But, I Have a Family...
Read Time: 3 Minutes
A few weeks ago I dispelled the myth that coming to the U.S. was a selfish thing to do.
It shouldn’t have to be said, but many of us have this voice in the back of our minds trying to make us feel guilty for leaving our current situation to pursue something greater.
This is where some of you might be saying “That sounds great and all, but I have a family.”
Cool. Bring Them.
Here’s how:
Understand Who’s Eligible
F-1 students can bring their spouse and children as F-1 dependents only. This means that, unfortunately, extended family such as grandparents, aunts/uncles, etc., are not eligible.
F-2 I-20s
Dependents of F-1 international students receive an F-2 Dependent I-20. You will need to request these I-20s from the same school that issued your F-1 I-20. Often, this requires a copy of their passports, and updated bank statement showing you have the additional funds required to fund their time in the U.S.
These I-20s can be requested at any time, so if you get only your own I-20 for now you can still request F-2 I-20s later on, either before or during your program.
Visa Interview
Now that your dependents have their F-2 I-20s, they will need to make an appointment with the embassy to interview for their own visas. The key here will be for your family to emphasize that they are coming to the U.S. to be with you while you study here and then they will return to their home country.
Again, this may not be your plan, maybe you plan on getting a work visa, green card, etc., but while you and your family are applying for an F-1 visa it’s important to remember that it’s a non-immigrant visa that carries the expectation that you will all return to your home country when the program of study is over.
Other key areas where family visa interviews can encounter trouble:
A. Insufficient funds- Make sure that your I-20 reflects the required amount to provide for the dependents during your time in the U.S.
B. Practice visa interviews- Everyone in the family should train for the visa interview. This is not to say that you need to bring notes inside the embassy with you, but rather that you drill down on the points of why you’re coming to study and how it will benefits you and your family when you return home.
C. Long waits for visa interviews- Depending on where you are, the wait to interview at your local embassy may be painfully long. One option in these types of cases would be to apply for your visa in a ‘third-party’ country with shorter wait times. The Department of State has notified Designated School Officials that students and their families will not be judged more strictly or severely for applying at a different embassy.
Assuming you get all your documents and your family passes their visa interview, then they can either travel to the U.S. with you, or alternatively they can book a plane into the U.S. to meet up with you.
In case you can’t tell by now, my unspoken agenda is to eliminate the barriers to you coming to the U.S. to pursue your goals.
Family is a big one, but once you realize they can come with you then it becomes even more of a reason to come study in the U.S., so they get to experience this with you.
So come. And bring them.
Then you can all…
Live Your American Dream.
Josh
