Well I couldn't find the answers I was looking for... so I'm gona ask you guys.

So, my k1 visa is approved and I'm going to get my visa by mail soon.

Anyways, I wanted to go to school when I enter in the States, but I'm concerned that my school fees are going to be expensive (because I am not a citizen...yet)! It takes 1year-ish to become a permanent resident, then it takes another 3 years to become a citizen... Right? Does that mean that during all those years, if I wanted to go to school, I would have to be an international student?
Then I won't be able to apply for a FAFSA (student aid)?

Hope somebody can answer me! Thanks a bunch!

i know the answer..first of all after u get the greencard u can apply for Financial aid or TAP whatever. only with a greencard and 2nd u wont get citizenship after THREE YEARS it will take FIVE years after u get ur greencard unless u r married to an AMERICAN CITIZEN..thats the answer and yes its a correct one no one can top it cuz i know it its a fact.

umm she will be able to in 3 years.. she is coming in on a k1 visa which means she is going to get married to a US citizen...

Anyways, once you become a permanent resident you will get local tuition fee (you dont hv to be citizen). I don't think one yr is a long wait. I plan to go to grad school too and I'mwilling to wait, we can just take it easy while waiting, maybe you can go to community college before attending real college just like what I plan to do, just to fill your time. Cheers

Are you sure guys! I thought you have to get another type of visa on top of the one you already have to go to school. Isn't that why they ask you if you are going to go to school. I could be wrong but that is what i was told.

Before my fiance got US citizenship, he held his green card (LPR), and he went to school in States without no problem (got permanent resident / local fee too), if you check out the tuition fee list in some university it will state the categorisation anyways, whether you are international student (coming under F1 visa), or permanent resident.
Good luck!

I mean 'without any problem'

If you live in a state for a year don't you get the instate local tution fees? LIke when my brother moved to California, he waited a year to go to grad school to get the in state tution rates for the state schools. So I would think once you are a permanent resident, or lived here for a year, you'd get the lower tuition. I'd contact the school you are interested in!

I am at school now. In order to get in-state tuition, I needed to have been a resident in the state (Washington) for at least one year. In addition, I had to show my green-card. Then I applied for financial aid. Simple!

I don't think you even have to wait to be a conditional permanent resident to be eligible for in-state tuition. I contacted a couple of my local universities and found out that my fiancee is elibigle for in-state tuition based off of my residency in my state for over a year. Maybe this is a state-by-state determination, but my fiancee is eligible once she arrives. If, however, her AOS is denied while she is studying, then she would obviously lose her in-state tuition (but then again, facing deportation would likely be mroe of a worry at that point anyways).

I guess each state is different! Wish that would've worked for me, then I wouldn't have had to wait 1 year!

Oh wow I never would have imagined so many replies. Thank you all!
I got my K1 Visa by mail today (YESSS!) and I can't wait to enter the States.

I will be going to Washington State, Vancouver (anyone here that's living in that city? heh)
I guess from reading what you guys wrote, I'd have to wait 3 years to become a citizen and once getting my green card I can get in school with local tuition fees.
I'm just not sure sure if I really needed to wait 1 year to get local tuition fees, but I know that once you get your green card you can get financial aid.

How long does it take to get a Green Card? 1 year...?

Thanks a bunch

I would email someone at Washington State Vancouver and ask them how long you have to be a resident of that state, to get the in-state rate.

AOS takes 9 months according to uscis.gov processing times, thoguh they might be shorter. Also, you may be able to get the passport stamped during the interview you and your SO will have before conditional permanent residency is issued.

Again, you may be eligible for in-state tuition as soon as you arrive based on SO's residency, or after a year of residency in the state. Check with the state's in-state tuition requirements as well as the university's requirements.

As someone else said, in-state tuition might be a state-by-state policy. In Illinois, an AOS pending applicant derives residency from spouse. Check with the specific school. I also assume you are thinking of public universities, because residency does not usually matter for private schools.

Good Luck!

found this on their website:
so I guess I'll have to wait a little longer to apply.... *sigh*



"has resided continuously as a lawful permanent resident in the U.S. for at least 5 years prior to filing with no single absence from the United States of more than one year;"

if you are talking about filing for citizenship.. you only have to wait 3 years after becoming a permanent resident to apply for citizenship if you are married to a US citizen

I'm confused......... it says on the USCIS website that the least number of years before applying is 5 years. However I'm reading here that you can in 3 years if your spouse is an American citizen? Where can I find this info?

Check out here... M-476, A Guide to Naturalization at http://www.uscis.gov/files/article/M-476.pdf . It is a great resource for anyone who is going to apply for naturalization. And yes, you can apply after 3 years of marriage to a USC, many of us, or our spouses, are living proof of that privilege.

Good Luck!

http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/N-400ins.pdf