Studying at Community College on K1 Visa

[brandon stone 9]

Hello,

 

My fiancée just arrived in the country on a K1 visa and we will be adjusting her status next week. Can she enroll at a community college now or do we need to wait for her to green card? 
 

Thank you!

 

-Brandon S. 

[Keithn85 400]

11 minutes ago, brandon stone said:

Hello,

 

My fiancée just arrived in the country on a K1 visa and we will be adjusting her status next week. Can she enroll at a community college now or do we need to wait for her to green card? 
 

Thank you!

 

-Brandon S. 

This is awesome by the way!  But what are the admission requirements for the college?  If the college requires everything she has, then by all means have her apply for admission.

[HRQX 4,145]

12 minutes ago, brandon stone said:

Can she enroll at a community college now or do we need to wait for her to green card?

That can vary wildly per state.

 

Also check on in-state tuition eligibility.

[brandon stone 9]

5 minutes ago, Keithn85 said:

This is awesome by the way!  But what are the admission requirements for the college?  If the college requires everything she has, then by all means have her apply for admission.

For domestic students, they require a translation of her diploma and that’s it. 

[arken 4,197]

You will have better chances of getting admission with an i485 receipt notice once AOS is filed. Colleges may not accept K1 status for enrollment since it is a non-immigrant status valid for only 90 days.

Edited July 7, 2021 by arken

[JeanneAdil 6,514]

Take that I 94 and Get her SS card and get married

she is probably not able to do in state tuition as most require a 6 month or 12 month residency

but again ,  state and college dependent for the answers

she may need the SS # for the college /tried to look this up for an answer and sites take me to student visas so ,  sorry ,  no help 

Edited July 7, 2021 by JeanneAdil

[USC4SPOUSE 506]

3 hours ago, brandon stone said:

Hello,

 

My fiancée just arrived in the country on a K1 visa and we will be adjusting her status next week. Can she enroll at a community college now or do we need to wait for her to green card? 
 

Thank you!

 

-Brandon S. 

@brandon stone I would first apply for the SSN, get married and file for AOS. Once you get the I-797, she should be able to get in-state tuition at a community college. Most schools allow you to qualify for instate tuition if you are married to someone who qualifies for instate tuition. You, the US citizen spouse, may need to show that you qualify for instate tuition. This varies from state to state and from school to school. Often times, this is not advertised publicly and may have to dig for the information. 

 

Remember that your fiancé has 76 days to apply for a SSN. It will make life easier to do it now. 

 

 

[HRQX 4,145]

27 minutes ago, USC4SPOUSE said:

Most schools allow you to qualify for instate tuition if you are married to someone who qualifies for instate tuition.

In-state tuition is quirky in the 90 days of K-1 status in OP's state: https://www.mass.edu/bhe/lib/documents/2008-11-12ResidencyStatuswithFormandDocuments.pdf "The following individuals shall be eligible for in-state tuition: ... The spouse of any person who is classified or is eligible for classification as a Massachusetts resident is likewise eligible for classification as a Massachusetts resident. This provision will not apply in the case of a spouse in the United States on a non-immigrant visa."

[USC4SPOUSE 506]

@brandon stone Like I said, research your options with local schools. Apply for AOS. There are schools that will classify you as a resident for tuition purposes if you have an I-797 (proof of lawful presence) and you are married to someone who qualifies as a resident for tuition purposes. 

[brandon stone 9]

19 minutes ago, USC4SPOUSE said:

@brandon stone Like I said, research your options with local schools. Apply for AOS. There are schools that will classify you as a resident for tuition purposes if you have an I-797 (proof of lawful presence) and you are married to someone who qualifies as a resident for tuition purposes. 

The community college we spoke to doesn’t require immigration information. Per their word, “immigration status is not our business”. They just require a high school diploma. They do not even require a SSN number. 

[SalishSea 17,839]

36 minutes ago, brandon stone said:

The community college we spoke to doesn’t require immigration information. Per their word, “immigration status is not our business”. They just require a high school diploma. They do not even require a SSN number. 

If it is a public school, they must have some way of determining in-state vs out-of-state tuition.  

[USC4SPOUSE 506]

57 minutes ago, brandon stone said:

The community college we spoke to doesn’t require immigration information. Per their word, “immigration status is not our business”. They just require a high school diploma. They do not even require a SSN number. 

Ok, there you go! Problem solved!

[SusieQQQ 11,586]

23 minutes ago, Jorgedig said:

If it is a public school, they must have some way of determining in-state vs out-of-state tuition.  

Proving residence and proving legal residence are not the same thing …

[JasonGG 280]

My wife came to the US on a K1 visa in July 2018 and started the local community college’s Ed program the next month.  Since we were paying ourselves (not a student loan / financial aid) they only required proof of our marriage and my proof of residency for in-state and in-county tuition. 
 

She was able to apply for and received a student loan after getting her conditional green card, but the school canceled the program and we returned the money.

Jason

[Ontarkie 14,230]

~~Moved to Moving Here and Your New Life, from K1 P&P - as similar topics are discussed here.~~