Will becoming a permanent resident increase my chances of going to an MD school? (International here)

[ZeroTouchMeNot]

I go to a T30 so after my undergrad I plan on staying in the US and become a permanent resident to increase my chances of getting into med school. Upon graduation, I plan on maintaining at least a 3.85 (3.90> is ambitious for me) so that I can either do: get a job or pursue a Master's (my school frequently sends international students to grad school). Will I become a permanent resident faster by being employed or by first pursuing a Master's then getting employed? I'm a Neuroscience major, and I also plan on double majoring in CS (I don't really find CS classes to be difficult).

EDIT : my father's sister is an American citizen (if this helps)

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[medasez]

You should look at the process of how to obtain permanent residency more in detail or talk to an immigration lawyer. I doubt you can get a green card before getting into medical school, but I don't know your exact situation (if your DACA, legal resident, etc). Permanent residency process is a very long process (2+ years), even through employment.

 

[Catalystik]

To answer the question in your thread title:

Will becoming a permanent resident increase my chances of going to an MD school?

Yes.

 

[ZeroTouchMeNot]

To answer the question in your thread title:

Yes.

So, say by the time I apply to med school as a permanent resident in some state, I won't be treated as an international applicant anymore even though I am not an American citizen yet?

 

[deleted966164]

So, say by the time I apply to med school as a permanent resident in some state, I won't be treated as an international applicant anymore even though I am not an American citizen yet?

This does not work like that. The fact that you are a resident of a state has nothing to do with your immigration status. For the purpose of medical school applications “permanent residency”=“green card”.

Read up: Green Card

If you don’t mind sharing - what’s your immigration status now? F-1?

To answer your original question - YES - being a permanent resident vs international applicant will be a game changer.

 

[Wolvvs]

You will need to find an employer willing to sponsor an H1B and subsequently an E-B2/E-B3 application. If you don't have a master's degree, you will only be eligible for the E-B3 and may also have more difficulty finding an employer to sponsor an H1B.

Are you originally from China, India or the Philippines? These countries have a substantial backlog and wait times for E-B2 and E-B3 applications can be many years (especially India).

 

[ZeroTouchMeNot]

This does not work like that. The fact that you are a resident of a state has nothing to do with your immigration status. For the purpose of medical school applications “permanent residency”=“green card”.

Read up: Green Card

If you don’t mind sharing - what’s your immigration status now? F-1?

To answer your original question - YES - being a permanent resident vs international applicant will be a game changer.

Yeah.
Alright, thanks a lot! Looks like I have a long way to go.

 

[ZeroTouchMeNot]

You will need to find an employer willing to sponsor an H1B and subsequently an E-B2/E-B3 application. If you don't have a master's degree, you will only be eligible for the E-B3 and may also have more difficulty finding an employer to sponsor an H1B.

Are you originally from China, India or the Philippines? These countries have a substantial backlog and wait times for E-B2 and E-B3 applications can be many years (especially India).

Damn, unfortunately, I'm from the Philippines. Does that mean that my application for a green card will take longer because of where I come from?

 

[Catalystik]

So, say by the time I apply to med school as a permanent resident in some state, I won't be treated as an international applicant anymore even though I am not an American citizen yet?

If you have Permanent Residency status (and a Green Card), your med school application will be treated exactly like that of a US citizen in any state. After that, state residency just gives you a higher chance of consideration at that state's State-Tax Supported Public Med Schools (with the nice side-benefit of lower in-state tuition).

 

[I<3PopeyesFriedChicken]

Damn, unfortunately, I'm from the Philippines. Does that mean that my application for a green card will take longer because of where I come from?

As of right now, the U.S. government is taking 3 years to process EB-3 green card applications from the Philippines, while EB-2 applications are "current," meaning there is no wait time. You can check out processing times by searching "USCIS Visa Bulletin" and seeing what the wait times are in the "Employment Based Table." Here is the bulletin for April: Visa Bulletin For April 2020

Like another poster mentioned, you'd most likely need a Masters in order to apply as EB-2. In addition, once you find an employer willing to employ you under an H1-B visa, they'll also need to be willing to petition for your green card.

You're in a somewhat tough situation! You'll have a much easier time gaining admissions with a green card. But if you can do well on the MCAT, there's a chance you could get admitted under your F1. I'd do some research and see what schools do not discriminate against international applicants. Since you're a neuroscience major, you also qualify for three years of full-time work under your F1 visa via OPT (which includes a two year STEM extension). So you have the option of either working now under your F1 via OPT (but no option for green card), finding employment via H1-B (and then applying for a green card via EB-3 and waiting about 3 years), or getting a Masters and then finding employment via H1-B (and then you could get a green card via EB-2 and wait far less time.) All that being said, the wait times for green cards tend to fluctuate somewhat! They post a new Visa Bulletin every month which you can check out.

Best of luck and feel free to message me if you have any questions! I'm an immigrant and went through a similar situation and know of several others who have, too.

 

[omegalulz]

Not having a master does not make it impossible to get H1B. It's just a little bit more difficult.
Source: my spouse got H1B this year with a bachelor degree

Anyway, in the rare chance that you can find an employer that agrees to sponsor you straight up for a green card, there would usually be a binding contract stating you have to work for them for X number of years. Again, this is super rare, especially for fresh graduates because the company most likely won't have enough trust in you to go through such a lengthy and expensive process with many implications should anything goes wrong.

The more traditional way is you work for a company for a year -> they trust you enough to apply H1B -> you go through an increasingly challenging process to get selected based on pure luck -> get selected -> go through another hell of a process to fight with USCIS to prove you qualify for the position and not taking American jobs -> work for company for another few years -> company likes you enough they sponsor you for green card.

If I'm very honest with you, your chances of getting a green card through employment are slimmer than your chances of getting into medical school. Most companies will not sponsor you if they know you plan to go to med school later on. It's called an employment-based visa because they are sponsoring you to work for them. Helping you become a citizen to go to medical school is none of their interest. If by any chance you are so lucky to find one company to do such thing, we're talking about a 5+ years process (the legup work can take up 1-2 years before the actual application process). Might as well focus on your MCAT and activities to boost your application instead of wasting so many years doing sth so uncertain.

Source: I got accepted to 4 schools this cycle and spouse is going through EB3 process

 

[weebleweeble]

There is another way if you have enough money in the bank: Green Card for Immigrant Investors --- About the EB-5 Visa Classification
Essentially, its an investment into the US economy worth 500k through which you can get a GC. I think the status is EB-5. Obviously, this is incredibly expensive.

 

[deleted966164]

There is another way if you have enough money in the bank: Green Card for Immigrant Investors --- About the EB-5 Visa Classification
Essentially, its an investment into the US economy worth 500k through which you can get a GC. I think the status is EB-5. Obviously, this is incredibly expensive.

There is a reason it’s classified as EB-5...