The United States of America is a generally desired destination for international students from all over the world. Its possesses excellent educational system and structure offered to students in an outstanding and conducive environment. Also various job opportunities comes with acquiring a degree or completing a program in USA.
However, as an international student the application process can be quite tasking especially students who intend to work while studying in the USA, but as daunting as the process may want to seem, if the right required documents is presented and the application process is followed duly, you can be almost sure of the success rate of your application.
Process to Studying in the USA
The first thing you want to do as an international student finding out about different regions of your selected country to know which best suits your lifestyle and budget and also to find out the universities available to you there based on your course of choice. The USA is home to several top notch universities and colleges offering courses at both undergraduate and graduate. It is highly encouraged to get legit information of your preferred institution form their official websites.
After you must done your research and arrived at a particular course and institution, you are required to apply for admission immediately. It is again highly encouraged to submit multiple applications to different universities or colleges so as to keep your range of choices open. Almost all the universities in the USA requires you to complete application and submit all required documents online while you wait for their decision.
Some of the general documents usually requested for submission includes O'level, Degree certificate (For postgraduate students), academic transcripts, Proof of English proficiency, personal statement essays, and letters of recommendation from referees. In rare cases depend on the course and the institution chosen, students may be required to sit for tests like GMAT, SAT, ACT, GRE etc.
Upon the successful submission of your application, some institutions may request an interview before an acceptance letter can be issued. For institutions who do not require interviews and have found your application worthy, a letter of acceptance would be issued to you. With this document, you can proceed to begin your student visa application. The timing of the process for the visa application cannot be ascertained as it can take between two weeks to a some months, depending on the USA embassy in your home country where you are applying from and the period of the year when application is done.
Periods like Christmas and summer are usually peak periods where tons of applications are to be attended to.
Applying for a student visa involves completing an online application form alongside submitting necessary documents including proof of funds, passport, completed i-20 form, etc. paying the stipulated visa fee for student visa, and scheduling an interview appointment with the US embassy in your home country closest to you. Please the official website of the US immigration to find out all necessary document required for a student visa application as it pertains to your country.
Work in the USA
As an international student studying in the US, getting a job off-campus may be difficult except for an on-campus job which also comes with some restrictions and conditions. Though undergraduate students may only be restricted to off-campus job during their first academic year only but can go on to work off-campus from their second academic year 20 hours per week during session and full time off-session.
International postgraduate students who have completed their studies, so many opportunities awaits in numerous fields such as the healthcare sector, technology industry, financial institutions etc. However, a work visa to allow you work legitimately in the US is still needed. If you have studied a professional course, then the H-1B visa is for you. This type of work visa has a validity of three years with a possible extension and favors people mainly specialized in professional fields like doctors, nurses, web or software developers, construction engineers etc.
To obtain the H-1B visa, you must have applied and gotten an offer of employment from a company in the US that is ready to sponsor your work visa. To sponsor you, your employer would file a petition on your behalf with the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), attaching the necessary required documents including your educational credentials, position employed and job duties, and financial stability. The immigration will evaluate the petition and make a decision. The USCIS reserve the right to either deny or approve the petition for the visa.
Conclusion
Even though the application process isn’t an easy one, it is worth all the stress once application comes out successful. It is always advised to begin your application journey early. This will give enough room for planning; collation of necessary documents and meeting up with application deadlines even earlier.
Also, make use of educational counsellors and immigration lawyers.
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