Sue

I had a similar experience when I wanted to go to college a few years ago. Regardless of how long I had lived in NC I had to have a Green Card in order to obtain in-state tuition. A temp visa (e.g. H4-B, L2 etc) didn't cut it and I would have had to pay out-of-state rates.

HumphreyC

Slightly off topic - but has anyone seen that documentary 'The Weird and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia' ? (found it on Netflix one night). Serious redneckary.

Manc

Parkersburg is alright. it's a medium size town, has a lot of amieneties. Close enough to Charleston or Columbus if needed a sports game, concert etc etc.

Ripley is a one horse town........

Caerl

One more thing - will my wife be able to work, she will be on my visa

ian-mstm

Umm, no, she won't. She'll be on her own visa. If you're getting an H-1B, she'll get an H-4 visa. As long as she holds an H-4 visa, she will not ever be allowed to work... not even for herself.

Ian

ddavies73

According to the rules http://wvhepcdoc.wvnet.edu/resources/133-25.pdf in West Virginia "Any person holding a student or other temporary visa cannot be classified as an in-state student." What this means is a bill for US$19,000 compared to US$6,000 per academic year at the undergraduate level. At the graduate level this is US$1000 per graduate hour compared to US$300 if I was in-state .

This sucked as I owned a house near Morgantown paid property tax, income etc. and I still did not get in-state tution. However, when I moved to Texas I got it after 12 months irrespective of visa status.

Caerl

My understanding of this is that my son will be classed as an in state student because we will have lived in the state for twelve months before he goes to college. He won't however be allowed to work due to him being on my visa. Please let me know if I've got this wrong

Bomjeito

Well, either its a family decision to stay behind or a family decision to find out how the teen can stay behind. A few folks in my husband's work made that decision (to have him stay behind) as pulling a kid out of UK schools (say age 15 and up) is so disruptive, and if he's sitting for medical school, its no guarantee he'll get into one HERE in the first place. Pre-med programs vary and not all American doctors go to state subsidized schools for their coursework, which means your teen needs to quickly do well in a good high school in the USA (meaning you may have to private school him or boarding school him with heavy lean on sciences, etc.) as he needs to kick a** to get top test scores to enter a pre-med programs "somewhere." He has to compete for a place, esp at the better premed programs.

And as I said, West Virginia isn't exactly where folks go to be doctors. Is he so sure WVU School of Medicine the place he wants to go to???

Then, say he does make it into pre-med, then graduates and is accepted into a residency....he will be certified in the state that he wins a residency. It cannot simply translate over to the UK and NHS - where does this young man want to live and practise medicine? And residency here is 5-7 years..he could be 'stuck' here on the back end after the rest of you go back to the UK (if after 3 years, or extended to 6 years... it depends on your employer...)

Its a lot of questions and decisions... these are simply my opinions based on the expats that I've encountered with the same dilemma and friends that are presently going through their residency requirements (such as my Texas friend who was only offered residency in Alabama. So, off to Alabama for her.)

ddavies73

It will come down to the visa, not the length of time per se.

If they are on a temp visa not a green card they will pay out of state no matter how long you have been living there. WVU wanted to charge me international rates which was even more! I was on a H1B visa, I had been in WV 4 years owned a house and paid income tax for each one of those years.

If you are on a green card then it will be 12 months from establishing residency in the state i.e getting a driving license.

Also, they have to get their own visa it is not like other countries. They will qualify for that visa based off of yours. So I think Ian mentioned that will be a H1 based off of your H1B.

MarylandNed

I don't know you or your family but this is setting off an internal alarm bell for me. 16 is a difficult age to move but add to that the fact that your son doesn't want to move. The next whammy is the fact that you're moving to WV - not the most exciting or interesting place for a 16 year old. Personally I wouldn't make this move if I hadn't first visited WV with the entire family.

wvmtnr

I live in WV. It has one of the lowest crime rates in the US. It's a nice place if you don't want action and want to live a really quiet life. Compared to other states it is like its own country. The culture here is so different. It can be very redneck. Also, don't think Parkersburg is scenic or mountainous. Any part of WV west of interstate 79 is merely hills and not scenic. East of 79 is beautiful.

ian-mstm

Your username pretty much gave it away! My wife and I live in a house divided! She works for WVU, I work for Marshall.


Hills aren't scenic? Wow!

Ian

wvmtnr

With a country with peaks up to 12,000 feet, it's all relative.

BritishGuy36

As Ian indicated before, nobody is [nor is it possible for them to be] on YOUR visa, except you. Visas are for one person only. Each member of your family will need their own.

As for living in WV, there is definitely a culture shock coming from the UK. I work in Huntington like Ian does, and that's MUCH more of a 'metro' area than Parkersburg. You will most definitely appreciate the slower pace of life in the mid-west though.

But if the average brit acts like they do in the UK with road rage etc they'll get shot up pretty quick in redneck country.

MarylandNed

Incorrect for WVU at least.

http://admissions.wvu.edu/admissions/residency/hep-25

7.1 An alien who is in the United States on a resident visa or who has filed a petition for naturalization in the naturalization court, and who has established a bona fide domicile in West Virginia as defined in Section 3 may be eligible for in-state residency classification, provided that person is in the state for purposes other than to attempt to qualify for residency status as a student. Political refugees admitted into the United States for an indefinite period of time and without restriction on the maintenance of a foreign domicile may be eligible for an in-state classification as defined in Section 3. Any person holding a student or other temporary visa cannot be classified as an in-state student.