saludmte

Hi, I have recently applied to a community college which appealed to me because of the facilities, teaching and soccer team (one of the best in the US).

I have my F1 interview very soon and I have one thing holding me back which is that I will be living with my Aunt whilst studying.

I have enough funds readily available to show that I can cover tuition and living expenses, however I feel that they will reject me because of the 'family in the us' situation.

Do I go ahead and say that I'm living in shared accommodation along with rest of the soccer team or with family, what should I do? Does anyone have similar experience of in terms of living with family whilst on an F1?

Your help is gratefully appreciated!

md95065

It is what it is.

While having a relative in the US could count against you when it comes to establishing that you don't have immigrant intent it doesn't mean that your visa application will automatically be denied.

Assuming that everything looks in order, F1 visa interviews are often very brief and few questions are asked.

Whatever happens, only answer the questions that you are actually asked and answer them truthfully.

You will very likely be asked a few questions about how and why you chose that particular college, how long the course lasts and what you intend to do when you return to the UK. It is quite possible that the question of where and with whom you are going to stay will not be asked, in which case you should not say anything about it.

scrubbedexpat099

Community College?

Usual reason is that it is a cheap option.

Which country are you from?

ian-mstm

Why do you need to live with your aunt? Live someplace else... problem solved.

Ian

md95065

Presumably living with the aunt will be cheaper than renting accommodation, leaving more money for other living expenses. Even though the OP has, presumably, already demonstrated that he has sufficient funds to pay for his tuition and living expenses at a rate defined by the school I can pretty much guarantee that amount really isn't enough to live on so it makes perfect sense to try and live as inexpensively as possible.

ian-mstm

Well, thanks for stating the obvious - but I was directly addressing the reason why he thought he'd have a problem. I wasn't trying to help him manage his finances.

Ian

md95065

Well excuse me for trying to be helpful and failing to make allowances for your childish pedantry ...

saludmte

Thanks for your response everyone. I'm from England and yes the community college is the 'cheaper option' compared to a whole 4 years at a uni.

I had to list a US address on my i-20, hence my aunts... but I feel that the visa official will automatically presume this as immigrant intent. I have the option as a student athlete i'm able to reside along with the rest of my soccer squad in a large shared house.

Out of curiosity if asked of my plans after my Associates degree, is it ok to say that I want to transfer to a US university (specifically Stanford) ? Or is this still a grey area?

Thank you all!

Noorah101

I wouldn't think this would show any immigrant intent, since you have no basis for doing an adjustment of status based on the relationship to your aunt.

Don't know about any grey areas, but you should always be honest.

Rene