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Are there possibilities I can get into college due to these reasons:

I moved to the USA in November 2014 and I did not leave this town since then. I am a sophomore in high school and I would like to get my education done in the USA. We do NOT have a green card but we applied for it. I am on an H4 dependent visa and my dad is the only one working. He is in the same company since we moved here. Are there any chances that I will be accepted into college or do I have to start applying for some documents before its too late? I also want to do a dual enrollment at a university in my senior year.

#immigration-law #college #college-admissions #citizenship #immigration #visas

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Emily’s Answer

Colleges do not have the right to discriminate incoming students based on their immigration/legal status. They will accept you to their colleges and refer to you as international student. What this means is that you can definitely get into good colleges. Once you get into college, you should talk to admission counsellor about changing your immigration status in F-1 status so you can use your OPT time. Good luck!
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Danya’s Answer

Hi Annie! Sophomore year is a great time to start college planning, so you are right on time! You can certainly apply at a community college (which is a great opportunity for international students, especially since it is less expensive and easier to get into a higher ranked university). I have found that this route is best for international students who do not yet have a green card or citizenship but have been living in the U.S. As for University admission, you can definitely get accepted with your current visa, but it would be as an international student (which is significantly more expensive). If you have any further questions, feel free to message me again!

Danya recommends the following next steps:

Make a list of schools and community colleges you would like to apply to
Research their policies for international students
Make a plan with a counselor, mentor, parent or friend for applications
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Sneha’s Answer

Hi Annie.. You can apply for college irrespective of ur visa status. You can apply as an international student and can get admission according to the rules. Once you get into college consult your counsellor about changing your visa status to F1.

Sneha recommends the following next steps:

Make a list of schools and community colleges you would like to apply
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Gloria’s Answer

Hi there! I’ve worked in admissions for a community college and also in international education. You can still apply and get into the college, and also take concurrent classes while you’re in your high school. The difference will be what your status is considered for the cost of tuition (resident vs nonresident or international). Universities/colleges has specific residency requirements for in-state tuition versus non-resident and international students. Typically H4 dependents can qualify for in-state tuition but check to see what the requirements are because there will be specific documents you’ll need, and specific length of time of being in the US etc. I recommend connecting with the college/university admissions department for this.

When it comes to working, if you wanted to work while studying or just in the US in general, you would need to apply for an EAD card if you plan to stay under the H4 dependent visa. However if you want to, you apply for F-1 status to qualify for Curricular Practical training (CPT) and Optional Practical training (OPT) - but keep in mind if you do this, than you will be paying international student tuition because F-1 students are international. The tuition for F-1 students are significantly higher that resident tuition. So again check with the college or university in terms of residency requirements!

Best of luck in your educational journey :)
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Nehdia’s Answer

.. You can apply for college irrespective of ur visa status. You can apply as an international student and can get admission according to the rules. Once you get into college consult your counsellor about changing your visa status to F1.
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Robert’s Answer

I advise you to make every effort to obtain necessary documents first.
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Daniel’s Answer

Great question! As Emily mentioned, universities will not and cannot discriminate against you because of your particular situation. So yay!!!!! You will have plenty of opportunities to be accepted into many colleges.

You will still need to prepare paperwork and provide documents so that the college can process a visa for you. But this depends more on your situation. So take it one step at a time and you'll get there.

Daniel recommends the following next steps:

Register for and attend a campus tour/information session online or in-person. Note that they often organize tours for domestic applicants and international applicants, and they will be able to provide you with more specific information.
Keep an eye out for those special dates when admission officers visit your state/region/city/school.
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