Expecting Dasha

[Vaughn]

  We received a phone call yesterday from our close
friends, Vitaly and Tanya. Their daughter, Dasha, was
selected by her university to spend next summer in the
USA. Knowing nobody here except us, they've asked us
to locate her a possible job. Has anyone here any experience
with the summer work-visa program? Would we have to go
through any approval process to sponsor her? Are visiting
students provided w/ Social Security numbers?

The only photo we have of Dasha, as she sang in a high
school talent show....

[Jet]

Really need a bit more info, will she be applying for an "F", "J", or "M" visa?

[Bruce]

It will be a J-1 visa.  Dunkin Donuts / other fast food places will hire her.  Oh, and she needs a letter of acceptance ie. contract to hire in advance.

[Vaughn]

Dunkin Donuts / other fast food places will hire her.

No they won't - she's coming to immerse in English, not
Spanish. Our daughter works at Abercrombie and is making
an inquiry there this evening. We also reside close to Paramount's
Carowinds theme park - another possibility.

Oh, and she needs a letter of acceptance ie. contract to hire in advance.

That's the kind of info we're looking for - thanks, Bruce. Apparently
nobody here's done this before, so we'll muddle through. The university requires a firm job offer by January.

[Jet]

Vaughn, still need some clarity - is she coming to study & maybe do a little work, or is she coming here to work?

If she's coming to study...

The Immigration and Nationality Act provides two nonimmigrant visa categories for persons wishing to study in the United States. The "F" visa is reserved for nonimmigrants wishing to pursue academic studies and/or language training programs, and the "M" visa is reserved for nonimmigrants wishing to pursue nonacademic or vocational studies.

F-Academic Students and M-Vocational Students Requirements

Foreign students seeking to study in the U.S. may enter in the F-1 or M-1 category provided they meet the following criteria:

       The student must be enrolled in an "academic" educational program, a language-training program, or a vocational program;
       The school must be approved by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS);
       The student must be enrolled as a full-time student at the institution;
       The student must be proficient in English or be enrolled in courses leading to English proficiency;
      The student must have sufficient funds available for self-support during the entire proposed course of study; and
       The student must maintain a residence abroad which he/she has no intention of giving up.
How Do I Apply if I am Outside of the United States?

You first must apply to study at a USCIS-approved school in the United States. When you contact a school that you are interested in attending, you should be told immediately if the school accepts foreign national students. If you are accepted, the school should send you USCIS Form I-20 M-N/ID (Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant (M-1) Student Status - For Vocational Students). If you require a visa, then you should take the USCIS Form I-20 to the nearest U.S. consulate to obtain a student visa. Only bring the USCIS Form I-20 from the school you plan on attending for visa processing at the U.S. consulate. You must also prove to the consulate that you have the financial resources required for your education and stay in the United States. Please see the State Department Website for more information on visa processing.
Will I Be Able to Work?

You and your spouse and children may not accept employment. However, you may apply for practical training after you complete your studies. If approved, you will be allowed to have one month of practical training for every four months of study you have completed. You will be limited to six months total practical training time.

You must also submit USCIS Form I-765 (Application for Employment Authorization), and your I-20 ID, signed by the designated school official (DSO). You should send your application to USCIS no more than 60 days before your student status expires and no later than 30 days after your studies are completed. For more information, please see the rules about practical training at 8 CFR § 214.2(m). You may also wish to discuss practical training with the appropriate officials at your school.

link to full info is here

If she's only coming to work...

Exchange Visitors

The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) provides two nonimmigrant visa categories for persons to participate in exchange visitor programs in the United States. The "J" visa is for educational and cultural exchange programs designated by the Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs, and the "Q" visa is for international cultural exchange programs designated by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

The "J" exchange visitor program is designed to promote the interchange of persons, knowledge, and skills in the fields of education, arts, and sciences. Participants include students at all academic levels; trainees obtaining on-the-job training with firms, institutions, and agencies; teachers of primary, secondary, and specialized schools; professors coming to teach or do research at institutions of higher learning; research scholars; professional trainees in the medical and allied fields; and international visitors coming for the purpose of traveling, observing, consulting, conducting research, training, sharing, or demonstrating specialized knowledge or skills, or participating in organized people-to-people programs.

The "Q" international cultural exchange program is for the purpose of providing practical training and employment, and the sharing of the history, culture, and traditions of the participant's home country in the United States.
Forms/Petitions

Participants in the "J" program must present a Form DS-2019 Certificate of Eligibility for Exchange Visitor (J-1) Status prepared by a designated sponsoring organization. (Forms DS-2019 are issued by the Department of State, and not by USCIS. Please see the Cultural Exchange website of the Department of State for more information.)
Participants in the "Q" program must have the designated sponsoring organization file Form I-129, Petition for Nonimmigrant Worker, with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). For more details on how to file for a Q petition, please see the Temporary Workers section.

link to full info is here

In all cases she'll need an SEVP form filled out by the host school:

All student applicants must have a SEVIS generated I-20 issued by an educational institution approved by DHS, which they submit when they are applying for their student visa. The consular officer will need to verify your I-20 record electronically through the SEVIS system in order to process your student visa application. Unless otherwise exempt, participants whose SEVIS I-20 was issued on or after September 1, 2004 must pay a SEVIS I-901 Fee to the Department of Homeland Security for each individual program. The fee may be paid either through a special website, via Western Union, or by mail.See SEVIS-901 Fee or SEVIS for further information on how to pay the fee.

The SEVP / SEVIS website is here

[Daknack]

If she wants to work in a resort town in MD I can probably help.  We have tons of eastern euros here in the summer.

[Vaughn]

Thanks, everyone, we still need clarification as well - and so
we'll be calling the family this weekend. From what I understand, her expenses are fully paid as far as New York. Her parents have asked us specifically not to seek boardwalk or beach employment,
but mentioned nothing to Elvira about her present course of study
so we'll be digging into that for direction. They did seem to be mainly
concerned with language and cultural transfer, and implied that the
university will handle the visa issue on her behalf.

Again, I'm still not quite sure what it takes to actually
sponsor her - simple invitation or acceptance by some authority
of sorts. Quite a bit of homework for me to squeeze into an already packed schedule, but no matter. Knowing how time quickly slips by
at Christmas I want to make inroads right away.

OK, OK, I'll follow up after the call to her Mom and Dad.

[Albert]

Their daughter, Dasha, was
selected by her university to spend next summer in the
USA.

Vaughn, your wording sounds a little strange to me.  I don't think it is literally possible that a university outside USA can select a person to spend summer in USA.  If so, we would find a ton of gals 'selected' by some FSU university on behalf of guys on these boards who want their girlfriends here for the summer.

So it seems to me that this gal has to go through same procedures as anyone who is trying to come here.  The fact that her school may be paying some expenses (which I find hard to believe) does nothing to help get her into the USA.

[Vaughn]

  Albert, you've just added a few more questions to my
ever-growing list for that phone call.

  I just sat down with my wife and had her review the
initial call. (Newbies, when all else fails, ask your FSU
bride...and remember that sometimes a second or third
discussion reveals new facts previously withheld or
forgotten, go figure...) Dasha is majoring in linguistics
at Mari State University. She's got various levels of
competency in English, French, German, Arabic and Italian.
The rest is still uncharted territory.

More on Sunday.

[Daknack]

Im sorta curious why no beach or boardwalk employment does it have a stigma or something to it?  Just curious

[Vaughn]

Dak,

 I can only speculate on that one. Perhaps her parents
hear that tourist area employment is so common among these
students, particularly Russians and Germans on the East Coast.
Dasha's Mom and Dad had prestigious jobs during Soviet times
at a television station. Today, they are well-off compared to
most: she remains as an executive producer, and he owns a
growing chain of hardware stores. With that being said, I could
imagine they're hoping for something a little different than her
operating a ride or staffing a sales counter - or it might be they know we live four hours from the nearest beach - but that also
will be addressed tomorrow morning.

[jb]

I dunno, Vaughn,

Seems to me that if the object of her summer employment is to improve her English skills, staffing a sales counter might be the best way to expose her to as much conversation with native English speakers in the shortest amount of time. One of the girls here in Corpus arrived with minimal English and took a job at the local Dillard's Department store in the "Fragrance" department, you might as well call it the "gossip" department.

In 6 months she was chattering away like a native.

[ConnerVT]

I have to agree with jb on this one.  Nothing like getting thrown in with the sharks by bing front line customer service to impress the need of improving one's conversation skills.

My wife's background is accounting and management.  Looking for her first US job, she studied US taxes and accounting, but decided that after nearly 15 years of stress from her accounting work in Russia, she would work at a major department store as a sales associate instead.  Her daily contact with customers and employees has improved her English skills tremendously.

[Vaughn]

Good points jb and Conner. The big word is if. That
Sunday phone call had to wait - we had sudden visitors
from out of state all day today, a pleasant time though,
with a RW/AM couple from Florida with their young son.

I have to wonder aloud if we personally are not a good
choice for sponsorship - as we are definitely not 100%
English speaking in this household.

[Photo Guy]

Jet,
If the educational institution is on the 'approved' list, is a VISA possible in the case of
learning English? Can she get a visa simply to come here and study English?
Am I reading that wrong? 

[William3rd]

There are several factors that go into the decision making process in the issuance of a student visa. As far as coming here just to learn English, that can be a possibility for some. THere are even many English school mills that allow minimum attendance for a visa holder so long as the school gets their money.

Quoting from below-

The student must be enrolled in an "academic" educational program, a language-training program, or a vocational program;
       The school must be approved by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS);
       The student must be enrolled as a full-time student at the institution;
       The student must be proficient in English or be enrolled in courses leading to English proficiency;
      The student must have sufficient funds available for self-support during the entire proposed course of study; and
       The student must maintain a residence abroad which he/she has no intention of giving up.

First and foremost in any application is the I20 from the school as that document will cover the first prongs- appropriate school, appropriate program, appropriate attendance. The I20 also will have a numerical estimate of the cost of the course of study and the cost of living in the area where the school is located-rent, food, etc,

And the last two parts is where the guy wanting to bring a girlfriend over as a student runs aground.

Adequate funds and intention to return. . . . . . .

Who is paying for all this study? Reverend Posey from the church? Are there adequate funds from her family that can be shown to be available? Some single guy whose relationship with the course of study is a little murky? Which all leads to the last section and the key phrase in all of this- which he/she has no intention of giving up.

How old is the student? what educational level is the student? how long has the "student" been out of the last school? How does the study in the US relate to the course of study at home? What is the availability of the same course of English or other study in the home country? Who is paying for the study?

All a matter of risk. The burden is on the alien to prove the eligibility to a clear and convincing standard. If not clearly approvable, the application must be denied.

[Vaughn]

 Four months have passed very quickly, yet this saga continues for us and new information has surfaced. First of all, Dasha and her Dad (my friend Vitaly) have traveled to Moscow and secured Dasha's visa, which as Bruce correctly predicted months back, is a J-1.

 Vitaly has sent me information regarding Dasha's employment offer,
which I'd rather not discuss in detail, but I will say it's a job based
in Miami, so I'd appreciate hearing privately from Jet - and anyone else living near or in that area.

 The organization that's sponsoring Dasha is called Interexchange.org, based in New York. I've looked over their homepage - and it appears Dasha will be coming over under their Work and Travel USA program, which issued a DS-2019 on her behalf. She is eligible to remain in the USA for up to 4 months.
Their page is viewable at:

http://www.worktravelusa.org/participant_index.html

 Any knowledge, personal or otherwise, about the integrity of these
organizations would be appreciated.

Vaughn

[Vaughn]

 Dasha rolled in to ATL on Saturday, so Elvira and I have a "surrogate"
Russian daughter to look after for the summer. Upon getting home we
went online to register her J-1 visa, then visited Social Security on
Monday morning. They'll need 10 days (they claim) before the info
is viewable and can take her application....

 Meanwhile, Dasha, who speaks English fairly well, is taking in her
first glimpses of American life - and is amused and delighted at the
number of squirrels running around here. Tomorrow morning we head
up to Hickory Nut Gorge to flyfish and climb up Chimney Rock, then back
here to enjoy the fireworks! Happy Fourth!

Vaughn