The Supposed Disadvantages of Studying in the U.S.: Visas
Sunday, April 26th, 2009In today and tomorrow’s post I’m going to speak very briefly about two supposed reasons not to study in the U.S. Occasionally I’ve heard these from students.
Reason #1: It’s too hard to get a visa
Verdict: FALSE
You do hear about a number of international students who don’t get visas to the U.S. The process also seems complicated, filled with all kinds of strange-sounding documents like I-20s. The truth is, though, when you hack through all the confusion, the process of getting a U.S. visa is really quite simple:
- You apply to a university in the U.S.
- The school accepts you and send you some documents you need to apply for a visa
- You apply for a visa interview at the U.S. Embassy, and go to the interview with the necessary documents
- The embassy approves your application and puts a visa in your passport
- You get on a plane for the U.S.
Now, there are certain steps of the process which do present real difficulties for large numbers of international students. Quite often the above scenario can become much more complicated (and throughout the year we’ll talk a lot more about visas). But for the majority of international students the process – though long – ends in success. It’s also worth mentioning here that many think the Obama administration may be more open to international students.
The bottom line is that, for most students, if you’re serious about studying in the U.S., the visa process is more of a hassle than a real disadvantage.
For Your Consideration:
Have you hear horror stories of students not getting U.S. visas? Please share them with us!
SERIES: Why study in the U.S.?
- April 20 – Introduction
- April 21 – Diversity at U.S. campuses
- April 22 – Value of U.S. degrees
- April 23 – The Facilities
- April 24 – Practical focus of U.S. education
- April 25 – Variety of U.S. programs
- April 26 – The supposed disadvantages of study in the U.S.: visas
- April 27 - The supposed disadvantages of study in the U.S.: cost
- April 28 - Some real disadvantages of study in the U.S.: it might not help in your profession
- April 29 – Some real disadvantages of study in the U.S.: will you fit in “going back?”
- April 30 – Other disadvantages
- May 1 – So, should you study in the U.S.?
