student visa problems

[gott5]

I was in Argentina Sept. '09-Dec.2010 and had a student visa which expired. I am in the U.S. now and plan to return at the beginning of the school year-April 2011.
My problem-for the new visa I need a new background check, but CJIS rejected my prints b/c they were not good enough. No problem, I can get them done again. However, they will not send me the record for up to 12 weeks! Ineed to have the appt. for my visa w/in 30 days of registering for classes. If I go to B.A. for my appt. and don't have the criminal record history, will they just tell me to come back on another date w/ all the forms? Will my 90 day tourist visa hold me over until I get this process going? My parents will mail my background check-is the mail service reliable?

 

[Johnny]

I was in Argentina Sept. '09-Dec.2010 and had a student visa which expired. I am in the U.S. now and plan to return at the beginning of the school year-April 2011.
My problem-for the new visa I need a new background check, but CJIS rejected my prints b/c they were not good enough. No problem, I can get them done again. However, they will not send me the record for up to 12 weeks! Ineed to have the appt. for my visa w/in 30 days of registering for classes. If I go to B.A. for my appt. and don't have the criminal record history, will they just tell me to come back on another date w/ all the forms? Will my 90 day tourist visa hold me over until I get this process going? My parents will mail my background check-is the mail service reliable?

Have your parents Fedex your documents. They'll be sure to get here. I'm no expert on student visas but I would guess you would be ok with the 90 day tourist visa. Good luck.

 

[nuitzangaro]

You can stay in the country with your tourist visa, and if you renew it (for 300 pesos) you will be able to stay for another 3 months without any problems. HOWEVER, if you are going to a state university then this will not be enough. In fact, my understanding is that if you were going to UBA then you would have needed to have your visa secured before November of last year to get credit for attending in 2011. If you are going to a private university then you need not worry. They will give you a number showing that you have paid for your entry, which you show to migrations and they will give you more time. Where are you from? Where are you planning on studying and are you planning on doing undergrad or grad work here? It's been a couple of years since I went through this process but I know my way around the system pretty well, so with a few details I might be able to help. Good luck.

 

[emilyr]

Hey chica (o chico), I had this problem with the bad prints. I´m in my second year in graduate school at the UBA. Now, if you are legitimately in school and have a legitimate right to a student visa, why worry? I spent all last year here studying, technically illegally (I know some people on here would criticize me and think that is unethical, but not all countries "criminalize" and stigmatize immigration and immigrants, and I´m doing my best to follow the rules--and technically renewing a tourist visa isn`t following the actual law anyway) since I did not have my papers done because I had so many problems getting my FBI report. I finally got it all! Don`t forget once you get your FBI report, have your family mail them to the US Dept of State for the Apostille (which takes another 20 friggin days) which they offer now (you have to specify this on your Records Request to get an FBI signature so that it is Apostille-able but I forgot to put it on my second request and with my Social Security number was able to call the FBI and fix this before it got processed without the signature).

I had my prints done here and then mailed to the States. If you have them done here, ONLY go to the comisaria (police station) that the US Embassy recommends, the one at Gurruchaga and Santa Fe in Palermo. Myself and another gal had hers done at our local station and both of ours were rejected. My Palermo prints got the pass.

If you send mail here, it is reliable for small letters, but I lost one Apostilled document sent through regular mail, my Apostilled US Diploma. The first copy NEVER showed, and I was pissed after all the arranging with four separate offices. For important documents, always pony up the 17+ dollars to the US Post Office to get the CERTIFIED mail with the TRACKING NUMBER!

Wednesday, I have my turno with Migraciones. I expect NO problems with Migracones, but I will let you know otherwise. I also expect no problems getting my diploma, either, at least no more than the usual bureaucracy. I have been totally open about my paperwork issues with the International office and the Secretaria of my program, and they are nothing but helpful and awesome and tranqui.

If you REALLY wanna be legal, you can get the short term student visa again for which you only need Argentine antecedentes, certificado de domicilio, and the help of your university rep who fills out your application. Explain your situation and ask them to help you do two visas, the temporary one until you get all your papers and the full one. He or she will probably think you are anal, but sometimes it is better safe than sorry!

 

[emilyr]

But what nuitzangaro says about needing the visa to get credit for classes at UBA might be true IF you are an undergraduate degree seeking student getting your full degree in the public university and NOT just an undergrad student studying for a year or two in an exchange. Because tecnhically the only "credit" you are getting will be applied to your degree at your home university, and all you need is the official transcript to prove that.

However, if that is your case and you are getting your full undergraduate degree at UBA, there is a lot more you have to worry about than just the student visa, as each country technically has a cupo, or limit, on the number of students allowed to enter a full degree program in UBA or La Plata or any universidad nacional. Since it´s free, they obviously put some (pretty open) hurdles and limitations on the number of foreign students using the free undergrad university system. And there is a whole process you have to go through with your high school transcript and comp tests if you are not from a Mercosur country or another country with whom the Ministerio de Educacion has an agreement with... that sounds like a pain in the butt.