., Principal Attorney
Sports Immigration
This page is for international students competing for a U.S. college on an F-1 visa, and for the parents, coaches and compliance staff who advise them. This page covers what F-1 status allows while you compete, the rules that changed on September 15, 2026, and how to move from F-1 to a professional visa when the college career ends.
These students hold the visa this page is about. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) said in August 2024 that "over 25,000 international student-athletes are enrolled at NCAA schools" (NCAA, August 16, 2024). Its 2024-25 demographics data, which covers championship and emerging sports only, counts 22,624 of 556,687 student-athletes (4.1%) as "International": not a U.S. citizen or national, and in the country on a visa or temporary basis (NCAA Demographics Database, 2024-25).
What F-1 status lets you do
The starting rule is strict: "Any unauthorized employment by a nonimmigrant constitutes a failure to maintain status" (8 CFR 214.1(e)). Study in the States, the government's student site, says that if a designated school official "knows you are working without permission, they must report it through SEVIS, meaning your SEVIS record will be terminated" (Study in the States, Working in the United States). SEVIS, short for the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System, is the government database that tracks every F-1 student's status.
An F-1 student can work only with authorization. Three routes matter to a student-athlete. A fourth is off-campus work authorization "based upon severe economic hardship caused by unforeseen circumstances beyond the student's control" (8 CFR 214.2(f)(9)(ii)(C)). The three:
- On-campus employment, no more than 20 hours a week while school is in session (Study in the States, Working in the United States).
- Curricular Practical Training (CPT), only when it is "an integral part of an established curriculum", authorized by the school's designated official in SEVIS (Study in the States, Training Opportunities). Students who complete one year or more of full-time CPT "are ineligible to participate in post-completion OPT" (same page).
- Optional Practical Training (OPT), which must be "directly related to the student's major area of study" and cannot start before the date on the employment authorization document (8 CFR 214.2(f)(10)(ii)(A)). Post-completion OPT allows no more than 90 days of unemployment in total (same regulation, (f)(10)(ii)(E)).
The same "directly related" test applies to any professional contract a student hopes to start on OPT, and it is why OPT and CPT generally do not cover name, image and likeness (NIL) work (covered below).
Can international student-athletes earn NIL money?
Federal guidance on this has been unsettled since at least 2021. On July 19, 2021 the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) said it "continues to assess the issue of F and M international student athletes receiving compensation for the use of their name, image and likeness", and that it would provide updates through Broadcast Messages and Study in the States (SEVP Broadcast Message 2107-02). The University of Maine System's guidance tells students to use caution "until further guidance is issued by U.S. immigration authorities" (University of Maine System, NIL guidance), so the general F-1 work rules above are the ones to plan around.
Universities have filled the gap with their own advice:
- The University of Oregon's Office of the General Counsel says that, absent clear federal guidance, the regulations "would preclude payment for any NIL activities in the U.S. where active income is received for work performed", and that no U.S. immigration restrictions apply while the athlete is physically outside the United States (University of Oregon, Office of the General Counsel).
- The University of Maine System, in guidance dated March 19, 2024, says "F-1 Employment Authorization DOES NOT Cover NIL Activities" and that "Active" NIL engagements within the United States, such as signing autographs, appearing at events or promoting products on social media, are "NOT PERMITTED" (University of Maine System, NIL guidance).
The risk runs past the current season. A change to P-1A or O-1A inside the United States requires a student "who is continuing to maintain his or her nonimmigrant status" (8 CFR 248.1(a)), so paid NIL work in the United States can close the route this page describes below.
The 2026 fixed-admission rule
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a final rule in the Federal Register (FR) on July 17, 2026, effective September 15, 2026, replacing "duration of status" for F students (91 FR 44976). According to Study in the States (quick facts):
- Admission is fixed to the program length on the Form I-20, "not to exceed four years, plus a 30-day period for arrival and an additional 30-day period for departure".
- More time needs an extension. A student who needs longer, including for OPT, "must apply for an extension of stay (EOS)" with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on Form I-539, or leave the United States and get a new period of admission on return.
- Limits on transfers. Below the graduate level, a student cannot transfer to another school during the first year of a program; at the graduate level, a student cannot transfer at any point during the program. SEVP can authorize an exception in either case.
- A shorter departure period. After the program or OPT ends, a student has 30 days, "a decrease from the previous 60-day period".
- Students already here on September 15, 2026 may stay to the program end date on the I-20, not exceeding four years, plus a 60-day departure period.
Commenters told DHS that international athletes would not be able to transfer and compete like their domestic teammates. DHS kept the rule: "Student athletes are subject to the same rules that govern all F-1 students" (91 FR 44976, at 45060).
Five NCAA years, four F-1 years
For students first enrolling full time in fall 2027 or later, the NCAA's Division I and II eligibility period is five continuous years, starting at the earlier of full-time enrollment or the academic year after the 19th birthday, and it "does not pause" for a transfer or a year out (NCAA, age-based eligibility rules). An F-1 admission now runs to the program end date on the I-20, at most four years, plus 30 days. A fifth season, a graduate year or any other year past that date therefore needs an extension of stay, or a new admission after travel abroad (Study in the States, quick facts).
Moving from F-1 to P-1A or O-1A
A student-athlete who signs a professional contract, or who is invited to compete professionally, can change status inside the United States through a petition filed by someone else: USCIS says "your U.S. employer, agent, or sponsor must also file Form I-129 to extend your stay in or to request a change of status to P-1A classification" (USCIS, P-1A Athlete).
- Which visa. The P-1A asks whether the athlete is "internationally recognized" (or is a professional athlete as defined in INA 204(i)(2)), meaning "renowned, leading, or well-known in more than one country"; the O-1A asks for "sustained national or international acclaim" (8 CFR 214.2(p)(3) and (o)(1)(ii)(A)).
- The college season counts. Having "participated to a significant extent in a prior season for a U.S. college or university in intercollegiate competition" is one of the seven P-1A evidence items (8 CFR 214.2(p)(4)(ii)(B)(2)(iii)).
- No automatic bridge. The automatic extension that carries some F-1 students across a change of status applies only to beneficiaries of certain H-1B petitions (8 CFR 214.2(f)(5)(vii), as redesignated by 91 FR 44976). A P-1A or O-1A petition gets no such bridge, so the filing has to fit inside the student's own admission period.
- Staying in school. Once the status changes, the school decides "whether the nonimmigrant can continue in the program based on the new status acquired" (91 FR 44976).
- Do not travel while a change of status is pending. The final rule codifies DHS's policy of treating a change-of-status application as abandoned if the applicant leaves the United States while it is pending (same rule).
- Residence abroad. The State Department's Foreign Affairs Manual says "Every P visa applicant must establish that they have a residence abroad which they have no intention of abandoning" (9 FAM 402.14-11(A)), but a filed immigrant petition "shall not be a basis for denying a P petition" (8 CFR 214.2(p)(15)). A graduate can pursue the EB-1A green card while on a P-1A.
Who files after college
In a team sport, the club that signs the player files. In an individual sport, where a graduate competes in events run by different organizers, a U.S. agent can petition for workers "who use agents to arrange short-term employment on their behalf with numerous employers", with an itinerary of each event (8 CFR 214.2(p)(2)(iv)(E)). Altius does not act as an agent petitioner itself; it works with agent-petitioner services and can refer you to one.
Visitor visas are not a shortcut
- Tryouts. An amateur may use a B-1 visa for a brief tryout with a professional team if the team pays only incidental expenses, but not once the player has been hired (9 FAM 402.2-5(C)(4)(c)).
- B-2 for amateurs. A B-2 amateur competitor must be someone who "normally performs without remuneration"; "a performer who is normally compensated for performing cannot qualify" (9 FAM 402.2-4(A)(7)).
What we need from you
- Your Form I-20, with the program end date, and your I-94 record
- Any CPT, OPT or on-campus work, and any NIL agreement you have signed or been offered
- Your college competition record, national-team record and any professional offer
- Your planned graduation date and remaining NCAA eligibility
The firm's sports immigration page covers the sports it handles.