Does a Period of Absence from the U.S. Terminate a F1 Visa

Mother and father in Beijing are ill, and he also wants to take a four credit course in Israel. F1 is active, but expires in three months. QUESTION: What's the longest he can live outside the USA and still return to regain or keep his F1 and return to complete college?

He can't have any non-medical LOA that won't invalidate his visa in some way. If he goes on leave for less than five months and he properly arranges with the international students office at his school, he can have his visa placed in "inactive" status. He can get it turned back on when he is ready to resume his studies in the US. Longer than that, he'll need to get a new F-1 when he wants to return.

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Quoting flyingron

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He can't have any non-medical LOA that won't invalidate his visa in some way. If he goes on leave for less than five months and he properly arranges with the international students office at his school, he can have his visa placed in "inactive" status. He can get it turned back on when he is ready to resume his studies in the US. Longer than that, he'll need to get a new F-1 when he wants to return.

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Thank you. Just to clarify, can he leave for four months for a NON-medical reason and that will allow inactive status? And will this leave automatically advance his F1 due to expire 2/28/16 by the amount of time he is in his country of origin? Or must the school to which he returns to next year enter the new later F1 expiration?

Where may one find INS or HS documentation of this five month limit?

Found this from Duke: http://www.visaservices.duke.edu/5MonthAbsence.html

I don't have any definitive reference, but I gave my understanding. He should talk to the department at his school. It absolutely must be handled on their end. Normally, they'd take care of extending his F-1 and I suspect they can do so even if he is planning a short LOA.

Be more specific. F-1 visa stampings are different from the I-20. Visas are not "extended".