The education department of "Zagranitsy" responds to a letter from Yelena Belikova from Cherkassy:
– Despite all the difficulties that America creates for foreign students, the US continues to attract many. Every visa applicant is considered a potential illegal immigrant and must convincingly prove otherwise at the interview. At the interview, you must persuade the consular officer that you intend to return home after graduation. To do this, you need to provide evidence of sufficient funds for study and settlement in the United States, job prospects, and family ties in Ukraine.
Entry for students focused on short-term language courses in the US is even more difficult: the US Immigration Service views short-term programs as a gateway for illegal immigrants.
The decision to issue a visa may be based on the subjective opinion of a consular officer. Some students say they were interviewed in a polite and respectful manner; others were subjected to insults and accused of lying even before they could speak.
Remember that a student visa imposes significant restrictions on the ability to seek employment and cross the US border (travel, business trips).
And lastly, if it offers any comfort: the rejection rate for Chinese applicants is higher than for our compatriots: it is almost 98 percent. And even so, Chinese students are the largest group of foreign students in the US – last year, more than 50,000 Chinese studied at American universities and colleges.
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