need advice on how to help a student

ClassicRockerDad
Sat, 23 Apr 2011 08:33:54 +0000

These cases sadden me. Can you provide a little more information? The more specific you can be, the more helpful, but I understand if you don’t want to compromise this student.

Is the university she was admitted to too expensive?
Is your state one that affords undocumented immigrants instate tuition?
Is the country of origin Mexico or is it somewhere else?
Does she have relatives in the country of origin?
How much can she afford to pay?
Is she 18 yet?

There may be better options than community college.

I remember reading on another chat board about a student who gained admission to a university in Canada, where students on study permits can work, who went back to Mexico to go to the Canadian Embassy to get a Canadian study permit and then moved to Canada. It was a long and risky process, but this student will likely be able to graduate a Canadian university and legally immigrate to Canada. He did need relatives in Mexico to take care of a lot of the paperwork before the final embassy visit. That’s why I asked about that. I think it was somewhere on this website

[The Lounge - DREAM Act Portal Forum](Sign in - Google Accounts)

I don’t think she can work in the US, and if she’s 18 or over and works illegally and found out, I think she’s subject to the 10 year ban. She can certainly go to college if her mother pays.

IMHO, the best strategy would be to go to college on a student visa and study a subject for which she can get into a funded PhD program that pays for graduate school with a living stipend, or for which Canada deems a skill in short supply so that she can immigrate to Canada. Along the way, meet, fall in love, and marry a US Citizen. I think getting married is Plan A, and immigrating to Canada would be Plan B.

I know in 2011, planning to fall in love and get married isn’t something people want to talk about, but many people ultimately do it anyway. She might as well be aware that it would solve a lot of her immigration problems. I’m not saying run out and get married, but getting herself into a position where she can be a funded graduate student indefinitely, is definitely putting herself into a position where she’s likely to meet someone she wants to marry anyway.