F Visa for High School Student: is a renewal possible?

[JMK_IT 134]

Hello there, 

Asking this question for an Italian friend who doesn't speak English and needs some information.  

Her 16 year-old son is in the US with a F1 Visa and currently enrolled in a private high school in NJ. 

He started the 2018-2019 academic year there and is being hosted by a US family.
She has relatives in NY and they were thinking about extending his stay with 1 additional year of high school.
They would like to send him to public high school for the 2019-2020 academic year.
Is that even a possibility? 

What are this kid's options for continuing his education in the United States? Can he have his Visa renewed, move to NY to his relatives, and complete an additional high school year?

I'm a K1 Applicant who's in her AoS phase, have no kids and don't know much about this Visa category. I apologize for sounding completely lost. 

Edited October 25, 2018 by ababsurd

[NigeriaorBust 4,087]

  Are they willing to pay the fees for going to a "public" school.   To get a visa you have to pay the unsubsidized cost  ( probably about 20 K ) , they can't attend for free if getting a visa.    I think visas for high school are only issued for a single year attendance.   

[Unlockable 7,306]

No need to apologize. This is why we are here.

 

Yes, a public school is possible but they still need to pay the cost of him going to the school. He needs to contact the school that he is going to attend to see if he is allowed. There may be some requirements for a student to prove that reside in the district. However, since he will be paying for the school year, this may not be the case. 

 

Regardless, clearing up the eligibility for him to be enrolled in said school would be the first step. In regards to the visa, your friend needs to know that the current visa may be tied to the particular school her son is attending. Changing schools would require her to repeat the same process she did for the school he is in now. This is to prevent people from "school hopping" on one visa.

[JMK_IT 134]

29 minutes ago, NuestraUnion said:

No need to apologize. This is why we are here.

 

Yes, a public school is possible but they still need to pay the cost of him going to the school. He needs to contact the school that he is going to attend to see if he is allowed. There may be some requirements for a student to prove that reside in the district. However, since he will be paying for the school year, this may not be the case. 

 

Regardless, clearing up the eligibility for him to be enrolled in said school would be the first step. In regards to the visa, your friend needs to know that the current visa may be tied to the particular school her son is attending. Changing schools would require her to repeat the same process she did for the school he is in now. This is to prevent people from "school hopping" on one visa.

Extremely helpful information, I appreciate you taking time for the reply. Thank you!

[Boiler 43,430]

Have they spoken with the State School? From what I have seen not all take International Students.

[SusieQQQ 11,584]

19 hours ago, NuestraUnion said:

No need to apologize. This is why we are here.

 

Yes, a public school is possible but they still need to pay the cost of him going to the school. He needs to contact the school that he is going to attend to see if he is allowed. There may be some requirements for a student to prove that reside in the district. However, since he will be paying for the school year, this may not be the case. 

 

Regardless, clearing up the eligibility for him to be enrolled in said school would be the first step. In regards to the visa, your friend needs to know that the current visa may be tied to the particular school her son is attending. Changing schools would require her to repeat the same process she did for the school he is in now. This is to prevent people from "school hopping" on one visa.

Just to add to this, and to confirm other posters, a maximum of one year may be spent at a public school on F1 and not all public schools accept such students. 

 

Considering this and having to pay for the school - is it really worth the disruption to do so? Is he planning on graduating high school in the US or going home to do so? Forgive my proffering an unsolicited opinion here but (said as the parent of a current high school senior) this seems like an extremely disruptive approach to voluntarily undertake at a critical part of a teen’s life, especially if he’s going to be completing his schooling under yet another system.  This kind of thing is one of the biggest worries for parents who move while a kid is in high school, and most families tend to avoid it if they can, especially getting closer to senior year.

Edited October 26, 2018 by SusieQQQ

[JMK_IT 134]

On 10/26/2018 at 11:50 AM, SusieQQQ said:

Considering this and having to pay for the school - is it really worth the disruption to do so? Is he planning on graduating high school in the US or going home to do so? Forgive my proffering an unsolicited opinion here but (said as the parent of a current high school senior) this seems like an extremely disruptive approach to voluntarily undertake at a critical part of a teen’s life, especially if he’s going to be completing his schooling under yet another system.  This kind of thing is one of the biggest worries for parents who move while a kid is in high school, and most families tend to avoid it if they can, especially getting closer to senior year.

Thanks, but my friends need information, not opinions. 

[SusieQQQ 11,584]

2 hours ago, ababsurd said:

Thanks, but my friends need information, not opinions. 

You have the information then. If they can pay the fees and get a public school to accept them he can spend a year at a public school.  They need to comply with the visa requirements for changing /updating schools.