US F1 Visa grace period attending a conference

Question

I am currently in the US on a F1 Visa for studying. My I-20 is valid until May 19th, as then my program is finished. Usually I study in Canada (I am there on a study permit with a passport from Austria).

Before returning back to Canada I wanted to visit a conference in the US (in another state, I will have to take a plane). The conference starts on May 20 and lasts for 6 days.

My question is: am I allowed to attend the conference, as I am in the grace period of my F1 visa? Note, the conference is not part of my program in the US.

Second question: Can I get reimbursed for this conference by the conference organizers? Probably, I would run into troubles here as this might be considered some kind of work, which I am definitely not allowed to do.

Is it maybe somehow possible to apply for an ESTA and get a B1 stamp on it? But I only have domestic flights, so I guess this doesn't work.

Do you have any suggestion regarding what is the best way to proceed to attend the conference and maybe even not to lose the reimbursement?

Answer 1

D/S, meaning "duration of status," means that you have been admitted while you remain in F-1 status. You remain in F-1 status until the end of your program plus the 60-day grace period, assuming you complete your program satisfactorily.

Being in B-1 status won't change the answers to your other questions.

am I allowed to attend the conference, as I am in the grace period of my F1 visa?

This should be fine.

Can I get reimbursed for this conference by the conference organizers? Probably, I would run into troubles here as this might be considered some kind of work, which I am definitely not allowed to do.

It depends on what the reimbursements are for. If they are covering your expenses, it should be fine. If they're paying you for any services, or indeed if they're giving you anything in exchange for your services, that is probably not fine. User mkennedy notes that they should not pay you to do even small things such as sitting at the registration desk.

I would go a bit farther: don't do things like that at all, even on a volunteer basis. It is well accepted in US immigration law that you can't get around a lack of work authorization by volunteering to work without being paid.