Whether I can come back if I visit Korea after filing I-485 while living in the U.S. on an F-1 student visa
I recently (Oct 12, 2023) had my I-140 approved while on F-1 status, and am waiting for I-485.
After I-140 approval, my abstract was accepted at an overseas academic conference, and I’m expected to be the main presenter.
Could leaving the country during this time on my F-1 visa cause a problem when I try to re-enter? I’d also like to know if this could negatively affect the future I-485 filing and approval.
Hello. Having I-140 approved and having filed I-485 shows immigrant intent.
So when you come back after leaving the country, since F-1 is a visa demonstrating nonimmigrant intent,
the two intentions don’t align, and there’s a possibility of being denied entry.
So if you filed for travel authorization at the same time as I-485, it would be a safer approach to obtain that travel authorization before leaving.