Thousands of people across the globe want to study, seek employment and possibly even settle in the USA. How do you know if the U.S. is the right place for you? Is it really like TV or the movies?
Mr. Nilay Shastry, a New York attorney practicing U.S. Immigration Law in the Midlands, believes that one of the best ways to determine if the U.S. is right for you is by studying in the U.S. The U.S. is home to many of the finest institutions of higher learning in the world.
If you have ever thought of emigrating to the U.S. a student visa would be the ideal manner. In addition to enlightening you, the visa holder gets to experience the U.S. You will be able to see how life in the U.S. really is rather than from TV or a movie. Plus, if you do not wish to continue your studies or concluded that the US is not the right place for you.
Also, obtaining a student visa is not as difficult as obtaining other visas. To obtain a student visa you need an institution of learning to offer you admission. In order to be offered a seat you will need to establish several criteria. The first and foremost is that you are qualified to study at the institution. Although each institution will have different criteria, the basics are the same. First, you must be fluent in English.
For universities and colleges, in addition to your marks from schools, you will need to take the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). This examination is in two parts. One is math and the other is reading comprehension. Each part is scored on a scale of 200 to 800. Institutions will add the two scores to determine one score. Although it is theoretically possible to do real well on one part of the exam, the likelihood of being offered a seat to study at the institution is little if there is a great disparity in the two scores.
The institution will also determine your ability to pay for your studies. Unlike U.S. residents, your ability to receive financial aid from U.S. sources will be little. Therefore, it is very crucial that you assess your ability to pay for your studies before you apply to a specific institution. If you do not, you may have paid for an application fee and spent time completing the application for no reason.
Although studying in the U.S. can be expensive, this is probably the best time to study. The U.S. Dollar’s value is very low compared to the Sterling Pound. At the time of this writing, £1.00 equals $1.88 – almost a two to one ratio. Living costs will vary. It will depend on which part of the U.S. you are studying. Still, it will be cheaper because of the current exchange rate.
Upon admission to the institution, the student will receive a completed form I-20, along with a SEVIS fee form. The SEVIS fee, which is currently $100.00, has to be paid prior to your interview at the U.S. Embassy.
The visa applicant must prove to the Embassy that he/she has paid the application fee and the SEVIS fee. The applicant must show that he/she can pay for the course of study. The applicant must further demonstrate that he/she will return to the UK. Establishing the applicant’s strong ties to the U.K because the student must return to the UK upon finishing the studies.
A person intending to arrive in the U.S. is may enter the U.S. thirty days before the program begins. A person with a student visa is permitted to enter and leave the U.S. an unlimited number of times while the visa is valid.
An added benefit of studying in the U.S. is the applicant can look for a job with much more ease. It enables you to make contacts. It enables to have many different resources to look for employment and it makes interviewing easier.