Student F1 Visa

April 2010 Newsletter

Many clients are now looking to use the Student F1 Visa as a stepping stone towards their immigration goals - could this be an option for you?

   Topics covered in this issue
 – Comprehensive Health Care Reform –
 – Comprehensive Immigration Reform –
 – Green Card By Marriage –
 – Student F1 Visa –
 – US Immigration for Top Professionals –
 – US Immigration for BA Graduates  –

Focus on Student Visas:

Student visas are for everyone, anyone and for all ages looking to get some kind of foot hold in the US. It does not matter whether you have a degree or no degree, student visas are an excellent option.

For many of our clients the Student visa is used to enable them to spend more than the typical 90-day Visa Waiver maximum in the US. If you’re looking for employment or seeing whether a relationship is really ready to go to that next level being able to spend that additional time in the US can be a great option.

In this context I’m really considering the student visa as a tactical immigration strategy. In fact I’m talking about Community College as opposed to an expensive Private University.

You can be any age to apply for an F1 student visa, people take career breaks all the time to beef up their education portfolio and their international experience.

For those highly educated clients destined for an academic career then of course we’ll help them get their University student visas, but this article is really about those people who are frustrated because they are in a catch 22 situation: need a job but cannot get a job without a visa and can’t get a visa without a job.  The student visa can break that vicious cycle.

Community Colleges are like England’s Colleges of Further Education.  They do the sort of classes that are foundational to a BA degree and a variety of academic and vocational courses that are very valuable

If you’re single, footloose and fancy free the F1 Student visa option as a first step on the immigration ladder can be quite an attractive option. In terms of school fees these range from around $6,000 – $8,000 per year whereas private Universities will charge around $25,000 – $35,000 per year. In addition you have to show sufficient funds that you could support yourself just for the first year. Typically, this will be an additional $10,000 – $12,000.

Students cannot obtain a work permit during their first year but can apply after the first year qualifying period if they can show hardship. The student can then work their way through college. Once a student has completed their course they can also apply for a post graduation work permit that will allow them to stay in the US for a further year and it’s during this time that they can use their best endeavors to secure more long term employment if they can qualify for the H-1B visa.

The Student F1 visa is not for the faint hearted or the short sighted, it is the beginning of a long term strategy which I have seen many students take to work their way up the immigration ladder.

Last year I had a student, let’s call her Tracy, that came to the US on a F1 visa and actually attended Yale University, from there was able to obtain a work permit to work in New York as a set designer for a theatre company. To extend her stay further the company was happy to sponsor her on an H-1B.  At around the same time her boyfriend, let’s call him Mark, had been working with us and we were able to secure an O1 visa so that he could work for a Film company in New York also. Wishing to keep the momentum moving forward up the ladder I then suggested that we see if we could apply for Mark to move from O1 to EB1 green card.

Mark was doing very well so it made sense to have a go. I also suggested to Mark that if he and Tracy were to marry (being both British) they could both enjoy the benefits of getting the green card. The EB1 green card application was successful, they got married and we completed the green card process. They are now free to live their lives in the US without ever really having to worry about immigration again. There was no plan for this to happen when they started out, they were merely brave enough to take that giant leap of faith to start the ball rolling and see what opportunities presented them.

I speak to would be students who are looking for the perfect plan that will guide them all the way to green card status – there is no such thing of course but life has an amazing way of surprising us all!

If you’re ready to take that leap, why not contact us today and lets see what we can do.

Useful Links:
Student Visas

Topics covered in this issue   
 – Comprehensive Health Care Reform –
 – Comprehensive Immigration Reform –
 – Green Card By Marriage –
 – Student F1 Visa –
 – US Immigration for Top Professionals –
 – US Immigration for BA Graduates –

US Immigration Law Offices of Chris M. Ingram
Chris M. Ingram LL.M., ESQ – Immigration Attorney
Admitted in New York.
Practice Specializing in US Immigration Law
520 Broadway, Suite 350,
Santa Monica,
California 90401
Tel: 310 496 4292

Everyday the Law Offices of Chris M. Ingram provides a comprehensive range of US Immigration expertise. We also provide a free consultation for our prospective clients. 

General Location:  Santa Monica , Santa Clarita, Los Angeles, California, USA.
Serving all 50 States
Copyright 2010

Please note that nothing contained in this website or link therefrom shall be regarded as providing legal advice. Please contact us directly for legal advice specific to your situation. Thank You.