Question regarding greencards/visas

[Schadenfreude]

Here' the scenario: a friend of mine is a 17-year old Japanese exchange student - apparently, her social environment in Japan isn't the most optimal of all places (I don't know the specifics, so don't ask), and she's had a lot of good people surround here once she came over - to the point that she'd like to go to school/possibly immigrate here to the good ol' US.

Problem is, for her to get accepted into any university, I guess the rule of thumbs is that you'd have to have proof that you can afford to go to school in the US - in this case a proof in the form of a bank account under her/her family's name that she can pay for all 4 years of tuition. At once.

Unfortunately, it ain't gonna happen for her - so she's looking to work a little while she builds up her english skills until it's good enough to attend uni.

So, with that in mind, my question is, does anyone know what the processes are for someone to get a working permit in the US? She's a high school senior currently in the US with someone giving her room & board & is willing to continue doing so. The key questions are:

- What processes does she have to go through to get a visa? Would it be easier if she had a sponsorship deal of some sort?
- How long does it usually take for the process to go through?
- About how much $$$ does it cost?

Cliffs
---
- Highschool exchange student from Japan wants to stay in US
- She needs a work visa
- We need to know what processes there for for applying/if there are any 'boosters' to her status as far as eligability/how long it would take/how much it would cost.

Any help would be mucho appreciated! Thanks!

 

[ngvepforever2]

Well, if she wants to immigrate here, she should find a sponsor that could apply for a labor certification and then for a immigration labor petition (I-140) concurrently with a petition for permanent residence for Employment. Unfortunately, the process is long and tedius and finding a sponsor is next to impossible if you don't have any contacts. Besides, she needs to perform a job that it's on demand here in the US. My mother is a nurse and she had to go through all the process before we came to the US ( but nurses are in high demand, all she had to do was study english and pass the certification for foreign nurses exam and the state certification later on). If she is in high school, all I can tell you is that she will have to go back to japan before something can be done about her situation. In japan, she can study a technical profession that is related to medicine (those are in high demand for ie. Dental Hygienist). The process, as I have mentioned previously, is long, tedius and expensive. The only way to get a work permit(through sponsoring) is when your employer files an Immigrant petition for you and you file an I-485 concurrently. Another way to get a work permit is if she attends any college here (but her status has to change to F-1/student) after a semester in school she can apply for a work permit to work for 20 hours during school and fulltime during vacations. The other way she can get a work permit ( and if you ask me the easiest) is if she gets married to an American. I know there are some temporary working permits that are given too, but she 'd have to go back to japan. I have had many friends come here to work during the summer in cruises and restaurants ( there are some american companies that will sponsor them but they got paid a misery).

That's all I have, regards

ng

 

[Schadenfreude]

Thanks for the input!

 

[blackangst1]

Originally posted by: ngvepforever2
Well, if she wants to immigrate here, she should find a sponsor that could apply for a labor certification and then for a immigration labor petition (I-140) concurrently with a petition for permanent residence for Employment. Unfortunately, the process is long and tedius and finding a sponsor is next to impossible if you don't have any contacts. Besides, she needs to perform a job that it's on demand here in the US. My mother is a nurse and she had to go through all the process before we came to the US ( but nurses are in high demand, all she had to do was study english and pass the certification for foreign nurses exam and the state certification later on). If she is in high school, all I can tell you is that she will have to go back to japan before something can be done about her situation. In japan, she can study a technical profession that is related to medicine (those are in high demand for ie. Dental Hygienist). The process, as I have mentioned previously, is long, tedius and expensive. The only way to get a work permit(through sponsoring) is when your employer files an Immigrant petition for you and you file an I-485 concurrently. Another way to get a work permit is if she attends any college here (but her status has to change to F-1/student) after a semester in school she can apply for a work permit to work for 20 hours during school and fulltime during vacations. The other way she can get a work permit ( and if you ask me the easiest) is if she gets married to an American. I know there are some temporary working permits that are given too, but she 'd have to go back to japan. I have had many friends come here to work during the summer in cruises and restaurants ( there are some american companies that will sponsor them but they got paid a misery).

That's all I have, regards

ng

Having been thru the immigration scene before, I concur.