Bringing my Husband's daughter to study

[NJCube 4]

Hi Everyone,

 

My husband is a an LPR.  His 17 yo daughter who is still living in Spain, is interested in going to college in the US.   She will be entering her "senior" year of high school this September and is actually thinking of transferring to the US and finish her last year here and then proceed with college.

 

Im very confused as to what the process is.  I'm assuming she would need an F-1 visa but that appears to be for college.  

 

Also, she is an athlete and would like to apply for scholarships for college.  Is that done via the colleges themselves?

 

Any advice or help would be greatly appreciated.

 

 

 

[Unlockable 7,314]

F1 visa would be for that. But curious as to why not apply. His daughter as a stepchild of yours? You would simply file an I-130 for her. It would be much easier and less expensive than the student visa. 
 

With the F1 visa she would have to show the funds to pay for the school year. Even highschool may be over $10k per year.

[SusieQQQ 11,586]

She can use an F1 visa for one year of public high school, or more than one if a private school. The school will need to be SEVIS registered. Note that if she goes to a public school she will need to pay the cost of attendance if she is attending on F1, she cannot attend for free even if it is local and you and her dad pay local taxes.

 

Does she not want to stay in the US permanently- wondering why you/her dad is not sponsoring her. If she comes in on a green card she can attend public high school free, she can get instate tuition at college, and moreover she has a much better chance of getting into colleges in the first place (green card counts as domestic student, F1 as international). 

For local athletes they will already be in the recruiting stages and talking to college coaches by junior year. Not sure how it works for internationals - perhaps a starting point is to see if her performance in her sport would qualify her for D1 or D3, see how her times/ranking/whatever is relevant for the sport she does, compares to US college equivalents and contact the coaches at the relevant colleges she is interested in to let them know her performance, etc. From my understanding of sport recruiting it is a whole different kettle of fish to normal applications. She can do a walk on to a team if she gets into a college the usual way and is good enough at the sport, but if she wants to get a sport scholarship she needs to get recruited and she will need to start working on that now. I know it happens for internationals but not exactly sure the process for them. 

 

 

Edited February 2, 2021 by SusieQQQ

[SusieQQQ 11,586]

Here are a couple of NCAA pages on athletic recruiting. I am almost certain this is only aimed at domestics though - another plug for trying for a green card for her.

 

https://www.ncaa.org/student-athletes/future

 

https://www.ncaa.org/student-athletes/future/recruiting

 

[SusieQQQ 11,586]

Oh. One more thing. Unless she is for example in an IB program and transfers to a school that offers IB here, you need to think very carefully about her transferring for her final year of high school. Talk to the school in advance, it is often not that easy to suddenly come for one year from a different system and she may find for example that she will not meet the school or state requirements for a high school diploma after just one year here because of the mix of courses she has taken, and/or may be difficulties calculating a cumulative GPA, etc. Because she will be aiming at a US college, this would be important to get right.

 

Edited February 2, 2021 by SusieQQQ

[aaron2020 11,651]

33 minutes ago, NJCube said:

Hi Everyone,

 

My husband is a an LPR.  His 17 yo daughter who is still living in Spain, is interested in going to college in the US.   She will be entering her "senior" year of high school this September and is actually thinking of transferring to the US and finish her last year here and then proceed with college.

 

Im very confused as to what the process is.  I'm assuming she would need an F-1 visa but that appears to be for college.  

 

Also, she is an athlete and would like to apply for scholarships for college.  Is that done via the colleges themselves?

 

Any advice or help would be greatly appreciated.

 

 

 

As an F1 international student, she would be paying crazy tuition.  Unless the Spanish government is paying for it, she is looking at $20,000 to $40,000 per year.

Have you considered filing an I-130 for her as the USC stepparent?  If she immigrates and gets a green card, she could qualify for in-state tuition because of her dad and possibly qualify for financial aid by filing a FAFSA. 

[millefleur 5,046]

29 minutes ago, SusieQQQ said:

Does she not want to stay in the US permanently- wondering why you/her dad is not sponsoring her. If she comes in on a green card she can attend public high school free, she can get instate tuition at college, and moreover she has a much better chance of getting into colleges in the first place (green card counts as domestic student, F1 as international). 

11 minutes ago, aaron2020 said:

Have you considered filing an I-130 for her as the USC stepparent?  If she immigrates and gets a green card, she could qualify for in-state tuition because of her dad and possibly qualify for financial aid by filing a FAFSA. 

As GC holder, she could qualify for more than in state tuition, she could possibly also get the need-based Pell Grant via filing for FAFSA as an eligible non-citizen for those completing their first bachelor's degrees, and possibly other federal grants as well. On an F-1 visa, she would qualify for none of that.

 

Regarding in state tuition: she would not qualify for it most likely until actually living in the US for one year, even if she had a GC. Every state college handles it differently a bit, but this was my experience when my GC holder husband was attending university here. Again, with an F-1, even if she lives in state for 1 year, she wouldn't be recognized as an in state student, but an international student, who almost always pay higher tuition (with the exception being I guess outstanding/genius kids who get full scholarships of course.)

[aaron2020 11,651]

8 minutes ago, millefleur said:

As GC holder, she could qualify for more than in state tuition, she could possibly also get the need-based Pell Grant via filing for FAFSA as an eligible non-citizen for those completing their first bachelor's degrees, and possibly other federal grants as well. On an F-1 visa, she would qualify for none of that.

 

Regarding in state tuition: she would not qualify for it most likely until actually living in the US for one year, even if she had a GC. Every state college handles it differently a bit, but this was my experience when my GC holder husband was attending university here. Again, with an F-1, even if she lives in state for 1 year, she wouldn't be recognized as an in state student, but an international student, who almost always pay higher tuition (with the exception being I guess outstanding/genius kids who get full scholarships of course.)

A parent living in the state would qualify her for in-state tuition immediately if she comes on an immigrant visa.  She does not need to be here for a year.  Having an in-state parent changes things.

[millefleur 5,046]

7 minutes ago, aaron2020 said:

A parent living in the state would qualify her for in-state tuition immediately if she comes on an immigrant visa.  She does not need to be here for a year.  Having an in-state parent changes things.

Oh right, didn't think of that. Good point. All the more reason to choose a GC over F-1 then.

[NJCube 4]

Wow,  thanks so much for all the responses.  I have to take it all in and research what has been suggested.  One thing, it seems like a general consensus to apply for an I-130, Petition for Alien Relative is the way to go.  However, we applied for one for his older daughter, who is not interested in coming here to study,  back on June 1 and still have not heard anything.   Seems like a long process to be able to get it all done in time for her to come this year.  

[SusieQQQ 11,586]

43 minutes ago, millefleur said:

As GC holder, she could qualify for more than in state tuition, she could possibly also get the need-based Pell Grant via filing for FAFSA as an eligible non-citizen for those completing their first bachelor's degrees, and possibly other federal grants as well. On an F-1 visa, she would qualify for none of that.

 

Regarding in state tuition: she would not qualify for it most likely until actually living in the US for one year, even if she had a GC. Every state college handles it differently a bit, but this was my experience when my GC holder husband was attending university here. Again, with an F-1, even if she lives in state for 1 year, she wouldn't be recognized as an in state student, but an international student, who almost always pay higher tuition (with the exception being I guess outstanding/genius kids who get full scholarships of course.)

Right - the FAFSA stuff including work study too. Good point.

 

I know some states will give immediate instate status if the financially responsible/custodial parent has been resident for at least a year even if the kid is just moving in - this is obviously different from a spouse situation.  (Edit: just saw Aaron already mentioned this point)

Edited February 2, 2021 by SusieQQQ

[SusieQQQ 11,586]

2 minutes ago, NJCube said:

Wow,  thanks so much for all the responses.  I have to take it all in and research what has been suggested.  One thing, it seems like a general consensus to apply for an I-130, Petition for Alien Relative is the way to go.  However, we applied for one for his older daughter, who is not interested in coming here to study,  back on June 1 and still have not heard anything.   Seems like a long process to be able to get it all done in time for her to come this year.  

I’m not convinced of the wisdom of the last of year of high school here anyway...but yes it almost certainly won’t be done by this September  ... but if you file now, it should certainly be ready in time for college, which is when it is most crucial for reasons of both admission and finances.

[aaron2020 11,651]

2 hours ago, NJCube said:

Wow,  thanks so much for all the responses.  I have to take it all in and research what has been suggested.  One thing, it seems like a general consensus to apply for an I-130, Petition for Alien Relative is the way to go.  However, we applied for one for his older daughter, who is not interested in coming here to study,  back on June 1 and still have not heard anything.   Seems like a long process to be able to get it all done in time for her to come this year.  

Immigration to the US is not quick.  It takes 12-18 months to get an immigration visa.  

For an F-1 student visa, she is going to have to prove that she does not have immigrant intent and intends to return home after finishing school.

If she wants to come to the US for her senior year on a student visa, you are looking at a private school.  She simply can't just get a student visa and come attend a public high school for free.  

To be realistic, you as the USC stepparent should file the I-130 today to start the immigration process.  She can come and attend college as a green card holder. 

How old is the older daughter?  Is she over 21 years old?  Did her LPR dad file the I-130 or did you, the USC stepparent?  How old was she when you married her dad?

[aaron2020 11,651]

2 hours ago, SusieQQQ said:

I’m not convinced of the wisdom of the last of year of high school here anyway...but yes it almost certainly won’t be done by this September  ... but if you file now, it should certainly be ready in time for college, which is when it is most crucial for reasons of both admission and finances.

No way is the daughter going to get a student visa to enroll in a public high school for free.  The OP will need to look at a private high school.  

At this point, filing an I-130 so she can start the immigration process to eventually attend college in the US is the realistic choice.  

[SusieQQQ 11,586]

16 minutes ago, aaron2020 said:

No way is the daughter going to get a student visa to enroll in a public high school for free.  The OP will need to look at a private high school.  

 

I think you missed my earlier comment. 
 

4 hours ago, SusieQQQ said:

Note that if she goes to a public school she will need to pay the cost of attendance if she is attending on F1, she cannot attend for free even if it is local and you and her dad pay local taxes.

You may use an F1 visa for one year maximum of public high school (which is all she wants to do anyway) as long as the cost of attendance is paid for.  It is a perfectly suitable option if they still decide they want her to do her final year of high school in the US.