Living and educational requirements.

Stalin and rugby

Sup tweeps, have a bit of a problem, hope you guys can help out.

I'm a 16 year old kid finishing up my leaving cert this year. I plan on going to the US and attending a High School there for a year. I have an Irish passport so 1st Question, do I need some sort of Visa for a 1 year stay/ is it hard to obtain?

Secondly, I will be living with my cousin my parents will not be there, legally by that stage I will be 17, my cousin is like 23 is that all good? Or do I require some form of documentation?

If you require any more info please ask, any help is appreciated. Cheers peeps

silja

How are you getting to the USA? Ie did you just decide to do this or are you going on a school-organised exchange program? Because there are a couple of visas which may be applicable.

In General: yes you always need a visa for a stay of more than 90 days or that is not tourism/ business; in your case, it's a F1 student visa. It's not difficult to obtain, but you/ your parents/ your cousin will need to show they can financially support you- not just room and food, but also school fees- even with a highschool, unless you have an official exchange arranged, you are looking at $20'000+ for a year.

You need to start by contacting your chosen school- or schools in the area you want to travel to if you don;t have a specific one in mind. They need to issue you a I-20 to show you are officially accepted, and then you apply for the F1 visa with the US embassy in Dublin.

Stalin and rugby

Thanks for the response!

No it's not a school-organised exchange program. I will be living with my cousin so accommodation should be alright. Excluding accommodation what kind of other major expenses will I run into? Proof of ability to support me financially, will that be required for the F1 or I-20?

As for the high school, willl I have any issues applying? Do they generally accept students without any problems?

avalon68

I would think the only way of doing this would be as part of an exchange programme - not sure you would get a visa otherwise. You would definitely have to have already been accepted to a high school before getting a visa. If you are finishing your leaving cert this year then arent you inelligible anyway? I mean, you would be done with 2nd level education - I cant see a school taking you for a year on that basis.....a university maybe, but not a high school

InTheTrees

Stalin and rugby wrote: »

1st Question, do I need some sort of Visa for a 1 year stay/ is it hard to obtain?

Yes. It is.

It may be a good idea to call the US Embassy in Dublin and see what they have to say.

Stalin and rugby

Thanks for the help peeps, any info is appreciated.

silja

The $20'000 I mentioned is for the school fees only, for a state school- more if you intend on a private school. That will be your major expense, as you will only be allowed to work part time (usually only on campus, not sure how that works when attending secondary school).

Stalin and rugby

Are you saying that I cannot attend a public school? I'm not looking for a private school, the precise name of the highschool is lindbergh high school in st loius in case anyone can provide any info. Thanks anyway

silja

You can attend public school, but it is not free. You need to pay "economic fees" ie pay your way, as you/ your parents are not US tax payers. They will not give you a visa and then pay for your scholing. This is similar to a foreigner from outside the EU wanting to attend an Irish university.

Stalin and rugby

Damn, well thanks anyway, I guess I'll ring them up and ask about it