jenbug

Hi,

I wonder if anyone has any advice to help with this...

My (unmarried) partner and I have recently moved to Wisconsin for his job. I am on a B2 visa (he is on an L1) and am therefore not allowed to work. We’re here until next February although if it goes well, his contract could be extended and we could be here much longer.

So far, I’ve been doing voluntary work but would really like to spend this time doing some studying too. (I do already have a degree but would like to study some different subjects and areas). I’m not keen on doing this online or by distance learning, as ideally I’d like the social aspect as well.

I’ve investigated some courses at a local university and community college but they’re all pretty expensive. My fees will be more expensive because:
• I don’t qualify as a “resident” so will have to pay “nonresident tution” as I don’t possess a visa that “permits indefinite residence in the United States”. I can post the definition of a bona fide resident and the exemptions if people think it might be useful.
• I will probably have to qualify as a “non-degree seeking student” because of the length of time on our visas. Ideally though, I’d like to do some courses that I could expand into a degree if we stay here long enough.

The cost of these courses is going to limit whether or not I can do them. Has anyone been through something similar or by any chance knows of any loopholes that might help me?

Thanks very much!

fatbrit

Find out whether you would qualify for in-state tuition on an L2 visa. If so, marry him and nip back to London to change your visa. Besides, there's no future for you on a B2 if he's going to stay longterm.

Vegas does nice weddings with Elvis in attendance.

md95065

Regardless of your immigration status, most states will regard you as being a "non-resident" (their definition, not the USCIS or IRS definition) for the purpose of assessing fees at state run colleges and universities until you have been in the state for at least 12 months and have met certain other requirements.

Given the timescale that you are talking about I don't see any way around this.

NC Penguin

Getting married for the benefit of getting in-state tuition seems a bit drastic, doesn't it?

fatbrit

Why? It's only a piece of paper. If she lives in a common law jurisdiction, she may be considered married anyway.

lisa67

check that the courses you want to do can be transferred or used towards your ultimate goal. Some Unis./colleges in the US (let alone the UK) will not accept certain courses from other places.

meauxna

Community college may be an alternative; fees are lower and residency requirements are too.

penguinsix

Are you doing the studying for the sake of the knowledge or are you interested in a degree at the end? You may be able to find a number of relatively cheap courses on subjects, simply for the knowledge (and to kill time) through what many universities call their 'cooperative extension' or 'adult education' programs. I took a few courses at Georgetown University on the 'History of the Mongolian Empire' just for the hell of it. I think it cost like $75 or so.

You can also, for the hell of it, check out MIT's online course curriculum. It's actually quite good.

If you are going for the credits, then you really are in a pickle. You could apply formally for graduate study (i.e. they would give you a small scholarship that should cover tuition and fees) but you are a little late for classes starting in September. You might look into it (you would probably have to change your visa though)

Bob

online courses might be the way to go...or if you don't want to get married and get an L2 (Why not, you'll be able to get an EAD and then work), you could always get a student visa...

It'll be expensive, but you could check out any local town scholarships or any private ones through business enterprises...you probably won't be entitled to any of them, but you won't know till you look, local library would be a good place to start.

Duncan Roberts

Don't want to make things worse but you may want to look into that a little more. Work doesn't just mean paid work. Be careful your volunteering won't come back to bite you.

augigi

If you want to study properly, you could switch to an F1 visa.

Some online programs let you get the "in state" fee - wouldn't give you the social aspect, but would be cheaper!

jenbug

Hi everyone,

Thanks so much for your responses - all very useful and have given me a good starting point from which to investigate. I also appreciate your support - I'm finding all the differing technicalities of what I qualify as quite confusing! So great to get some advice from you all.

I think my next action will be to try to get an appointment with the international students officer at the university and discuss each hypothetical visa scenario to see if any of them qualify and then work out what I need to do from there.

There is a section on the residency for tuition purpose about exemptions which says you may qualify to pay tuition fees at the resident rate if:
"You, your spouse, or someone who claims you as a tax dependent, was relocated to Wisconsin for full-time continuous employment by his or her current employer; or moved to Wisconsin for employment purposes and accepted their new, full-time employment before moving to Wisconsin and before applying for admission to a UW System institution. In these cases, the employed person must continue working full-time with the same employer, and must demonstrate intent to establish and maintain a permanent home in Wisconsin."
I'm not sure if I qualify as a tax dependent but I figure it's worth a go....
[/SIZE]

NC Penguin

You're so romantic.

pejpm1

Where in Wisconsin are you..just out of curiosity?

jenbug

I'm in Racine. Racine itself isn't all that but at least we're on the Milwaukee-Chicago corridor.