When Life Closes a Door, Look for a Window

The world is going crazy.

Again.

It looks like a new war started.

Again.

The U.S. government is on the verge of shutting down.

Again.

When will it ever stop?

History is very clear about this- the answer is never.

It’s a sad reality, but one that me must live with.

I know the tone of this email if different from what I usually send, but it seems fitting. What people need now if to accept reality so they can understand how to move forward.

Here’s where we start getting into the good news, at least if you’re an international students, or interested in becoming one.

First, the international student processing cycle is actually shutdown-proof.

So even if those donkeys and elephants in Congress can’t get along, embassies will continue taking appointments and processing visa requests.

That expense I-901 fee? It actually funds this portion of the government.

So the U.S. is, effectively, always accepting and processing F-1 student visa applications.

The other good news, and good is a relative term here, is that it’s easier than ever to get approved for an F-1 student visa from a ‘third-party’ embassy.

(A ‘third-party’ embassy is one that is not in the U.S. or your home country. For example, if you’re from Country A, you can apply for a U.S. visa in Country B.)

Previously, visa applications in third-party embassies were evaluated more closely and had a higher rejection rate.

Now, the U.S. government has (finally) acknowledged that many people live and work outside their home countries, so they have directed embassies to not evaluate a visa application any differently based on whether or not it was submitted in the applicant’s country of origin.

So if you’re trying to study in the U.S., but you can’t return to your home country (for whatever reason), you can apply for a student visa in the country you’re in right now and have just as good a chance at passing as you would back home.

(If you’re in the U.S. it’s slightly different; you’ll need to submit a Change of Status request.)

I know this email has been more tactical than most, but hopefully some of you found it helpful.

If you have questions about anything in here please hit that ‘Reply’ button, don’t be shy.

And if you know anyone who would benefit from this email, please either forward it to them or encourage them to subscribe for future info at https://askadso.beehiiv.com/subscribe.

Take care everyone.

Josh