Students/Estudiantes

Inmigración Para Estudiantes

At Cultura Law we pride ourselves in our ability to help foreign students achieve their goals of studying in the United States. We help those who want to further their education in the United States in several ways. We provide a comprehensive service for those who want to come, those who are here and those who are finishing their studies in the United States. We offer comprehensive strategies geared to the goals of our clients. We offer the following education related services to foreign born clients.

1. Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA or Dreamers)

This program is available for persons who are already in the United States. It is meant to give children who came to the united states when they were young and who grew up here an opportunity to live work and study like their peers. It has helped many children normalize their status in the United States so they can study, work and live without the fear of being deported or fired because of their immigration status. If you came to the United States before turning 15 call Cultura Law today to see if you qualify.

To qualify for DACA a person must have been under the age of 31 on June 15, 2012. If they are not in removal proceedings they have to be at least 15 years old at the time of their application. They must have been present in the United States continuously since June 15, 2007. They must be in school, have graduated high school or received their GED or have been honorably discharged from the U.S. military. There are also some criminal record grounds that must be met, we can discuss these when we meet.

ALERT: If you recieved a 3 year DACA work permit after Feb 15th 2015, that permit may be invalid. You should send your permit back to USCIS or contact your Lawyer. Failure to return these permits could result in a termination of your DACA benifits.

AVISO: Si usted recibió un permiso de trabajo de 3 años por el programa de DACA después del 15 de Febrero del 2015 su permiso puede ser inválido. Debe contactar a su abogado o devolver el permiso a inmigración lo más pronto posible. Si falla en devolver el permiso pueden quitarle el DACA.

2. Student Visas

There are several types of visas available to those students who are abroad and want to come to the United States to pursue a course of study. These visas might also be available to students who are in the United States in some kind of non-immigrant status and want to change their status to that of a student. There are several options available depending on your passion and goals.

F-1 Visas - Typically for academic students but it is not limited to 4 year universities this type of visa is also available for those wishing to attend High School, a private elementary school, a seminary or conservatory and can also be used for other academic programs such as language studies.

M-1 Visas- These visas are for students who wish to enter a vocational program in the United States. It can also be used to enter a non-academic course of study in the U.S at an established institution. This visa is often less solicited than the F-1 visa. Examples of vocational study are training programs for health care technicians, machinists, dental hygienists, and other, similar pursuits.

J-1 Visas- This type of visa is used by students participating in an exchange program. The exchange program can be at a college or university or at a secondary school (High School). There are different programs within the J-1 category, including trainees, college or university students, secondary school students, professors and research scholars, short-term scholars, specialists, foreign medical graduates, international and government visitors, teachers, camp counselors, au pairs, and summer work / travel students.

It is important for students to consider the timing of the year when they file their application. Because the school year generally begins around August or September, the summer months of June, July and August are especially congested with applications at the consulate. With student visas, an in person interview may be necessary before being approved; with hundreds of other applying for the visa at the same time, it may be next to impossible to obtain an interview without timing your request correctly. Call Cultura Law today so we can build you a strategy for success.