In the process of green card

[crew4ever]

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Is there a difference between citizens, green card holders and international students during acception or are they check exactly in the same way?

If I am in the process of a green card but it seems that the green card will be accepted after the application deadlines but before matriculation, would this affect the acceptance?

thank you

 

[gyngyn]

Citizens and permanent residents are considered equivalent at most schools.
64 MD schools consider internationals. Most of them take very few.
Confirmation that a particular school will consider you without a green card is recommended.

 

[crew4ever]

So if I called the school and they said that they do consider applicants without a green card as well, does that mean they consider the international students equivalent to citizens and green card holders?

 

[gyngyn]

So if I called the school and they said that they do consider applicants without a green card as well, does that mean they consider the international students equivalent to citizens and green card holders?

No, it means that they will look at your application pending PR status (as opposed to disregarding it, or just considering you international) . We have all seen applicants expect to get a green card before matriculation only to be disappointed. In my experience, an application without a green card is considered international without regard to the progress that has been made on permanent resident status. It would be wise to focus on the schools that consider internationals if you are going to apply before a green card is granted.

 

[banthapug]

So if I called the school and they said that they do consider applicants without a green card as well, does that mean they consider the international students equivalent to citizens and green card holders?

Although many schools say they consider international applicants, most of those schools tend to hold international students to a higher standard. For most schools, you need a green card to be considered as a green card holder and will request a copy of your immigration document to have your application be complete. In other words, "in process of getting a green card" isn't enough to have you be considered as a green card holder. PM me if you have any specific questions - I have looked into this a lot, almost too much 🙂

 

[avgn]

Just to simplify @gyngyn detailed info posted, you would better off waiting to having a green card to apply, even if it means skipping a cycle. Better to be the strongest applicant on the first try than being a reapplicant

Curious – almost every single international (like 20 out of 21) from my top UG gets in every cycle so doesn't it depend on how OP's app is

 

[idontknowwhatnametopick]

Is there a difference between citizens, green card holders and international students during acception or are they check exactly in the same way?

If I am in the process of a green card but it seems that the green card will be accepted after the application deadlines but before matriculation, would this affect the acceptance?

thank you

I have a green card, and had to enter my green card number on the application. I also had to enter it in a few secondary applications.
Honestly I'd wait until you get the green card to apply. Your chances will be so much higher, since at that point you'll be considered the same as a citizen for admission purposes.

 

[avgn]

If I recall the data, something like 11% (140 of 1351 in 2014) of international applicants matriculate each year versus 43% of all applicants. Hence, probabilities improve with green card (legal US residence)

(see Table A-3 & A-4)
https://www.aamc.org/data/facts/applicantmatriculant/

That's crazy. My skewed experience is skewed. (Yet there are still SDNers who swear a good UG makes no difference HAHAHAHAHAHAH)

 

[gyngyn]

Curious – almost every single international (like 20 out of 21) from my top UG gets in every cycle so doesn't it depend on how OP's app is

https://students-residents.aamc.org...ool/article/applying-international-applicant/

To summarize, 1901 applied, 300 matriculated.

 

[Xenith]

I am trying to write an informative article for international students and can summarize a few things for you:

• You are an international student if you do not have U.S. citizenship or permanent residency (green card) at the time of application. You can always inform schools if you apply as an international student and get your green card mid cycle, but do not misrepresent yourself as a permanent resident if you are still in the process of getting approved. This would be considered lying and would strip you of any chances of an acceptance in that (or possibly any) cycle.
• Earlier posters are obviously correct about hurdles to admission for international students; however, I would like to caution you against just looking at the numbers (@gonnif @gyngyn) . One big factor is the type of international student you are. If you have Canadian citizenship, more schools will consider you than if you are a non-Canadian international student. Furthermore, data for international students includes applicants from foreign countries and applicants who have lived and studied in the U.S. but are still international. I would suspect that the latter group has a major advantage over the former in mastery of English, conversational competency, and opportunities. International applicants with strong ties to the U.S. may write better personal statements and perform better during interviews than their foreign counterparts. Also, legal residents in the U.S. (even without a green card) have better access to financial resources than foreign applicants. All of these factors make it likely that of the few international students matriculating each year, most of them are either Canadian or have lived and studied in the U.S. for a while.
• Financial requirements for International students are high. Most schools require advanced payment (or escrow deposit) of 2, 3, or 4 years of tuition or total cost of attendance as a condition to being admitted.
• Very few public schools or newer, less prestigious, M.D. schools consider international students. This means that your options are limited to mostly "mid" to "upper" tier schools. My approach to finding the appropriate schools was this:

1. Buy access to MSAR. If you don't know what that is, then find out. On the interface, make sure you select the continental United States as your region and select the option that allows you to only see schools that consider international students. Now, not every school on this list is good to apply to. In fact, "consideration" of international students is vague. What you have to do is go to the matriculation data for each school and calculate and compare the following:
   • Matriculated students/total applicants
   • Matriculated international students/total international applicants
2. Short list the schools where the two numbers are similar. If they are similar, that means that more than likely the school considers international students like any other student.
3. Go to these schools' websites to look at their policies. If you are unable to find answers, give them a call or write an email.
4. After this entire process, I found that only about 30 schools considered international students on equal footing as other applicants. Many of these schools are hard to get into in the first place or have financial requirements that I could not meet. Luckily, I thought my application was strong enough to give me a fighting chance at at least 20 of these. So, I worked hard to craft a good application, focused on reassuring these schools that I am fully competent and intend to stay and practice in the U.S., etc. The standards for international students are definitely high, so only apply if you are a terrific candidate. If you feel that you are at or below the school medians, then wait until after you get your green card.

I expect my GC to come in 2-3 years, so waiting for another cycle was not an option. In your case, I would definitely wait another cycle- not because of the slim chances of being accepted (you may have a very successful cycle if you are competitive and target the correct schools), but because you would have a lot more options and financial resources as a permanent resident.​

 

[lcm2020]

Wait until you get your PR card.

I was in a similar situation so I waited until the next cycle, but it was more than worth it.

 

[Xenith]

If I recall the data, something like 11% (140 of 1351 in 2014) of international applicants matriculate each year versus 43% of all applicants. Hence, probabilities improve with green card (legal US residence)

(see Table A-3 & A-4)
https://www.aamc.org/data/facts/applicantmatriculant/

Also, these tables separate applicants and matriculants by "legal residence." This is different from getting "permanent legal residency" I think, at least in immigration terms. You can be a legal resident of a state but not have a green card.

 

[Xenith]

accidental repeat

 

[rsrs3739]

Is there a difference between citizens, green card holders and international students during acception or are they check exactly in the same way?

If I am in the process of a green card but it seems that the green card will be accepted after the application deadlines but before matriculation, would this affect the acceptance?

thank you

A green card holder here.

Definitely have a Plan B, because obtaining a green card isn't as simple as just submitting an application. The processing time could take several years depending on your eligibility, though I've heard of rare instances where people received their green card in a few months. Do check on the USCIS website for eligibility. I had family sponsorship, but it still took close to a year before I received my green card.

 

[lcm2020]

A green card holder here.

Definitely have a Plan B, because obtaining a green card isn't as simple as just submitting an application. The processing time could take several years depending on your eligibility, though I've heard of rare instances where people received their green card in a few months. Do check on the USCIS website for eligibility. I had family sponsorship, but it still took close to a year before I received my green card.

It takes 3-6 months nowadays through marriage. Other family ties will take a lot longer.