People often use the terms “visa” and “status” to mean the same thing; however, they have different meanings.
A visa is a stamp in your passport that allows you to travel to a port of entry, airport or land border crossing, and request permission to enter the United States. While having a visa does not guarantee entry to the United States, it does indicate a consular officer at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate abroad has determined you are eligible to seek entry for a specific purpose, such as to enroll at an institution of higher education for a degree. Admission to the United States is for a specified status and period of time.
Status refers to your formal immigration classification in the U.S. as indicated on one’s I-94 record. It is possible to have multiple visas in one’s passport, but an individual can only have one immigration status while in the U.S. One’s visa may expire while in the country, but one’s status should not. Maintaining status refers to the responsibilities one has while in the U.S. For F-1 international students, examples of maintaining legal status include having: an unexpired passport; a valid Form I-20; a full-time course load in each required term of study; no more than 20 hours per week of on-campus work during an enrolled term; F-1 OPT or CPT authorization for any work off-campus; completing proper transfer, extension, or change of program.