Continuing Education

[Pinkie1945 0]

Good morning,

My fiancee lives in Florida and we will be starting the filing process in the near future for me to immigrate over to him. I have also started my nursing degree and wish to transfer whatever credits I have gained to the post secondary systems over there. I have interviewed the universities and found one that I like and have all the paperwork so that when I am ready to go I know what to do.

Thing is - in order to be "considered" a resident of Florida i have to have been there for a year or I pay out of state/country student fees; which are much like our out of country student fees - triple the cost! I know that I would have to have a Florida drivers license and a Social Security card however if I get a social security card am I not considered a foreigner for the school I am presently in?

Is there any way that I can do this without taking a year off of my studies (besides finishing out a 4 year degree here)? We have been apart so long - I'd really rather not be apart for another 4 years!

I really don't know which way to go with this and would truly appreciate any direction for researching it.

Thank you so much!

[ellaparu 4]

Good morning,

My fiancee lives in Florida and we will be starting the filing process in the near future for me to immigrate over to him. I have also started my nursing degree and wish to transfer whatever credits I have gained to the post secondary systems over there. I have interviewed the universities and found one that I like and have all the paperwork so that when I am ready to go I know what to do.

Thing is - in order to be "considered" a resident of Florida i have to have been there for a year or I pay out of state/country student fees; which are much like our out of country student fees - triple the cost! I know that I would have to have a Florida drivers license and a Social Security card however if I get a social security card am I not considered a foreigner for the school I am presently in?

Is there any way that I can do this without taking a year off of my studies (besides finishing out a 4 year degree here)? We have been apart so long - I'd really rather not be apart for another 4 years!

I really don't know which way to go with this and would truly appreciate any direction for researching it.

Thank you so much!

Hello. Where are you planning to study? Where in Florida are you planning to stay?

[Udella&Wiz 325]

Good morning,

My fiancee lives in Florida and we will be starting the filing process in the near future for me to immigrate over to him. I have also started my nursing degree and wish to transfer whatever credits I have gained to the post secondary systems over there. I have interviewed the universities and found one that I like and have all the paperwork so that when I am ready to go I know what to do.

Thing is - in order to be "considered" a resident of Florida i have to have been there for a year or I pay out of state/country student fees; which are much like our out of country student fees - triple the cost! I know that I would have to have a Florida drivers license and a Social Security card however if I get a social security card am I not considered a foreigner for the school I am presently in?Is there any way that I can do this without taking a year off of my studies (besides finishing out a 4 year degree here)? We have been apart so long - I'd really rather not be apart for another 4 years!

I really don't know which way to go with this and would truly appreciate any direction for researching it.

Thank you so much!

So you will obviously have to meet their requirements to be considered a Florida resident (to get cheaper in state tuition) and that is not negotiable. When you first come to the US on a K1 I'm not sure you can even apply and attend university until you have a document that proves you are in the US legally. Someone will correct me on that if I'm wrong.

I bolded your statement above - don't understand what you're tryign to say. Are yout hinking of doing a Canadian university long distance when you first move to Florida? Nothing wrong with that, having a US SSN has nothing at all to do with attending university long distance (if that is what you meant). Please clarify

It is way cheaper to finish university in Canada no matter how you slice it

[Flames9_RN 358]

Once you move out of Canada, your no longer a resident of Canada---so I would think if you planned to try and complete ur Cdn classes online---you would have to pay the higher rates as well

With regards to Florida----Check the various schools. When I moved to Virginia from Canada, my school based my residency on my wife--thus I paid the in-state rate! Of course there may be few schools that do it that way, but does not hurt to check, saved me a lot of $$$$.

In the USA another route to get get your RN's is the Associate degree. Less time and usually less $$$! And then let the hospital pay for ur BSN!! Thats the route I was going after I got my Associate degree and was working on PCU.....but then we moved to Nicaragua. Now will prob try and do it online, but now at my expense!! There is also a Diploma route, but not many programs left of that. allnurses.com is a decent nursing forum. Best of luck

[Pinkie1945 0]

Thanks for the responses. They are appreciated!

I am not sure what way to go with my studies. My credits will transfer over however my biggest fear is that the education I've already paid for will become stale if I wait the year.

What I was thinking was (from what I have been told which could be very wrong) I will be allowed into the country on my K1 visa to get married but then i have to come back until the rest of the immigration completes. If I apply for my FL drivers license and SS cards will that not establish my residency? If one cannot do that.. do you not establish residency when you immigrate to a particular state by default? If so why then do i have to be in FL for a year before paying instate fees (vs out of state fees).

Someone asked where I'll end up - it will be St. Petersburg, Fl.

The whole immigration thing, I find, so confusing. Add that on top of nursing studies and one can go mad :S

[Flames9_RN 358]

Thanks for the responses. They are appreciated!

I am not sure what way to go with my studies. My credits will transfer over however my biggest fear is that the education I've already paid for will become stale if I wait the year.

What I was thinking was (from what I have been told which could be very wrong) I will be allowed into the country on my K1 visa to get married but then i have to come back until the rest of the immigration completes. If I apply for my FL drivers license and SS cards will that not establish my residency? If one cannot do that.. do you not establish residency when you immigrate to a particular state by default? If so why then do i have to be in FL for a year before paying instate fees (vs out of state fees).

Someone asked where I'll end up - it will be St. Petersburg, Fl.

The whole immigration thing, I find, so confusing. Add that on top of nursing studies and one can go mad :S

Your incorrect on the k1 process--after your interview in Vancouver(As I think u said ur in BC), you will POE into the USA, they will Endorse the visa, then you have 90 days to marry! You CAN NOT leave the USA until you apply for Advance parole (AP) or get the green card!!! Well you can leave--you just will NOT get back into the USA

[Kathryn41 3,205]

Yes, please know that once you enter on the K-1 it is good for a one time entry to the US only. You need to marry within 90 days and then apply for your green card - called adjustment of status. You can also travel with a special travel permit called an Advance Parole that you need to apply for at the same time as the green card. If you leave the US without either the green card or the AP you will not be allowed back into the US and you will have to restart the immigration process all over again from the very beginning with a spousal visa (CR-1). You can only use the K-1 visa once for entry.

Your options appear to be:

a) finishing your studies in Canada

b) finishing your studies in the US at the non-resident rate

c) see if a school will accept you as a permanent resident based upon your husband's status - which means getting married before you can even apply, so you may well lose half a year or so depending on when their term/semesters start and when you get your approval and marry

d) plan on taking a year off of direct study until you do qualify as a PR and keep up to date on your own or via online courses.

All states give preferential cost treatment to their own residents, so regardless of what state you move to, you would have to have established residency for a year in order to qualify for 'in-state' tuition fees. It would be the same even if you were moving from another state, instead of another country. In fact, my husband's co-worker moved from Georgia to North Carolina and telecommuted to work in order to establish the one year residency while her daughter finished high school so she could go to the University she wanted in NC and pay instate tuition fees.

Edited September 26, 2012 by Kathryn41

[Flames9_RN 358]

I was able to get the in-state rate immediately---they were nice enough to base it on my wifes (She is the USA citizen) time spent in the state--which I had to prove by showing her past State income tax returns. Always good to ask--all they can do is say no. Saved me a lot of $$$