NYU-Canadian Citizens

[godiva]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Hello,

I received I20 from NYU today. What am I supposed to do next? Where do I get the stamp? Do I still need to make an appointment with the US consulate? 😕 Also, I've just tried registering, but my social insurance number does not work. What is going on..???? 😕

 

[busupshot83]

My friend Meggs, in the International Dental Forum told me the following:

I'm not sure how this works out for Canadians citizens. But for most of the world,

1. first you apply to school
2. when admitted and you show proof of financial resources (show them the money)
3. you'll get issued an I-20 form
4. then with that form you apply for student visa.

Basically the only way to get a student visa is AFTER your admitted into some US school.

 

[3rdMolarRoller]

NYU tution is pretty high, I will not deny that. How do Canadians go back to their home country and pay back this loan? It seems crazy to consider a school like BU, NYU, USC..etc if you are from canada

just wondering...thats all

 

[Mithridates]

Godiva, once you get your I-20 you are set. The international office at my school wasn't very helpful, but when I called the US consulate in Toronto they said that things are special for canadians. Just show up at the border/airport with your passport, I-20, and maybe proof of a year's tuition in a bank account and you'll be fine. They take care of you on the spot. But if you're international from a country other than canada, you need to make an appointment at a consulate and have them process an F-1 student visa I think. And brocnizer2007, you asked how canadians pay the tuition for schools like BU and NYU: they pay the same way americans going to those schools pay. Us Canadians don't purchase our goods and services with bags of snow you know! Whoa...

 

[The Musketeer]

Mithridates is correct, all you have to do is to bring your passport/citizenship card, along with proof of financial support (ie: letter from your bank) to any customs at the border and they will stamp your I-20 (processing fee is about $7 U.S). After that, you are an official visa student and from then on, your I-20 will be your only ticket back into the U.S. if you decide to leave the States for any purpose!

 

[3rdMolarRoller]

no no...what I meant was the exchange rate. It is not in your favor to come here because of it. If you take out the full $300k US loan and you pay it back with Canadian dollars it is $412K...now thats if you pay right away after school. Add interest to that. Also I looked it up and the avg dentist in Canada makes $113k which is $82k US dollars. Where as the avg US dentist makes $160k which is $219k canadian dollars

Thats why I asked...just curious

 

[Bickle]

So once you get your visa, are you free to move between the US and Canada? I'm asking because I'm going to boston in a few weeks to look for an apt, but I plan to come back to Canada after that. Ddo I show them my I-20 then or do I show it when I leave for school?

 

[Mithridates]

Ah, I see what you're saying brocnizer. I'm not sure about your salary figures - I think the average canadian dentist makes quite a bit more than $82,000 US a year. I'm pretty sure most of my father's colleagues make around the equivalent of $200,000 US a year. You're right though, the $400,000 CDN debt is brutal, but a lot of canadians go to american schools because they can't get into canadian ones. Really, a debt like that shouldn't keep you from following your dreams if you know dentistry is the right career for you. You probably know that Canadian dental schools are really difficult to get into - most schools won't even grant you an interview unless you have a 3.6 GPA, and they don't care what extracurriculars/research/ leadership/personal circumstances you have. It's all GPA - average class GPA's at schools like UToronto run in the 3.8s. And Bickle, when you go to boston don't show them your I-20 unless its 30 days before your I-20 says your program starts. The lady at the US consulate I spoke to was very specific about that for some reason.

 

[The Musketeer]

So once you get your visa, are you free to move between the US and Canada? I'm asking because I'm going to boston in a few weeks to look for an apt, but I plan to come back to Canada after that. Ddo I show them my I-20 then or do I show it when I leave for school?

They told me that once you get your I-20 stamped by the customs, you are officially an F-1 Visa (your current and only status in U.S. now) and must show your F-1 card (stapled to your passport) and/or your I-20 everytime you re-enter U.S. (no matter for what purpose). Even it you decide to come back to Canada and then go across border for dinner or something you will have to show your I-20/F-1 card. If you accidently forget to bring your I-20 to come back to U.S., you will probably not be able to cross the border (even if you show your citizenship card).