any help is needed for f1 visa re-entry question

[Kanja 201]

14 minutes ago, Rocio0010 said:

I agree with the unfairness of the situation. However, I still have to see one of those students getting an immigration benefit and proving they were unaware of the scam. How do you prove a negative?

 

There is a cutting score for the TOEFL exam, so no, there is no subjectivity in this case. And I do agree, I dislike standards test, and I am a teacher

Unaware of the scam in the sense they applied for a school, got accepted, got a visa. Came to America, and showed up to classes to find no classes. Emailing and calling their admission officer with no response. Sorry I don’t want to derail the OPs post but some of these students even have a lawsuit. 
 

I apologize if I wasn’t clear. When you said “it’s not really hard to get a high score”. Hard is what I meant is subjective. What is hard for one could be easy for another. 

[Jose1028 2]

1 hour ago, Rocio0010 said:

Hi there,

First of all, I am not suggesting that you are lying, but your English is pretty decent. In fact, you are able to use the past tense and connectors, and you can also get your message across. I was also an F1 student, had to take TOEFL many times and I can tell you that it is not really hard to get a high score. 

Also, I am sorry that you had to go back home, but taking that leave of absence put a stain on an already jacked up case. I always tell F1 students that if they need to go back home for a while, and ran out of money, get a loan but get your butt back here in time. And also, if you can't afford a one- way return ticket, how are you going to afford living here as a student? If when you get a stipend, the US is expensive.

 

I ask these questions not to be nosy, but because I have been around here long enough to know that these are the facts that DHS and USCIS will question too. Be prepared.

If you don't mind me asking, what school are we talking about? Usually if a school has accepted you, and you don't get a high enough score in the TOEFL, then they place you on a non- credit English class WITHIN THE SAME SCHOOL. This is key, because any reputable school with an International Student Office knows that transferring an international student to another school is not something to be taken lightly. In fact, while I was an international student, I had two neighbor friends in this exact same situation, and they were asked to take English classes within the school for a semester. 

DHS does not like it a lot when students transfer to an English school because some of them have been part of a scam. 

I am usually the first one to say if you can DIY a case, but not these type of cases. Even if CBP lets you in, this will for sure have an impact on any other immigration benefit you might want to apply in the future. Proceed with caution.

thank you for reply. i'm also using google to help correct my mistakes in writing  

my school is Northeastern university, they forced me to go to a language school in boston(not within the university) but boston is very expensive and their language school too. so i found a new one in cheaper state(chicago) and cheaper school. i hear and understand there are fake language schools but my school is not. i go to class and it is full of students. we have exams and everything. i just don't know what can make my school fake at this point. i'm paying them and going to classes and that's it. 

 

when i transfered, i was told this is very common and legal. i don't have online account or site to check my sevis or transfer status, but school officials did everything and i confirmed with them when transfer was done. i got a new I20 when transfer is finished (from new school), before leaving usa, i renewed my I20 too. so without my knowledge, what could be wrong?

 

mind explaining what you mean by not DIY my case? i'm not experienced in immigration law and i just want to return to usa, finish my language school and move forward.

so far everything i did, why would it put red flag on me? thank you again.

[Kanja 201]

1 minute ago, Jose1028 said:

thank you for reply. i'm also using google to help correct my mistakes in writing  

my school is Northeastern university, they forced me to go to a language school in boston(not within the university) but boston is very expensive and their language school too. so i found a new one in cheaper state(chicago) and cheaper school. i hear and understand there are fake language schools but my school is not. i go to class and it is full of students. we have exams and everything. i just don't know what can make my school fake at this point. i'm paying them and going to classes and that's it. 

 

when i transfered, i was told this is very common and legal. i don't have online account or site to check my sevis or transfer status, but school officials did everything and i confirmed with them when transfer was done. i got a new I20 when transfer is finished (from new school), before leaving usa, i renewed my I20 too. so without my knowledge, what could be wrong?

 

mind explaining what you mean by not DIY my case? i'm not experienced in immigration law and i just want to return to usa, finish my language school and move forward.

so far everything i did, why would it put red flag on me? thank you again.

I went to Northeastern also. Good school, very expensive! 😊

[Jose1028 2]

1 hour ago, Kanja said:

Maybe I misunderstood them. I thought they said now he is all set financially.

 

I wasn’t using them as an example. I was saying he is doing the opposite of them so it does not appear he has any attempt to commit fraud. Hence why I said he seems genuine. 

you are right, i am all set financially. i have a sponsor to cover my expenses. i am not rich or anything but i can afford flight tickets and class. is this not enough? 

i personally don't have money but my relatives gave me money to finish my school. is this bad?

[Jose1028 2]

1 hour ago, Nat&Amy said:

I really hope OP wasn't working in the US while studying. I also agree with what you said about how bad it looks to transfer from a Master's to an English school, especially when we know of all the visa mills out there. I should know, because I was invited to work for one and it's really quite the scheme...

 

OP, nothing to do but try. Just remember: whatever CBP asks you, answer truthfully. Do not volunteer information, be clear and concise. I imagine you have a deadline to start your Master's? A conditional offer doesn't usually last forever.

 

no i didn't work. i don't have work visa.  i actually got accepted with condition to go to language school, when i went to embassy in spain, i got visa and they knew i am going to language school, not masters first.

so in my case, i transfered to language school from language school. wrong? 

and even if transfer from masters to english school, is this illegal? when i transferred, my school official said this is normal and can be done. 

[Jose1028 2]

1 hour ago, Kanja said:

I have a question. For the OP to have transferred doesn’t that school have to have a SEVIS number? If the school ends up being part of a scam or some sort of ring that seems like a DHS problem (or whoever certified the school), not the OP. As long as the school is credentialed and valid it shouldn’t matter, there is a database that indicates which schools are valid/credentialed and which are not. I’m really interested in this because it has come up before and I’ve read of a story of a bunch of international students that were deported/prosecuted for attending a fraudulent English school. Some Of them did indeed know it was fraudulent and used it as a means to come in the country, but it appeared some had no idea and were showing up to campus everyday with a backpack to meet no teachers or classrooms. Just seems unfair if the onus is on the F1 visa holder to determine if the school is legitimate or not (sorry I went on a tangent but seems like you have experience so wanted your thoughts). 
 

also , scoring high in an exam is subjective to the person taking it. It may have been easy for you but some folks are just not good test takers (which is why I’m so against standardized exams). OP was clearly in the classes for some time so maybe their English has improved significantly. Seems like too much emphasis (not from you specifically) is being placed on his English with responders trying to evaluate his command of the English language and not actually answer his question.  

how can i know my school is fake? 

they have a building, they have classes, i go to classes and there are teachers and students. we have exams too. they teach us and they have classes for toefl.

during covid, they allowed us to study from home too so we went to class only one day a week.

 

i am worried person but i also don't know what makes a school fake and how can i go to a fake school without knowing? i don't want to make mistakes and get arrested. 

a fake school can have students and teachers and building?

[Boiler 43,446]

Your situation is what it is and obviously you should have considered how this would look prior to taking this course of action. Too late now so you just have to see how it plays out.

[Jose1028 2]

15 minutes ago, Boiler said:

Your situation is what it is and obviously you should have considered how this would look prior to taking this course of action. Too late now so you just have to see how it plays out.

thank you

[Nat&Amy 623]

17 hours ago, Jose1028 said:

I got my F1 visa(5 years) last year ( it is good until 2027 )

Then i came to USA to start my master degree. 

My english was very bad so I changed my master addmision to language school AFTER arriving US.

 

50 minutes ago, Jose1028 said:

in my case, i transfered to language school from language school. wrong? 

That's not what you said in your original post. It's difficult to give you accurate advice when there are so many moving parts in your story.

 

50 minutes ago, Jose1028 said:

and even if transfer from masters to english school, is this illegal? when i transferred, my school official said this is normal and can be done.

No one said it was illegal. My point was: when you were granted a five-year visa to do a Master's, there were several things considered in that decision: your program, the university offering you admission, the costs involved. The risk profile of students applying for a Master's is different from those applying for ESL. So, the moment you switch schools and downgrade your program, of course you get more scrutinity. And depending on the school you're going to, yeah, you might have to answer questions about how exactly you plan to fund your Master's if cost was decisive in your decision to change language schools. 

 

Or you might not have to answer any questions at all. It's impossible to predict what CBP will say or do, so the only advice anyone can offer is to be honest and succinct. Don't volunteer information, and be prepared.

 

Edited April 10, 2023 by Nat&Amy

[Jose1028 2]

5 minutes ago, Nat&Amy said:

 

That's not what you said in your original post. It's difficult to give you accurate advice when there are so many moving parts in your story.

 

No one said it was illegal. My point was: when you were granted a five-year visa to do a Master's, there were several things considered in that decision: your program, the university offering you admission, the costs involved. The risk profile of students applying for a Master's is different from those applying for ESL. So, the moment you switch schools and downgrade your program, of course you get more scrutinity. And depending on the school you're going to, yeah, you might have to answer questions about how exactly you plan to fund your Master's if cost was decisive in your decision to change language schools. 

 

Or you might not have to answer any questions at all. It's impossible to predict what CBP will say or do, so the only advice anyone can offer is to be honest and succinct. Don't volunteer information, and be prepared.

 

thanks again for advise. i'll be honest of course because i don't have any reason to lie.

 

i want to correct one thing for you, i transferred from language school to another language. my master was conditional, so i came here originally for language school OF my MASTER'S UNIVERSITY. 

But i couldn't find a cheaper cost of living in BOSTON. so i decided to go to language school in cheaper place in chicago(it is a big language school with many students in campus), get my toelf score and go back to BOSTON for MASTERS. 

i hope this doesn't sound like downgrading, yes i had masters acceptence but when i went to visa interview in spain, i had visa for language school. 

 

i'm sorry if i confused you.

[Rocio0010 5,565]

1 hour ago, Jose1028 said:

they forced me to go to a language school in boston(not within the university) but boston is very expensive and their language school too

Exactly what program were you pursuing? I find it hard to believe that they would force an international student to go to Boston all of a sudden. If so, that's a huge red flag for them. I am actually looking at their webpage and it says that some programs do require TOEFL to be admitted, some do not. So how come they admitted you and then you took TOEFL?

 

1 hour ago, Jose1028 said:

i'm paying them and going to classes and that's it. 

How are you able to pay for those classes, but not for a one way ticket to the US when you know that not coming back would jeopardize your status

 

1 hour ago, Jose1028 said:

when i transfered, i was told this is very common and legal

No one said it was uncommon or illegal. But just because something is common and legal it doesn't mean DHS or USCIS sees it the same way. If you transfer from one program to another without being able to provide a well- rounded explanation, it might be frowned upon. Or it might not.

 

1 hour ago, Jose1028 said:

mind explaining what you mean by not DIY my case?

A) you're not able to answer questions about your case to strangers on the internet, let alone when and if confronted by CBP

B) Your immigration history is starting to get jacked up, so I would not move forward without at least one consultation. Maybe you can even set up a conference call with an ISO at Northwestern and an immigration attorney that can help you clarify doubts.

 

What's your country of origin and how old are you?

[Family 3,483]

1 hour ago, Jose1028 said:

what can make my school fake

…never know , some scams go uncovered for very long.

 

Trump University: A Look at an Enduring Education Scandal

https://www.americanprogress.org/article/trump-university-look-enduring-education-scandal/

Edited April 10, 2023 by Family

[beloved_dingo 1,932]

33 minutes ago, Rocio0010 said:

Exactly what program were you pursuing? I find it hard to believe that they would force an international student to go to Boston all of a sudden. If so, that's a huge red flag for them. I am actually looking at their webpage and it says that some programs do require TOEFL to be admitted, some do not. So how come they admitted you and then you took TOEFL?

Not sure if I am misreading your statement here, but Northeastern University is IN Boston. OP stated their master's program was through Northeastern, and Northeastern directed OP to attend a language school in Boston. OP then requested to attend a less expensive language school in a cheaper city instead (Chicago). 

[Family 3,483]

29 minutes ago, Rocio0010 said:

No one said it was uncommon or illegal

It is quite common for language only accredited schools to be well versed in the International Students Transfer playbook.

 

The more nuanced issue here is if OP will encounter a tough CBP .. or pass easily. 
 

Aa OPs Reddit link suggested ..CBP doesn’t care , USCIS doesn’t pay attention ..but your very valid point that F-1 was granted because of school A reputation, academic standards conditions, .tuition and all 

 

. Would school B ( language only ) have resulted in the initial F-1 grant ?…. 
 

 

[Allaboutwaiting 2,500]

2 minutes ago, Family said:

It is quite common for language only accredited schools to be well versed in the International Students Transfer playbook.

 

The more nuanced issue here is if OP will encounter a tough CBP .. or pass easily. 
 

Aa OPs Reddit link suggested ..CBP doesn’t care , USCIS doesn’t pay attention ..but your very valid point that F-1 was granted because of school A reputation, academic standards conditions, .tuition and all 

 

. Would school B ( language only ) have resulted in the initial F-1 grant ?…. 
 

 

Thing is that access to school A now depends on "performance" at school B.