Visa trouble

[kingkenny]

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Hey, I am having serious trouble with my VISA.
OK so here goes. Cornell have asked me to apply on a B1/B2 visa for their elective program. And so i did. But at the US consulate, they put my Visa on hold saying that I am going there for educational purposed and that I need to re-apply on a F1. Mind you, I showed them the acceptance letter Cornell sent me clearly mentioninng that I should come on a touirst Visa.

Now, I have also got a letter from Mount Sinai and they want me to come on a F1. whihc now of course seems easy.

My question is: Will the consulate accept that fact that I am now trying for a F1 for Mount Sinai when last time I tried for Cornell. I mean, they will have it on their database when I gave my contact address on the VISA application as Cornell. Will the consulate think that I am just trying to get into the US any wway possible??

Also, is it possible to use the i-20 form that Mount SInai gives me and use that to get a F1. and Use this F1 for both Cornell and Sinai?

I have not asked this lasat question to Cornell as yet, but will do so when they finally decide to answer my calls🙂

 

[NotAProgDirector]

Since the consulate told you that you really need an F1, I doubt they will be surprised nor upset when you apply for an F1. Cornell should be happy with an F1 also. The big difference is that to get an F1, Cornell would need to "sponsor" you (or at least submit something to the USCIS) saying that you were going to be a student there, which they probably don't want to do. Once you have an F1 they shouldn't care. Whether you'll be able to get an F1 that covers all of the time for both Cornell and Sinai with the I-20 you have is unclear.

Normally, the answer to any visa question is "get a lawyer" but hopefully it doesn't come to that for a short visa like this.

I agree the best move is to call Cornell and tell them that you'll be getting an F1 from Mt Sinai and is it OK for you to be on F1 status while at Cornell. It's totally their call -- it's definitely "legal" but if their policy is that all external rotators are on B visas, that's the way it is.

 

[kingkenny]

Thank you so much. Cornell suggested I do the same. So hopefully it should work out. A note to all future Foreign students planning electives. Be careful about the B1/B2. Its better not to lie at the Consulate saying I'm going there on vacation and not for e clerkship. Though you may not get caught, its always better to be safe than sorry on this.

 

[schandan13]

I'm surprised why one of the places would grant you an F-1. Clerkships are mostly (if not always) done on B1/B2. A student's visa is granted for an extended period of study when you a pursuing a degree, whereas you won't be doing an elective for more than 2-3 months. In any case, although I agree that you should never lie to the consulate about your real motive of visiting the US, it sometimes becomes difficult to justify what exactly you're going there for.

No matter what visa you have, when you enter the US, the immigration officer will ask you questions like "What is your purpose of visit", "How long are you going to be here" and "Who are you going to be staying with". For those who go for electives, the reply is "I'll be doing a NON-PAID hospital rotation at xyz. I'm a final year medical student from xyz" and you show them the acceptance letter.

How long will they be giving you an F-1 for is another big question. Once you're on a B1/B2, you're legally allowed to stay for 6 months and in general, you could get lots of USCE during that period. So even though the F-1 clarifies your motive of visiting the US to a large extent, make sure you know in advance, how long you'd be getting it for.