Information on Visas, loans and housing

[neuro kid]

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For one thing , F-1 does not have a time limit. H-4 or H-1 either in combination or stand alone can only be extended for a maximum of 6 years. So, if you went to school on H-4 for 2 or 3 years, that means you have only 3 or 4 years left on that visa status.
F-1 gives you the option to work in the summer and after getting the degree on OPT for a year. This option is not available to H-4 visa holders.
H-4 will not let you work which means less likely that you can prove that you wil need a social security number.

Coming to the US is easier on an H-4 but studying is better on F-1. You can use both to your benefit since you can transfer from h-4 to f-1.

YOU ARE WONDERFUL. YOU HAVE GOTTEN IT ALL FIGURED OUT. A MILLION THANKS. 🙂 .

 

[Finney. A]

Hi Finney A
Thanks a great deal for all the enlightning information.
I have two clarifications;
Firstly, Citibank and Salliemae both ask for Applicant's Social Security number for applying.But as I am on H4 visa ,I dont have one. So how do we go abt it.
Secondly ,as u told its better to study in F1,
Dont we ahve to go back to our home country to change from H4 to F1?
and what if our green card is in progress ,will it be a set back to the process?

Thanks

If the applicant is asked for a social security number, call the bank and tell them you don't have one. My wife did this. It is not a problem. The bank will assign you an ID for their purposes.
To change from H-4 to F-1 you don't have to leave the US, you can do it after you join school. My wife did the same, its not a problem, there is a process for it. Your school will walk you through the details after you join.

If your green card is in process, there are different requirements for changing the status of your visa from H-4. This is a question you would need to direct to the international student office at your school or to an attorney.

 

[gpsbhattal]

hi helper,
can u plz help me with these questions-
1)for applying to NYU for I-20 form , they ask for a preapproval letter from the bank ,i`m gonna take loan. so can i send preapproval letter from one bank n later on find cheap interest rate at some other bank n take loan from that bank. or i can`t change the bank.
2) so do i still need to send bank statement of my co-signer to NYU with my preapproval letter for applying for I-20.
3) if my wife comes with me on F-2 visa, can she work fulltime?

Thanks!

 

[Finney. A]

hi helper,
can u plz help me with these questions-
1)for applying to NYU for I-20 form , they ask for a preapproval letter from the bank ,i`m gonna take loan. so can i send preapproval letter from one bank n later on find cheap interest rate at some other bank n take loan from that bank. or i can`t change the bank.
2) so do i still need to send bank statement of my co-signer to NYU with my preapproval letter for applying for I-20.
3) if my wife comes with me on F-2 visa, can she work fulltime?

Thanks!

I'll try.
1) They only care that you can prove that funding is arranged and available. If you eventually use an alternate source of funding, it should not matter. In order to get the I-20, they require proof that you have access to the funds, thats all. You should be able to pay for school any way you want.

2) ask NYU, they may have specific requirements.

3) no she cannot (as far as I know).


Regards
Finney

 

[shadhwala]

Thanks very much
Greatly appreciate the help.

 

[neuro kid]

If the applicant is asked for a social security number, call the bank and tell them you don't have one. My wife did this. It is not a problem. The bank will assign you an ID for their purposes.
To change from H-4 to F-1 you don't have to leave the US, you can do it after you join school. My wife did the same, its not a problem, there is a process for it. Your school will walk you through the details after you join.

If your green card is in process, there are different requirements for changing the status of your visa from H-4. This is a question you would need to direct to the international student office at your school or to an attorney.

Dear Finney A,
a. Is it really that easy to convert an H4 to a F1? I mean, after we are married and everything, would the INS not object to such a change in visa status.

b. What is the best time to move this change this status: I mean, should my wife apply for this change before she joins DDS, or should she do it after joining (any relative benefits of either way?).

c. One last thing, how long does this process last? Does she have to visit her home country for the change?

 

[Finney. A]

Dear Finney A,
a. Is it really that easy to convert an H4 to a F1? I mean, after we are married and everything, would the INS not object to such a change in visa status.

b. What is the best time to move this change this status: I mean, should my wife apply for this change before she joins DDS, or should she do it after joining (any relative benefits of either way?).

c. One last thing, how long does this process last? Does she have to visit her home country for the change?

a) Yes, its easy, but you can only do this after joining the dental school. The school will coordinate conversion from H-4 to F-1. There is a nominal fee associated with this conversion that is due to the INS. The school will inform you of the process. INS has not objected in the past.

b) She can apply for the change only after joining the DDS program not before since the F-1 / I-20 is obtained from the school.

c) Once you have filed through the school for the visa status change, it could take a few weeks to about 3 months to get the conversion completed. She does not have to visit her home country to change from H-4 to F-1.

 

[neuro kid]

a) Yes, its easy, but you can only do this after joining the dental school. The school will coordinate conversion from H-4 to F-1. There is a nominal fee associated with this conversion that is due to the INS. The school will inform you of the process. INS has not objected in the past.

b) She can apply for the change only after joining the DDS program not before since the F-1 / I-20 is obtained from the school.

c) Once you have filed through the school for the visa status change, it could take a few weeks to about 3 months to get the conversion completed. She does not have to visit her home country to change from H-4 to F-1.

I have some doubts: would she change her status after being accepted and taking admission to the course, or after she starts attending classes? I believe that there would be atleast a couple of months' gap between being accepted and the paperwork to be completed (may-june), and payment of the first fee/starting classes (august). Please explain this to me.

when does she start working for the few hours that she is allowed to?

 

[balldan]

hi ,
i went to the fafsa site and applied for the pin.i have the pin now,but i want to apply in written & send the application thru slow mail ,not online.so whats the next thing i need to do?i have the pre-application worksheet downloaded.kindly help!

 

[Finney. A]

I have some doubts: would she change her status after being accepted and taking admission to the course, or after she starts attending classes? I believe that there would be atleast a couple of months' gap between being accepted and the paperwork to be completed (may-june), and payment of the first fee/starting classes (august). Please explain this to me.

when does she start working for the few hours that she is allowed to?

Conversion from H-4 to F-1 could be after she starts attending classes. You can be admitted months before school starts but there is a limit on how early an I-20 can be be issued. Check with your school on how early you can change to F-1.

You may want to check with the school to see if she has an option to start school on an F-1 rather than convert from H-4 to F-1 after school starts. In both cases you will be converting from H-4 to F-1, but the timing is different.

She can work on-campus for 20 hrs a week once her status is final which could be several weeks to around 3 months after the conversion process begins. In other words, she has to be on an F-1 before she starts work on campus. From what I have heard, most dental students don't have time to work because of the pace of classes.

 

[Finney. A]

hi ,
i went to the fafsa site and applied for the pin.i have the pin now,but i want to apply in written & send the application thru slow mail ,not online.so whats the next thing i need to do?i have the pre-application worksheet downloaded.kindly help!

Perhaps another thread can be of more help. This thread has more information on private loans.

 

[mkbattina]

I wuld like to know H4 visa should be changed to F1for studying

 

[neuro kid]

Conversion from H-4 to F-1 could be after she starts attending classes. You can be admitted months before school starts but there is a limit on how early an I-20 can be be issued. Check with your school on how early you can change to F-1.

You may want to check with the school to see if she has an option to start school on an F-1 rather than convert from H-4 to F-1 after school starts. In both cases you will be converting from H-4 to F-1, but the timing is different.

She can work on-campus for 20 hrs a week once her status is final which could be several weeks to around 3 months after the conversion process begins. In other words, she has to be on an F-1 before she starts work on campus. From what I have heard, most dental students don't have time to work because of the pace of classes.

Thank You 🙂 .

 

[rahmed]

I wuld like to know H4 visa should be changed to F1for studying

Answer is in this thread. But if I am to understand you correctly perhaps you are asking if one has to change from H4 to F1 visa. You don't have to if you don't want to as it is perfectly legal to study (advanced standing) on H4 visa. Only problem is you won't be able to work (P/T) during you program and there is no OPT when you complete the program.

Hope this helps.

rahmed

 

[Finney. A]

Answer is in this thread. But if I am to understand you correctly perhaps you are asking if one has to change from H4 to F1 visa. You don't have to if you don't want to as it is perfectly legal to study (advanced standing) on H4 visa. Only problem is you won't be able to work (P/T) during you program and there is no OPT when you complete the program.

Hope this helps.

rahmed

I am going to start a new thread and name it
Information on Visas, loans and housing II because this thread has become very large.

 

[gpsbhattal]

thanks a lot Finney, i appreciate ur help.take care, bye 🙂

I'll try.
1) They only care that you can prove that funding is arranged and available. If you eventually use an alternate source of funding, it should not matter. In order to get the I-20, they require proof that you have access to the funds, thats all. You should be able to pay for school any way you want.

2) ask NYU, they may have specific requirements.

3) no she cannot (as far as I know).


Regards
Finney

 

[i beleive]

I think someone else has answered question a.
Basically your wife can only get a private loan with a GC holder or citizen serving as the co-signer.

$1500 is too much to spend on mortgage payments if your salary is 42K per year. Check out www.bankrate.com. It will help you calculate how much "house" you can afford based on your income and other financial obligations.

Having a housing loan is different from an educational loan. For an educational loan, you need a cosigner, whereas the house is a secured asset which you would be borrowing against. Different rules apply.
You don't have to skip buying a house, you just have to consider what percentage of your income you want to use for housing. The bank rate web site has a lot of credible advice on this topic.

Your wife can join school on F-1. My wife joined school on an H4 and then converted it to F-1. You can convert or choose to join straight on F-1. In the long run F-1 has more benefits.

hi i am also in the same shoes as this person ,my q is that after our dental school is over and we a graduates would we be able to practice as dentist on these visas or would have to get them converted again to what???
thankz.

 

[Finney. A]

hi i am also in the same shoes as this person ,my q is that after our dental school is over and we a graduates would we be able to practice as dentist on these visas or would have to get them converted again to what???
thankz.

On an F-1 visa, you are eligible for OPT. OPT lets you work for a year anywhere in the US in your profession after you graduate, in this case, you would need a license to practice. During this one-year period or actually before you get the job, ensure that the employer will sponsor you for an H-1 visa. H-1 visa processing can take several months but can be sped up with priority processing - I believe this is a $1000 surcharge.
You can work on OPT while they process your H-1.
Unlike F-1, H-1 costs can be borne only by the employer. What this means may be that your employer may pay you a little less to offset the cost of processing your H-1.

 

[J.opt]

Let me put it this way. Usually the bank wont give you the loan for the whole education up front. Only one year at a time, you really dont have a choice.
If you are wondering what effect it will have on your credit score, not a whole lot because the loan is not due until after graduation, unlike say a car or a house where payments begin soon after you get the loan.
So since payments dont begin until after graduation, when you apply again the following year it really should have no impact that you took out a $90,000 loan for school the previous year.

Since they make you apply every year, do you end up with 4 loans for a 4-year program, or are you just extending the loan amount of the original loan?
Thanks.