HI I am a student in F1 visa and my visa expired last August but my I-20 is still active and I am on F1 status. I was wondering if I need to extend my visa or as long as I am in US it is fine to be without extended visa. I also want to file the tax. Is it a requirement that you need to have a valid visa to file for the tax ? 

Thanks

You are fine as long as your I-20 is valid.
But you decide to visit nepal or go out of US , you need valid visa to enter US.

yes, I am in the same boat. F1 visa expired in July but have a valid I-20. Filing tax should be okay as long as you dont go out of the country. You need a valid visa to re-enter the country. On the same note, has anyone renewed visa from canada? vancouver or toronto? Or do you think it is good to renew from Nepal. My visa expired and I want to go to Nepal this May. How long does it take to renew the visa. I heard from people that there is nothing like renew in Kathmandu, its like applying for the new visa. Pls help!

 renewing F-1 visa is similar to applying for a new one, it just takes less documents. depending on how busy the embassy is, it'll take 2-4 weeks from the day you pay the fees and get an interview date. as long as you have been doing what you were supposed to do as an F-1 student, there should be no problem getting (re-newing) the visa.

about canada- one of my Indian colleagues (she was on her OPT) went to Canada and came back with a renewed F-1 visa after about 2 weeks. So, it seems like Canada might be a faster option, and cheaper too. But it worked for her doesn't mean it'll work for you.

 i had a nepali who tried to get into canada and get a visa to US while returning. he was mentioning me that getting an appointment for the interview is tough. i am not sure if that's the case for all kinds of interviewee or certain types only. he was trying hard to get an appointment as he mentioned me that it might be "comparatively" easier to get visa from embassy at canada than one in nepal. BUT hey, everyone knows that nepal ko visa k ho k ho. thegan nai hudaina k huncha bhanera.
also what i have heard that in case u want to get a new visa at ktm, you can set up an interview from US too, but your physical body has to be there (probably nabil bank) to confirm the appointment before the interview happens.

Thanks guys. I have a visa scheduled already for May in canada. But I thought if I have to go to Canada, stay in a hotel there until i get my visa, might as well go home.. you know.. Tickets are cheap in April-May so. So can I have someone in Nepal pay to nabil bank and schedule the interviwe from US And present my physical body (LOL!! ) to nabil bank one day before the interview?

 ParbateKanchi, you can schedule an appointment date prior to your departure from the states. 

How to I schedule my visa interview before leaving from US? I just filled my DS160 and I have someone in ktm to go and pay to Nabil bank. But  their website says they need my passport to schedule the visa interview. How do I do from here?

 email them. they respond just like if you have query on ebay

 if you forget the part that you have something to be fixed..everything else is administrative! They do admin work and they don't care who you are or what your status is..when you're seeking info!