Does anyone know if women from FSU could get student visa's - after all it seems plenty of people of countries that have populations less than enamored with the United States manage to get their kids into our schools as well, why not women from Russia?
jj, absolutely she can get a student visa as long as she is admitted by a US college or university. In fact, this is a way (if not the only one) to bring an FSU woman here legally without the obligation to marry her. You have to pay her tuition for as long as she attends classes ... or if she is loaded she can pay the fees. You may want to try community college, they admit foreign students, you just pay higher fees, but still much lower than regular college. This is something to investigate. You can even get married to her if you get along and the INS has no problem (since she is here legally already).
Don't try to manipulate a system that I assure you is far more sophisticated, intelligent and resourceful than you are.
If you want a wife...go find one, fall in love, file for a fince visa, bring her home to live with you and live happily ever after.
Recruit the help of private professionals to help you with the process.
If you cannot afford the cost of the process, why are you lying to a woman in eastern europe about your ability to support the family she dreams about...???
Toad - with all due respect it appears that you are jumping to conclusions a bit too easily. I am not sure how my posting supports the assumption that I was lying to my lady about my ability to support her, her child, and our future family. The woman I am going to see again in March has not had the opportunity to go to college in Russia, but tells me she always wanted to, so the thought occurred to me that this might be a way to get her here that is less time consuming and costly than the fiance visa. My understanding was that a fiance visa entails hiring an attorney, perhaps making a trip or two for (joint) interviews, etc. If this approach is simpler, less time consuming, and less costly, I'll consider it. If not I'll do the fiance visa, no problem either way.
JJ,
I should have made the post a more general one, didn't mean to address it to you in particular but as a general message, instead.
I have talked about this option to two visa attorneys in the past year. Both were very emphatic that the US State Department agencies are very keen to this attempt to manipulate the system in order to bring foreign women into the country with little or no effort on the men part...and what is worse, without any form of accountability or financial responsibility for the woman they bring in.
The student visa process places ALL the qualification burden on the woman. None on the US man. The government does not like that.
If they get the slightest whif that there is something fishy in her application or situation, the chances of getting a student visa now or any other kind later will be snuffed out.
Take your chances at your own risk....but in my not at all humble opinion, risking so much is foolish if you have already found someone who you really really really care about.
Bagira,
I am not a reasonable man, (by conventional standards, at least)
I do reason, but I do not compromise.
People who think first and feel later rarely do.
Sorry, I still do not like you and I still think your attitude here is negative and full of resentment towards western men who only want to find the happiness everyone is entitled to.
I did a little investigation on bringing a woman over on a student visa. First of all - I found that most colleges are EXTREMELY interested in help. There is a push toward diversity and most colleges DO recruit from foreign countries, as much as they are financially able.
As part of the Admissions process - most schools require a decent grade on the TOEFL (which I am probably spelling wrong) exam - which is for English as a second language. The test is offered in virtually every country but it must be registered for months in advance. it can be taken on paper of by computer monitor and there are classes offered to help students prepare for the exam.
Also - of course - all transcripts have to be translated by one of the established services that do that.
In Wisconsin - state school tuition is subsidised by state taxes - so in state students pay about a third as much as out of state students do. Of course, she would have to pay out of state tuition. and it is very hard to get that changed - even after she has established residency in the state - if the residency is only for the attendance of school.
The universities I inquired to also required that someone - or a group of someone's "sponsor" the student, if she can not PROVE with bank-statements that she has what they consider to be the minimum needed for the first year of schooling, including, room, board, tuition, books, transporatation.... it all came out to a requirement that you show liquid assets of at least $28,000 for one year of schooling for her.
I was told that that could be reduced if she lives with you, and you both stipulate that in writing, and there are a few other tricks as well.