Advice & guidance for visa

[Toasty 0]

Hello VJ'ers,

I am trying to find the best approach to bring a wife's relative to the US for, ostensibly, permanent immigration. After doing quite a bit of reading I think a F1 student visa is probably as close as we will get to an ideal solution but it's really all so confusing I thought I'd run it by the ol' think tank here for sanity checking.

The potential immigrant is a minor, which by the time her parents want her to immigrate will be approx 8-10 years old.

She will receive extra/special schooling in her home country for English reading / writing for several years before immigrating

The child is my wife's-cousin's-daughter.

My wife is a permanent resident.

The parents goal is to have their daughter move here with us and get an education all the way through college. At that point she is free to chose to pursue a US citizenship or return to her home country. They have reasons beyond education for wanting this -- mostly for her to learn to be an independent, self-reliant person, which they feel the US and a US cultured family will be more capable of teaching her.

If you feel an F1 visa is not the right/best visa type to meet this goal please do suggest another or explain where you think it's the wrong approach. I am very open to any alternatives.

Otherwise my reasoning for an F1 is based on:

- Student will be self-funded (no scholarships, grants, etc)

- Allows student to attend any grade level, elementary - college.

- Has family / home in US (that's where I come in)

- Student will have to attend private schools throughout

a) because, in texas, there seems to be NO public schools that accept F1 visa students

b) F1s are no longer issued for elementary or middle school students

c) high schools is limited to 12 months (if public)

The points I'm unsure about:

- Can she actually be granted a stay that long on a F1 visa?

- If so, is it apply once and done or do we have to renew it every so often

I very much appreciate your thoughts, critiques, advice, anecdotes, whatever you've got to offer on this matter. Thanks in advance!

[Boiler 45,887]

Have you discussed it with the School you have in mind International Admissions Officer?

[Toasty 0]

Not yet. We are still in the 'planning' stages of this whole thing. Before reaching out to other third parties (present company excluded) I'd like to have a firm grasp of our options and a plan with where this all will head. I have however made a short list of schools that would suit our needs.

[Boiler 45,887]

I would at least call a few, this is a very expensive project. Unless money is not a concern in which case I would recommend a Lawyer.

[aaron2020 11,651]

Hello VJ'ers,

I am trying to find the best approach to bring a wife's relative to the US for, ostensibly, permanent immigration. After doing quite a bit of reading I think a F1 student visa is probably as close as we will get to an ideal solution but it's really all so confusing I thought I'd run it by the ol' think tank here for sanity checking.

The potential immigrant is a minor, which by the time her parents want her to immigrate will be approx 8-10 years old.

She will receive extra/special schooling in her home country for English reading / writing for several years before immigrating

The child is my wife's-cousin's-daughter.

My wife is a permanent resident.

The parents goal is to have their daughter move here with us and get an education all the way through college. At that point she is free to chose to pursue a US citizenship or return to her home country. They have reasons beyond education for wanting this -- mostly for her to learn to be an independent, self-reliant person, which they feel the US and a US cultured family will be more capable of teaching her.

If you feel an F1 visa is not the right/best visa type to meet this goal please do suggest another or explain where you think it's the wrong approach. I am very open to any alternatives.

Otherwise my reasoning for an F1 is based on:

- Student will be self-funded (no scholarships, grants, etc)

- Allows student to attend any grade level, elementary - college.

- Has family / home in US (that's where I come in)

- Student will have to attend private schools throughout

a) because, in texas, there seems to be NO public schools that accept F1 visa students

b) F1s are no longer issued for elementary or middle school students

c) high schools is limited to 12 months (if public)

The points I'm unsure about:

- Can she actually be granted a stay that long on a F1 visa?

- If so, is it apply once and done or do we have to renew it every so often

I very much appreciate your thoughts, critiques, advice, anecdotes, whatever you've got to offer on this matter. Thanks in advance!

You got to stop calling her the potential immigrant. Student visas are non-immigrant visas. The person getting it must prove they don't intend to immigrate. You will only get into trouble calling her an intending or potential or whatever immigrant when she is applying for a student visa that requiers her to have no immigrant intent.

If you have the money, then anything is possible. Private elementary school. Private high school. Have you looked into the financial requirements? You have to show she can cover the cost of housing even if she is staying with a relative. This is going to be $20,000 per year in a US bank before the visa is issue.

On a student visa, there is no way for her to persude US citzenship. She would need another method of qualifying for a green card before she can even think about US citizenship.

There is no way for you to get her a green card (legal permanent residency) or US citizenship on a student visa.

This is not the path unless 1) she is only interested in a US education and not immigration, and 2) she has at least $20,000 per year for her education in the US.

If her parents have $500,000 to send her to the US from age 8-22, then they might as well go for an EB-5 investment visa.

[canadian_wife 1,826]

I strongly suggest you contact the schools you are looking at to see their international student requirements. Often F-1 for high schools are given for 12 months and not extended, it would be more like an exchange program than a full time student.

What country is the student from?

She is NOT a potential immigrant. She will have to prove that she intends to return after her studies. That is the point of a non-immigrant student visa, it is not a path to citizenship or resident status.

good luck

[aaron2020 11,651]

I strongly suggest you contact the schools you are looking at to see their international student requirements. Often F-1 for high schools are given for 12 months and not extended, it would be more like an exchange program than a full time student.

What country is the student from?

She is NOT a potential immigrant. She will have to prove that she intends to return after her studies. That is the point of a non-immigrant student visa, it is not a path to citizenship or resident status.

good luck

While an F-1 student is limited to 1 year in a public high school, there is no limit on private school.

An F-1 student can go to private elementary, middle, and high school for years. Lots of them go to the local private Catholic schools here in San Diego.

[canadian_wife 1,826]

Excellent, thanks for the correction. I do believe the OP should still contact the school

[aaron2020 11,651]

Excellent, thanks for the correction. I do believe the OP should still contact the school

Checking with potential private schools is definately the first action if they wish to proceed.

Usually, the $20,000 per year cost upfront is what stops a person from bringing a niece, nephew, or family friend from attending elementary school in the US. Most people can't justify the cost for a basic elementary school education. Most would rather wait for college.