Canadian Student wanting to study in the US.... need help?!?!?

Question

Im a Junior in highschool and i been looking into universities and community colleges in the United States.. im currently living in Canada and im a Canadian citizen.. so i was wondering which decision would be best.. i also am looking particulerly at community colleges and universities in California.. i heard that its cheaper to go to a community college first then transfer to a university or a 4 year college program after.. which decision do you think would be most ideal considering the situation i am in..

Do you think it would be best to start looking for a job now so when i go to the states im not dependent on the visa that they give u.. or green card..?

I also want to move there afterwords too.. like after college and stuff... so i dont know if that will have an impact on the situation at hand as well...

any advise would be great

thanx

Answer 1

A question earlier today asked much the same set of questions.

Yes, community colleges are cheaper, and many students start there and transfer.  You also tend to get much more personal attention from your professors since a) classes are smaller in size and b) the professors are hired to teach not to do research as they are at most universities.

Being so young and without degrees, you'll have a hard time getting a work visa, whether non-immigrant for temporary work or immigrant for a green card.  You're going to need to go the F-1 student visa route, most likely.  You will be limited in the kind of work you are allowed to do when you enter the country on an F-1 visa; the International Student Advisor (ISA) at your US school can tell you the details about that.

You cannot express a desire to move to the US as part of your F-1 process.  Getting a non-immigrant visa means you are intending to come here temporarily.  If you plan to stay forever, you must get a green card, and those are very hard to come by.

Start by looking for a school that you like.  Visit their website and find their information for international students. Contact their ISA.  Also, visit the US Department of State website about visas to find out more about that process.

Once you've completed your studies, you can try to find a company to hire you and apply for your work visa for you.

Good luck.