Visa Issues: How to Close Distance?

[amayana]

Hey guys, this is my first thread and I'm looking for valuable visa information so "visa experts" or people who used to be in a similar situation are most welcome to post what they think/know.

 

I am European, currently living and studying in the UK. My boyfriend is a US citizen. He was an exchange student at my university last year and that's how we met and learnt to love each other. He had to go back to the US so we've been doing LD for a couple of months now and it's going very well so far. We should be able to close this distance somehow in 1 1/2 years when we both finish our Bachelor's degrees. The only question is how...

 

My boyfriend wants to go to grad school for physical therapy/sports & exercise rehab. He would be ready to come over to Europe to study here if I wasn't able to come to the US. I know that my options are limited as it's so very difficult to get a visa to stay in the US. We both agreed that we wanted to wait until we get engaged/married and we really don't want to do it out of sheer convenience. It's unlikely for me to find a US employer who'd sponsor me. I would apply for a student visa and go to grad school in the US but it's so expensive. My BF told me about graduate or teaching assistantships that would allow me to come up for half or all of the school expenses but they're highly competitive.

Moreover we'd have to apply to the same schools and it wouldn't even be sure if we found a school that would accept both of us and offer financial aid to me at the same time. I am aware that I'm not allowed to work off-campus with a student visa in the US. My government does sponsor a significant loan & grant to people wanting to continue school to do a Master's degree. Would you have any other pieces of advice for me? Any ideas?

 

So what if he'd come over to the UK? Would my BF be able to apply for a part-time master's degree (2 years usually) and be able to work here as well? What kind of visa would he have to apply for? What would his options be? I am assuming it would be a bit easier for him to come to Europe for a while at least. Thanks!

[january2011]

I don't have any specific advice as this is something that I'm looking into at the moment for my own situation.

 

However, you might like to do some research on these websites:

 

UK Border Agency | Home Page

 

VisaJourney - Your US Immigration Community

 

You can also try posting your question to the forums on the second website.

 

There's also a couple on here who are a US-Australia pairing (Pyro and Citizen Erased). CE moved to the US and they got married. Since you can't PM yet, hopefully, one of them will see this thread and advise you.

[Pyro]

Here I am.

 

January did supply some great links to look through.

 

We obtained the fiance' visa (K1) for her to come here, so as far as visa laws in the UK for schooling you are going to have to do some research and see what that entails.

 

For my wife to come here the process was very simple (once we read and understood it)

[FitChick]

There are expat forums for most countries. Google and join some. Usually they have lots of firsthand information.

[Els]

So what if he'd come over to the UK? Would my BF be able to apply for a part-time master's degree (2 years usually) and be able to work here as well? What kind of visa would he have to apply for? What would his options be? I am assuming it would be a bit easier for him to come to Europe for a while at least. Thanks!

 

I'm not familiar with your countries in question, but I did go through the whole long, painful immigration process in another country so I can offer general advice.

 

1. Most international students cannot do part-time studies in most countries. Student visas are almost always only offered to full-time students.

 

2. Student visa if he wants to study. There are usually other options such as visitor visas or even partner-sponsored visas as well.

 

3. If you are in full-time studies, you are usually allowed to work part-time for a stipulated maximum number of hours per week.

 

This is all very general; your best bet would be to call up immigration and ask them about your particular situation, or check their website, or join expat forums and ask there, as the others suggested.

[denise_xo]

So what if he'd come over to the UK? Would my BF be able to apply for a part-time master's degree (2 years usually) and be able to work here as well? What kind of visa would he have to apply for? What would his options be? I am assuming it would be a bit easier for him to come to Europe for a while at least. Thanks!

 

This information might be outdated, but when I lived in the UK, Americans could apply for a student visa for two year master degrees, but it depended on them showing evidence of finances (i.e. some means of sustaining themselves). At the time, a student visa allowed you to work sixteen hours a week while in the UK. I think it's generally easier to get visas for full time degrees than part time degrees, but that's part speculation.

 

You might want to look into a third European country. In some cases, it is actually easier for an EU citizen to bring a spouse to a third European country than their own. The Netherlands have a lot of master programs in English, and the fees are significantly lower than in the UK.

[amayana]

I don't have any specific advice as this is something that I'm looking into at the moment for my own situation.

 

However, you might like to do some research on these websites:

 

UK Border Agency | Home Page

 

VisaJourney - Your US Immigration Community

 

You can also try posting your question to the forums on the second website.

 

There's also a couple on here who are a US-Australia pairing (Pyro and Citizen Erased). CE moved to the US and they got married. Since you can't PM yet, hopefully, one of them will see this thread and advise you.

 

Thank you very much! The two websites were very helpful and I know now that if my BF wanted to come study here he'd have to apply for a Tier 4 visa.

[amayana]

This information might be outdated, but when I lived in the UK, Americans could apply for a student visa for two year master degrees, but it depended on them showing evidence of finances (i.e. some means of sustaining themselves). At the time, a student visa allowed you to work sixteen hours a week while in the UK. I think it's generally easier to get visas for full time degrees than part time degrees, but that's part speculation.

 

If I'm not completely wrong the UK changed their immigration rules a couple of months ago. They introduced a Tier 4 visa, which is for any student over 17 who wishes to study in the UK for more than 6 months. I still haven't found any information of the possibilty for him to apply as a part-time student but I did find out that he's allowed to work up to 20 hours a week during term-time and full-time during vacations.

 

You might want to look into a third European country. In some cases, it is actually easier for an EU citizen to bring a spouse to a third European country than their own. The Netherlands have a lot of master programs in English, and the fees are significantly lower than in the UK.

 

I suggested the Netherlands as an alternative and it's definitely an idea, especially because it's cheaper for the two of us. We might have to look into it but he seemed a bit reluctant. He also suggested that he could start learning German or French so that we'd have even more options. (I already know how to speak the two languages).