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American Visa? Greencard? should i be trying to get one?


TeaSpoon

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Hey guys, im a little confused about the legal situation of applying to US schools.

 

Do I need to have somesort of a american visa or greencard before I apply?? (im planning on applying this summer)

 

I have some family in California and Detroit, will I need them to sponser me?

 

I know i sound clueless (its cuz i am)

 

Thanks :)

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Hey guys, im a little confused about the legal situation of applying to US schools.

 

Do I need to have somesort of a american visa or greencard before I apply?? (im planning on applying this summer)

 

I have some family in California and Detroit, will I need them to sponser me?

 

I know i sound clueless (its cuz i am)

 

Thanks :)

 

As long as you have Canadian citizenship you will be able to go on a visa (F-1). Easy process. Residency would be visa as well. Greencards are extremely hard to get (require immediate family (spouse or parent if under a certain age) sponsorship or job sponsorship, or opening businesses there with a large investment) and take a very long time.

 

If you have family there it will certainly help for you to finance your education using them as cosigners for US based loans (as long as they have great credit).

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As long as you have Canadian citizenship you will be able to go on a visa (F-1). Easy process. Residency would be visa as well. Greencards are extremely hard to get (require immediate family (spouse or parent if under a certain age) sponsorship or job sponsorship, or opening businesses there with a large investment) and take a very long time.

 

If you have family there it will certainly help for you to finance your education using them as cosigners for US based loans (as long as they have great credit).

 

 

When should i be looking to apply for the F-1 visa, is it something that you can get right away or does it take a long time to process?

 

Thanks for your response!

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For residency programs there are two types of visas you can get, a J1 and an H1B. An H1B is very difficult to get. Programs don't really like to do the paperwork for that. A J1 is easier to get (many programs offer it) but you must leave the US for at least two years before you can return (for a job). You can also convert an H1B to a green card down the road. An advantage of having gone to school in the US is that you can simply extend your F1 (student visa) by a year while you do your intern year (first year of residency) and get the paper work ready for an H1B.

 

Clearly an H1B is better but you may be limited in the program of your choice, especially for competitive residencies.

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