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Nandini
Nair says that a four-year Bachelor’s degree is required to
qualify for Master’s degree in a US varsity
I am
doing my Bachelors in Computer Science (2nd year) in India and want
to do my MS in the US. My problem is that my BSc degree is a three-year
course and my total education is only 15 years. The consulate says
that I need a total of 16 years of education to complete my MS degree
in the US. What alternative do I have and what type of visa can
I get? My cousin has a green card in the US. Can he help me out
in any way?
—Suresh
Jain
There
is no alternative for you. If you want to pursue a Master’s
degree in the US, you need to have a four-year Bachelor’s degree.
In the US, all Bachelor’s degrees are for four years. That
is why the consulate asks for 16 years of education because they
know that is the requirement imposed by US varsities for a Master’s
program. Your
cousin
in the US cannot help you in any way. There is no family-based preference
category that will enable you to get into the US. All he can probably
do is help you financially qualify for an F-1 student visa.
I
went to the US on H1-B visa in the month of April 2000 through a
consulting company in New York. After working for eight months with
that company, I transferred my H1-B to another consulting firm in
New Jersey. I started working for the new company from December
2000 till September 2001. I had to come back to India when they
did not have any projects for me. Now I want to return back to the
US on my own expense at the end of January or the first week in
February and try to find a job. The New Jersey consultant has paid
me from October 1, 2000 to October 20, 2001. They are still holding
my H1-B and have not cancelled it. What sort of problems could I
face at the port of entry in the US?
-Sheila
Rajput
You
may face numerous problems at the port of entry. The authorities
may want to verify whether you are still an employee of the company
that has sponsored your H1-B because it has been more than a month
since you departed for India. They may also demand recent pay slips
to make sure that you are still in valid status. They may also question
you about your reasons for leaving the US and on that basis determine
whether you were laid off, thus ascertaining that your H1-B has
been cancelled even if the employer did not inform the INS. Lastly,
they may want to know the details of your project and the proof
of the same. In addition, there can be numerous other questions.
So it is best if you reconsider your idea of entering the US.
I
am a commerce graduate and have received a Master’s in Commerce
Degree Certificate in 2001. Now, due to some family problems, I
had to pursue jobs in the computer field. I am currently working
as a systems administrator in a company in India. Since I have a
commerce background and I am in the computer field, can I qualify
for a US visa? Is there any possibility that I can be refused a
visa due to the fact that I have a Master’s degree in Commerce
rather than a technical degree like a MTech or BE? I also have Microsoft
and other certificates.
-Anand
Gupte
Yes,
you may face a difficult time since you have a MCom degree, but
I have seen many guys with this background get their visa approved.
Though it has become difficult in recent times but it is not impossible.
Individuals from different educational background who have been
securing a visa must have had at least three years of work experience
in the IT field before they applied for an H1-B visa. So, it would
be better to get more work experience in the IT field so that you
can further your chances.
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