K1- Can my fiance attend school ?

[Mar&Alej 0]

Hi Good Morning !!

My fiance Alejandro had his K1 visa approved March 23rd YEAH !!!

He entered the states March 27th, we are not married yet but will be by this week or next , YEAH AGAIN !!! . I was wondering because I thought I had read somewhere that it's okay for a k1 visa holder to attend school but not work, is this correct ?? as soon as we get married I am going to start the AOS process and send it off so his Work Auth can come in the mail but it's my understanding that it can take 60-90 days so of course he wants to occupy his time, please advise, if it's okay for school, trade school, something ????????

Marlene

[Bobby+Umit 161]

Should be able to.

[Nik+Heather 121]

I don't think your fiance is prohibited from taking classes.

Go to the website of or call whichever institution you're interested in and ask them what requirements there are. Find out what sort of prerequisites are needed - if they want a high school diploma, you'll need to find out what the equivalent is for your fiance and provide that and ensure it will be accepted, etc. I didn't memorize my SSN until I started getting ready for my post-secondary education, so I think you'll need that too.

A brief review of my school's residency requirements indicates that simply being married to a state resident allows you to petition for (tuition purposes only) resident status in order to take classes.

Some trade schools are private/for-profit ventures that aren't supported by tax-dollars, so they may not care very much about residency (or other prerequisites) since you are paying, they'll teach you!

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Hi Good Morning !!

My fiance Alejandro had his K1 visa approved March 23rd YEAH !!!

He entered the states March 27th, we are not married yet but will be by this week or next , YEAH AGAIN !!! . I was wondering because I thought I had read somewhere that it's okay for a k1 visa holder to attend school but not work, is this correct ?? as soon as we get married I am going to start the AOS process and send it off so his Work Auth can come in the mail but it's my understanding that it can take 60-90 days so of course he wants to occupy his time, please advise, if it's okay for school, trade school, something ????????

Marlene

You bet! Alla started school 5 days after arriving in the USA, we had made all the arrangements before hand and she was ready to go, in fact she wanted to know why she had to wait 5 days! (2 were a weekend, 1 was an assessment test she had to take) No jet lag holding this girl back!

Now as for financial aid? Our state, Vermont, does not make any financial aid available for one year, maybe your state is different. Federal Aid is available after AOS and SSN. Because she will be a certified teacher here she recieved a grant for all her course work. Great deal. Student financial aid is NOT restricted by the I-864 or any other agreement as it is not "means tested aid" per the definition that applies to the I-864. So immigrants ARE eligible to apply for student aid.

Actually, she was able to work immediately also and did take a small job over the holidays, before her AOS. She received the employment authorization stamp at JFK when she entered and had her SSN in hand one week later. No moss grows under her feet. The employment stamp will go away soon, if not already, so yes, you heard correct. K-1s can no longer work without an EAD or green card.

[domegirl1978 1]

He should be able to go to school no problem.

You might want to check out the rules with the school and state though about him getting a residents tuition.

I know in Florida, the school I want to attend wants you to be a permanent resident for at least one year until they give you that tuition rate. Until the years residence is complete they charge you international student tuition.

Each state may be different so please check. Its way cheaper for residents than international.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

I don't think your fiance is prohibited from taking classes.

Go to the website of or call whichever institution you're interested in and ask them what requirements there are. Find out what sort of prerequisites are needed - if they want a high school diploma, you'll need to find out what the equivalent is for your fiance and provide that and ensure it will be accepted, etc. I didn't memorize my SSN until I started getting ready for my post-secondary education, so I think you'll need that too.

A brief review of my school's residency requirements indicates that simply being married to a state resident allows you to petition for (tuition purposes only) resident status in order to take classes.

Some trade schools are private/for-profit ventures that aren't supported by tax-dollars, so they may not care very much about residency (or other prerequisites) since you are paying, they'll teach you!

Some good points. Alla's college here granted her resident tuition with proof of marriage. We also used the services of an organization called "ECE", you can google it. Prior to her arriving we sent copies of her university diploma and transcripts from Ukraine (with translations) and they made an "official" assessment of her education compared to our universities here. Her master's degree was given full faith and credit, provided she take 4 pre-requisite course required here, or pass the exams for them. Google ECE who reviews foreign education credentials and gives assessments accepted by most universities. Your fiance should bring any educational creditials he has with him.

[krystiandjon 0]

My research has been contrary to the opinions posted here. My fiance wishes to take classes soon after arriving also, and the school we talked to said he must be authorized to work in order to take classes there. Its a community college. So, I think the moral here is talk to the admissions office.

[Mar&Alej 0]

Thanks everyone!!! I will call the school and go from there, THANKS so much !!!

Marlene

[Nik+Heather 121]

My research has been contrary to the opinions posted here. My fiance wishes to take classes soon after arriving also, and the school we talked to said he must be authorized to work in order to take classes there. Its a community college. So, I think the moral here is talk to the admissions office.

Community colleges are partially (mostly?) supported by tax dollars, so I'm sure that there are some restrictions on who they will allow to attend (they want tax payers - have to pay in to get the bennies!) If you phrase the question in one way you may get different answers, especially considering how relatively unknown K visas seem to be outside of those of us who are trying to get them!!

I think if you were to see what was actually needed to sign up for classes you might find that someone without a work permit would have all necessary pieces. This probably very heavily depends on which state you are in.

[krystiandjon 0]

My research has been contrary to the opinions posted here. My fiance wishes to take classes soon after arriving also, and the school we talked to said he must be authorized to work in order to take classes there. Its a community college. So, I think the moral here is talk to the admissions office.

Community colleges are partially (mostly?) supported by tax dollars, so I'm sure that there are some restrictions on who they will allow to attend (they want tax payers - have to pay in to get the bennies!) If you phrase the question in one way you may get different answers, especially considering how relatively unknown K visas seem to be outside of those of us who are trying to get them!!

I think if you were to see what was actually needed to sign up for classes you might find that someone without a work permit would have all necessary pieces. This probably very heavily depends on which state you are in.

Yeah, I'm sure it depends on the state, the school, the admissions officer, their mood that day, etc. And there are generally less restrictions on community colleges than state colleges (which the OP was talking about), both of which are supported by tax dollars.

The point I was trying to make was don't just assume a university is going to react the same way as another university (or person within that university for that matter). And it looks like the OP is on the right track.

[Ban Hammer 13,583]

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[lovica_l 0]

He can go to school and work