F1 Visa

This is How Canadian Students Get F1 Visa to Study in USA

Sania reached out to me and expressed her interest to write for HSB about her experience of studying in USA as a Canadian Citizen. I added her as an Author and this is her first article –  F1 Visa for Canadian Students.

Around October 2011, I had been discussing with my parents my interest in returning to college for website design in programming. The next month, I was in NYC for a weekend, visiting from Canada and saw the Bramson ORT College ad on the train where they had their programs listed which included Web and Graphic Design and Internet Programming.

I researched the programs at the school and was interested in applying to the school. I called Bramson ORT College when I went back to Canada and asked getting an international visa, what I would need to enroll and how I can study in the web design program and make that transition to move to NYC to study.

The staff members at Bramson ORT College were extremely helpful, so I applied. I also wondered how I would be able to support myself in NYC without being able to work for the 2 year program.

I went to the OSAP website (which is part of the Canadian Student Loan), and found out they also fund for students studying outside of Canada as long as the school first gets approved by them. I applied for the school to get approved (this took about 3 months), the school was approved, and now OSAP funds Bramson ORT College, as long as the school maintains this eligibility every year onwards. Now students can find Bramson ORT while registering for a student loan on the OSAP website.

f1 visa for canadian students
Sania Khan (Author of this Article). Source – Bramson ORT College.

Once I was got accepted into Bramson ORT College, they sent me an I-20 after I paid my deposit for classes.

Originally, I called the US embassy to make an appointment for a visa interview, they said for Canadian citizens there is no interview and I can just take my I-20 to any US Port of Entry along with a SEVIS receipt which was paid for online.

F1 Visa for Canadian Students

I was driving into NYC with my family with my I-20 and the border officials brought me inside, took the I-20 and my passport to basically process it for student visa. They simply asked me about my program and where I plan on staying during my study course.

I gave them a relative’s address and mentioned I will stay there until I find my own place or a roommate. They also asked how I plan to support myself while I am there, and I simply said I have a Canadian student loan and also my family will help me.

They did not really ask for any proof of documents, they are pretty lenient when it comes to Canadians going into the US to study. They simply stamped the F1 Visa on my Canadian passport, and I paid a $5 fee and then came to NYC. (However, I know sometimes they can be strict and ask for bank statements and other proof of ties to Canada).

Process of getting F1 Visa for Canadian Students is easy, when compared to other international students who come to USA.

I have now begun my studies at Bramson ORT College, and I am productively learning Web Design and Internet Programming (with some Computer Programming). The staff here were completely helpful in terms of helping me find accommodations, filling out any student loan documents and ensuring a positive experience in my course.

There are many opportunities for Canadians to study, learn and also participate in OPT programs while they are in school in NYC.

NYC is convenient to live in as trains go everywhere, and it is a great place to build experience while studying.

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12 Comments

  1. Hello mr.happyschool, rajashri is totally right. you don’t need a degree just to develop or program a crap,a hellla computer science people do here (india) better than US guys for rs.30,000 a month,accept medical education i guess you just need a experince,as my brother done his b.tech and MS at california state university (fullerton) he’s just studying nothing as compare to indian student better he’s learning all waitering & all that labour work.you know if students can’t get in to the top engineering schools like IIT etc,then & only he would choose ro move US or canada.

  2. one doesn’t need to go to any school to learn web & graphic design and net programing. just buy any good book and give yourself a week.

      1. i could’ve included what you wrote if i really meant so.

        web courses usually consists of html, asp, javascript etc which are lightweight and do not require professional mentoring. while classical programing topics like c and similar and cs concepts like algorithm are dificult to study-by-self and require a guide in most cases.

    1. You can buy a book and try to learn it yourself, but will you get hands-on training and experience by doing that? Graphic Design and Net Programming are ever-changing fields. Not something you can possibly learn in one week.

    2. It is worth it these days to have a degree in it. Especially when you know nothing about the topic to begin with, it is hard to pick up.

      1. in usa you don’t need a degree. you just need to know and perform. what you really know and what you can really do / achieve is more important in usa than your diploma and transcripts.

          1. how this is possible raghu? i really don’t get it! it’s been reiterated many a times in many forums ( including hsb ) that in india the education is degree-oriented / paper-centric and in usa it’s the other away around. recently people are discussing in several talk shows that why can’t we strike the degree column down in employment forms.

  3. Everyone knows USA authorities are not bothered about Canadians immigrating. What is the point of doing that? Canada seems to be a far better place to live and work.

    Anyway, your choice of school seems rather poor to me. Web and Graphic Design and “Internet Programming”? Really? Make sure you have researched it properly, otherwise you will regret it.

    1. Both Canada and USA offer many opportunities. You just have to put yourself out there and work hard to achieve your goals, which is exactly what the author is trying to say.

      I studied Graphic & Web Design at Bramson ORT College and it was the best decision I ever made. Not only did they help find me an internship in my field, but they also assisted me with my job search and offered financial aid to qualified students. They really care about their students both during their residence and after graduation. Before you talk about a “poor” choice of school, how about you research it first? Here, let me help you: http://www.bramsonort.edu.

    2. I did a lot of research on the school and other schools, this was more worth it because the tuition was very low (it is a non-profit school) and still accredited. Everything about this school was more convenient.

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