How do students provide ties to their country?

[nastja 0]

Hi.

I'm about to apply to a Community College where my USC boyfriend and his family live. Of course, having a chance of spending more time with him is not the only reason I'm applying to college, if it was we would just get married. Because I don't know what will happen in a couple of years and I cannot be without him, I decided to make my long time dream come true. I've always wanted to study abroad and now I have a chance I decided to go for it.

I'm going to major in Biology and have a chance of getting a scholarship, my parents will provide enough funds for tuition, books and living expenses. What worries me is that me having an USC boyfriend will ruin everything. I can't really hide it and I don't want to, I will be living with him and I don't want to get in trouble if we (in near future) decide to take another step forward.

I don't have a full time job, I work part time, because I'm still a student. I'm going for Associate of Sciences and after two years I'm transferring to an university. I don't know what's going to happen after two years or more, I'm not planning on staying there illegally (if I did, I would have done it already, because I've been there with him this summer for three months). But I know this is not enough for them. They need to see some ties, right? And I have none. Oh well, my family is here, but I don't have my own apartment or house, children or anything.

I'm a 19yr old girl who wants to go study Biology to the USA, 50% because I was not accepted to university here and I see this as another chance of obtaining a degree, and 50% because of my boyfriend. We have been together for 15 months now and it's hard being without him and I think going there on a student visa is better than committing to each other just for the sake of being together.

What do you think? Oh, and I'm from Slovenia, it's not really a fraudulent country, we're even is a visa waiver program with the US. It would be very nice if someone, that found him/herself in the same situation, could help me with this, tell me about his/her interview and possible ties I could provide (besides owning a house or having a husband or/and children here in my country).

Thanks

[Boiler 45,519]

No harm in trying I suppose, do you have the I 20?

[nastja 0]

No, not yet. I haven't applied to college yet, but I will soon.

[ndu26 114]

"having a USC boyfriend will ruin everything"

dont look at it in a negative light. Granted it poses its challenges but unless you give away something, I dont think they will ask you that.

They will ask if you have family and relatives i think and he does not qualify as one so answering "no" to that is not lying.

righ now there are too many "ifs". Just concentrate on applying to colleges you are interested in and get them to offer you admission first( these things take a while ) so you have enough time to prepare yourself.

You are young and your immedite family is good ties especially since they will present financial documents to support your application.

try and get a separte accommodotaion( that has the option to be cancelled after the interview) so that you dnt need to tell them you will live with your bf.

get your form I-20 and take it from there..good luck in your aspirations to be a success.

[nastja 0]

Crowder college already offered me an admission I'm practically accepted, that's why I'm asking. And I can't really afford separate accommodation, it would cost me $5000 more than if I simply stayed with my bf. :/

[Little_My 464]

My now USC husband was my boyfriend when I applied for my F1 visa back in 2009. He was also a sponsor for me for the financial requirements, since we were goingt o live together which meant splitting the rent and other basic living expenses, which obviously brought down my total amount of estimatred livign expenses in NYC. He signed an affidavit of support for me when I was applying for the I-20, so it was obvious to the embassy that i had an american boyfriend at that time with whom I was going to live in NYC.

I was asked about it in the interview, but not grilled in any way. I said that obviously he played a part in my decision to pursue studies in American, but that my main reason for coming was to get a Master's Degree from a field in which degree programmes in Finland are still limited. I also was accepted to a program in international affairs with a focus on development and human rights, so it was easy for me to make the case as to why studying in the US and particularly in NYC would be greatle beneficial for my study experience.

As proof of ties I provided letters from banks showing loans and opened bank accounts in Finnish banks, a letter from my dad's company's accountant stating that my family had lived in that particular town and owned a business there for over 20 years, a letter from my employer at that time stating that after my studies they would be more than happy to hire me back should they have a suitable position opened, and a letter from a professor from my uni in Finland stating that I had discussed the possibility of studying abroad with her a year before I ever met my boyfriend, and that my professor also believes that for my study experience and learning experience, studying abroad would be in my best interest. This was to show that I did not come up with the idea of studying abroad just to be with my boyfriend, but that it was something I had considered for a long time and done research in even before me and my boyfriend had met.

In these forums, there are many people who are very eager to point out that bank accounts, loans and letters are in no way reliable proof of someone really having to return to their home country - and this is true. But on the other hand, I am really not sure what would be. What would really force anyone to return back home? I can't think of one such thing. For many, the ties you have to your family and friends are more than good enough of a reason to haev every intention of going baack home, and many do - but there will also always be those who won't. When I applied for my visa, I did intent to return to Finland after my studies. Things changed, my husband decided to start his own company, life turned out a bit different - and I adjusted my status and we stayed here, at least for now. The burden is on each individual student visa applicant to convince the IO that at the time of applying for that visa, they are not planning to permanently stay in the US. I don't think there is any magic key for doing that - you just show them what you have to prove ties, and hope that it is enough. I would advice you to first of all do things in the right order, i.e. get accepted to a school first worry about the visa interview after you've been accepted. Then provide them with whatever you can think of and be ready to make your case at the interview. In no situation should you lie about your boyfriend, if asked about him. You don't necessarily need to bring it up yourself if you don't want to, but if asked, be honest.

[Boiler 45,519]

but that my main reason for coming was to get a Master's Degree from a field in which degree programmes in Finland are still limited

I am sure that helped.

[nastja 0]

I wasn't even considering an option of lying about my relationship, would telling them I'm staying with family friends be enough? I became good friends with his sister, so I won't be lying after all... haha Hopefully everything goes just fine.

[Noah Lot 391]

I wasn't even considering an option of lying about my relationship, would telling them I'm staying with family friends be enough? I became good friends with his sister, so I won't be lying after all... haha Hopefully everything goes just fine.

Ah yes...the ever popular 'family friends'....

they will likely ask about the 'sponsor' and his relationship to you, why he wants to shell out money, etc, just to help his 'family friend.'

Note that a previous poster showed all sorts of alleged reasons why she was going to return...and yet...?

there must be something in the air in the baggage claim area of almost every airport in the US that causes people to change their minds about remaining in the US.....

[NancyNguyen 1,657]

I wasn't even considering an option of lying about my relationship, would telling them I'm staying with family friends be enough? I became good friends with his sister, so I won't be lying after all... haha Hopefully everything goes just fine.

Well when you have the interview for the visa, they would not ask if you have a boyfriend in the US. They might ask if you have relative family in the US. Boyfriend is not a relative I guess. The main purpose of the interview is to show them your strong bond with your country, and you don't have any intention to immigrate. You worry so much already.

And yes, if they mention your US accommodation, "I have friend to help in the first place or school will provide me..."

If you try to impress them with your honesty and your pride of having a USC boyfriend, then you give them a chance to believe you have an intention to immigrate once you enter the US. Good luck.

[Little_My 464]

Ah yes...the ever popular 'family friends'....

they will likely ask about the 'sponsor' and his relationship to you, why he wants to shell out money, etc, just to help his 'family friend.'

Note that a previous poster showed all sorts of alleged reasons why she was going to return...and yet...?

there must be something in the air in the baggage claim area of almost every airport in the US that causes people to change their minds about remaining in the US.....

I have followed your posts enough to understand where the cynicism and negativity comes from - however, I do have to note that I don't always appreciate the tone of your posts and the subtle allegations made within your statements. "Alleged reasons" makes a statement on its own - and though you may view each and every non-immigrant visa applicant as an individual who is out to fool the system and play mind games with immigration officials, that is not always the case. Believe it or not, there actually are situations where things just change and everything does not go as planned. When I applied for my non-immigrant student visa, I had no intention whatsoever to remain in the US. I had no understanding or knowledge of how to obtain a greencard, nor did I know I could AOS within the US if I wished to do so. I came here to study - and to spend more time with my then boyfriend, with whom we had not even discussed the possibility of marriage or us remaining in the US together. I was honest about my boyfriend and my intentions, and as a result I was granted a non-immigrant visa.

After he proposed, it is pretty obvious we had every intention to marry. However, even at this stage we were both still planning to leave the US together after I had graduated, because my wish was to return to Finland for several different reasons, many of them the same reasons I gave to the IO at my visa interview as proof of ties to my home country. My family, my friends, a prospective job - and in my opinion a much better health care system and social support system, which for me are extremely important especially for a couple who just married and possibly planned to have a child fairly soon.

Things changed, however. My husband had an opportunity to follow his dream and start a business. Doing that meant he would have to stay in the US for the time being and we would have to delay our plan to relocate to Finland. I had two choices - return alone and be apart from him for god knows how long, or remain here for now, even though that was not my first choice at this stage. I chose the latter.

I know I have no obligation to explain myself to you or anyone else in this forum, but I do not appreciate you making claims that make it seem as though me, and everyone else who came here under a non-immigrant status, did so to screw the system and planned all along to marry a USC and AOS to permanent resident. Though I do know there are many who do that, for each cheater there is an honest immigrant, and not all of us are rotten to the core. Though America is the promised land of hopes and dreams to many immigrants, it is not that for all of us. I am not here because I wanted to pursue a better life or leave something that was worse - I am here because I fell in love with a person who happened to be American. There is absolutely nothing this country can offer me that my home country can't besides the possibility of residing in the same country with my husband, which for now is a good enough reason for me to stay. My "alleged" reasons in the early stage were sincere and remain sincere, but I chose my marriage over those reasons. If you want to judge me for that, then go ahead. You have a right to your opinion - however, I would appreciate it if you would learn a less judgmental way of expressing it.

[nastja 0]

Ugh, I guess it's going to be hard there. It would be easier to just prove bona-fide relationship than to obtain a dang student visa, even though college is my priority here. Oh well, I suppose I'm going to worry about that later. Thank you all for help.

[Noah Lot 391]

I have followed your posts enough to understand where the cynicism and negativity comes from - however, I do have to note that I don't always appreciate the tone of your posts and the subtle allegations made within your statements. "Alleged reasons" makes a statement on its own - and though you may view each and every non-immigrant visa applicant as an individual who is out to fool the system and play mind games with immigration officials, that is not always the case. Believe it or not, there actually are situations where things just change and everything does not go as planned. When I applied for my non-immigrant student visa, I had no intention whatsoever to remain in the US. I had no understanding or knowledge of how to obtain a greencard, nor did I know I could AOS within the US if I wished to do so. I came here to study - and to spend more time with my then boyfriend, with whom we had not even discussed the possibility of marriage or us remaining in the US together. I was honest about my boyfriend and my intentions, and as a result I was granted a non-immigrant visa.

After he proposed, it is pretty obvious we had every intention to marry. However, even at this stage we were both still planning to leave the US together after I had graduated, because my wish was to return to Finland for several different reasons, many of them the same reasons I gave to the IO at my visa interview as proof of ties to my home country. My family, my friends, a prospective job - and in my opinion a much better health care system and social support system, which for me are extremely important especially for a couple who just married and possibly planned to have a child fairly soon.

Things changed, however. My husband had an opportunity to follow his dream and start a business. Doing that meant he would have to stay in the US for the time being and we would have to delay our plan to relocate to Finland. I had two choices - return alone and be apart from him for god knows how long, or remain here for now, even though that was not my first choice at this stage. I chose the latter.

I know I have no obligation to explain myself to you or anyone else in this forum, but I do not appreciate you making claims that make it seem as though me, and everyone else who came here under a non-immigrant status, did so to screw the system and planned all along to marry a USC and AOS to permanent resident. Though I do know there are many who do that, for each cheater there is an honest immigrant, and not all of us are rotten to the core. Though America is the promised land of hopes and dreams to many immigrants, it is not that for all of us. I am not here because I wanted to pursue a better life or leave something that was worse - I am here because I fell in love with a person who happened to be American. There is absolutely nothing this country can offer me that my home country can't besides the possibility of residing in the same country with my husband, which for now is a good enough reason for me to stay. My "alleged" reasons in the early stage were sincere and remain sincere, but I chose my marriage over those reasons. If you want to judge me for that, then go ahead. You have a right to your opinion - however, I would appreciate it if you would learn a less judgmental way of expressing it.

All one needs to do is look at the left hand column, the 'time line' that so many mind changers post here. You made the best point for future applicants, however...you showed all sorts of papers, letters, stories, and none of those, not a single one of those were sufficient motivation for your return to your country after finishing your studies....which only proves that there is no document nor creative story that really means much, and so, other future applicants should not be stunned if their application is denied, in spite of all the alleged proof they think they have to show they will not remain in the US.

I just look at the end result, in spite of your claims to the contrary about not having any intention of remaining in the US...where are you now? The US. End of story.

You are not alone....this site is filled with postings from those who made similar claims..."oh gosh, I had no intention of marrying and staying in the US...."yet, they did. It's like listening to some athlete following a loss..."we're a much better team than our 4-28 record would indicate"..what does that mean? Nothing. What does an after-the-fact claim about not having the intention to remain in the US when one has done so? I suppose somebody might believe that....I don't. I would be willing to wager a large sum on the following:

If records could be retrieved for all the student and tourist visa applicants who told the consuls they had an American BF/GF that they had 101 reasons to return to their county and of course had no intention of remaining in the US, actually returned. Out of 1000 such applicants, I would be amazed to find 1,perhaps 2, who actually lived up to what they said.

[Noah Lot 391]

I have followed your posts enough to understand where the cynicism and negativity comes from - however, I do have to note that I don't always appreciate the tone of your posts and the subtle allegations made within your statements. "Alleged reasons" makes a statement on its own - and though you may view each and every non-immigrant visa applicant as an individual who is out to fool the system and play mind games with immigration officials, that is not always the case. Believe it or not, there actually are situations where things just change and everything does not go as planned. When I applied for my non-immigrant student visa, I had no intention whatsoever to remain in the US. I had no understanding or knowledge of how to obtain a greencard, nor did I know I could AOS within the US if I wished to do so. I came here to study - and to spend more time with my then boyfriend, with whom we had not even discussed the possibility of marriage or us remaining in the US together. I was honest about my boyfriend and my intentions, and as a result I was granted a non-immigrant visa.

After he proposed, it is pretty obvious we had every intention to marry. However, even at this stage we were both still planning to leave the US together after I had graduated, because my wish was to return to Finland for several different reasons, many of them the same reasons I gave to the IO at my visa interview as proof of ties to my home country. My family, my friends, a prospective job - and in my opinion a much better health care system and social support system, which for me are extremely important especially for a couple who just married and possibly planned to have a child fairly soon.

Things changed, however. My husband had an opportunity to follow his dream and start a business. Doing that meant he would have to stay in the US for the time being and we would have to delay our plan to relocate to Finland. I had two choices - return alone and be apart from him for god knows how long, or remain here for now, even though that was not my first choice at this stage. I chose the latter.

I know I have no obligation to explain myself to you or anyone else in this forum, but I do not appreciate you making claims that make it seem as though me, and everyone else who came here under a non-immigrant status, did so to screw the system and planned all along to marry a USC and AOS to permanent resident. Though I do know there are many who do that, for each cheater there is an honest immigrant, and not all of us are rotten to the core. Though America is the promised land of hopes and dreams to many immigrants, it is not that for all of us. I am not here because I wanted to pursue a better life or leave something that was worse - I am here because I fell in love with a person who happened to be American. There is absolutely nothing this country can offer me that my home country can't besides the possibility of residing in the same country with my husband, which for now is a good enough reason for me to stay. My "alleged" reasons in the early stage were sincere and remain sincere, but I chose my marriage over those reasons. If you want to judge me for that, then go ahead. You have a right to your opinion - however, I would appreciate it if you would learn a less judgmental way of expressing it.

We have a saying in my country..."actions speak louder than words."

[LizaG 0]

nastja: I am in the same situation. The only loan I have in my home country is for the school itself.

I also need to learn more about this but personally, if you spend all this money on a school it should mean that you are serious about it. Otherwise you guys could just get married, it would cost about the same and then you'd get the GC and not "just" a visa.

I will also live with my boyfriend while studying. Good luck to the both of us.