Students who want to study in the United States need to continue to pay attention to some changes in its policies so that they can adjust their study abroad plans in time. I will take a look at the changes in deposits, visas and scholarships with you.

Visa changes

Avoiding “slave labor”

Tightening of summer working and traveling policies

In the “Summer Working and Traveling Plan for Foreign College Students” After a series of shortcomings were revealed, the U.S. State Department announced that it would make major revisions to the J1 visa program, aiming to protect foreign students from being forced to become "slave labor." Among the many new regulations that take effect immediately, the more important provisions include: foreign students participating in this program are prohibited from working in manufacturing, construction sites, agriculture and other fields, and foreign students are not allowed to work between 10 o'clock in the evening and 6 o'clock in the morning. .

The J1 visa introduces about 100,000 foreign students to live and work in the United States every summer. They can stay for up to four months. However, an Associated Press investigation found that some foreign students actually worked in clubs, and some were forced to do jobs they didn't want to do. Some foreign students even worked like "slave labor." After the new policy is introduced, it will play an important role in protecting the rights and interests of international students.

Open the second visa office

Increase interview capacity by 50%

The U.S. Consulate General in Beijing recently reopened the visa processing office at No. 2 Xiushui East Street The Chujiu Embassy serves as the second visa office. Applicants can choose the visa location by themselves with an appointment. According to estimates by the U.S. Consulate General in Beijing, after the opening of the old consulate, it will increase Beijing’s interview capacity by 50% and increase the number of visas by up to 150,000.

Matters related to the deposit

How much deposit is required for studying abroad?

The deposit is determined based on tuition fees and living expenses. For example, if the tuition fee is US$15,000 and the living expenses are US$10,000, then a deposit of US$25,000 is required. Of course, you can save more to prove that the deposit is sufficient. However, undergraduate studies usually last four years and graduate studies usually last two years, so you need to be prepared to pay for two or four years, which is US$50,000 or US$100,000. Ideally, you can prepare it for around $60,000 to $80,000. This is a rough algorithm, and the specific costs can be calculated based on the student's actual situation.

How to prepare a deposit for studying abroad

Regarding the deposit period, although there is no clear limit on the deposit period, it should be a long-term deposit as much as possible, and you can try to provide a deposit of more than 3 months. . It is recommended not to deposit all the deposit in one name. This may easily make the visa officer suspicious and think that your money is not your own, but a one-time loan from elsewhere. Therefore, it is necessary to objectively reduce the occurrence of such misunderstandings. In addition, when submitting the deposit certificate, you also need to provide some other attachment certificates. For example, personal income certificate, etc., to prove that the study abroad applicant has a stable source of living and is really going to study in the United States.

Taking Bank of China as an example, the collateral for a study abroad deposit loan is a fixed-term RMB or foreign currency deposit certificate issued by Bank of China. Study abroad deposit loans can only be used to borrow more and less. In other words, a RMB deposit certificate of 100,000 yuan can only obtain a loan of 90,000 yuan, and a foreign currency deposit certificate of 100,000 yuan can only obtain a foreign currency loan of 85,000 yuan. Bank of China, Bank of Communications, and CITIC stated that applicants only need to bring their ID card, household register, passport, admission notice from a foreign institution or payment notice (original and copy) to apply for a study abroad deposit loan at the above three banks. (Study abroad loan pledged by certificate of deposit). If you are applying for parent sponsorship, you need to bring the ID card, household register or notarized parent-child relationship certificate of the applicant and the person studying abroad, the passport of the person going abroad, and the admission notice or payment notice of the foreign institution (original and copy). It usually only takes half or one working day to apply for a study abroad deposit loan (a study abroad loan pledged by a certificate of deposit) at these three banks, and the procedure is also very simple. In addition, the loan interest rate is based on the People's Bank of China's interest rate standards for the same period.

Things to note about deposits for studying in the United States

1. The deposit required for U.S. visa application is preferably a personal deposit, and the deposit period is generally more than half a year.

2. If you don’t have enough time for fixed deposits, you can make additional explanations based on your parents’ different professional backgrounds;

3. The best bank to choose is a large state-owned bank or a joint-stock bank. Don’t Deposits into local credit unions are not recognized by the U.S. Consulate;

4. Real estate, cars, stocks, and funds can be submitted as auxiliary materials, and the requirements must be originals so that they are authentic and authentic. Letter;

5. Different applicants require different amounts of funds. Generally, they are prepared based on self-payment, the U.S. tuition fee of the school you go to, and the length of time you will study in the United States.

Scholarship Policy

Tuition Waiver

This is also something you can apply for, but there are various regulations and conditions for this tuition Waiver For example, it may be for students with disabilities or whose families have serious income tragedies. Of course, you can also apply for this if you can prove that your family's financial ability cannot help you complete your studies.

On-campus and off-campus accommodation savings or exemptions

This is a scholarship type specially designed by American schools to reduce the study costs of international students. If you feel that you cannot afford such a high accommodation fee while living in school, and your family also has financial difficulties, you can make requests and applications in this regard to the school.

Students

Most bursaries are available to graduate students. They are a reward for helping professors or participating in research projects, similar to a monthly student salary. Again, undergraduates don’t need to think about this. However, if you are lucky enough to get the professor’s fancy when you are an undergraduate, you may also be able to get it.

Scholarships

There are two types of scholarships mentioned here, one is on-campus scholarships, and the other is foundation scholarships. Foundation scholarships are actually provided by outside the school, that is, Private or corporate. In this regard, as a student, you can apply for on-campus or off-campus programs. Of course, there are more contents outside the school than on campus, and they are richer.

Research assistantships and teaching assistantships

Graduate schools in American universities will set up these two service-oriented financial aids, but they will only be provided to international students studying for American graduate degrees or higher. Can apply. This requires good academic performance and strong English proficiency. It also needs further review by professors or school service agencies.