International Applicants 2014-15 Forum

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[Hand]

Is your husband Canadian? That makes a rather big difference, as I think he would be able to get a work permit simply by finding a full-time job (at least, this is what my Canadian friend told me). If he's not, he will need to go through the regular marriage-based immigration procedure, which normally takes up to a year if things go well (and can take considerably longer if they don't). He wouldn't be eligible to work in the US while his application is pending.

He is Canadian yes, but I have a different understanding about his eligibility to work... Maybe I should not trust my dad for immigration advice as he is a dinosaur and things may have changed since his youth.

Haha, yeah - things have changed rather radically regarding immigration in the last couple of decades. But as my friend relayed his experience from a couple of years ago, it sounded like nbd really. Also, if your husband gets a tenure track job, the uni will assist him with the paperwork.

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[Hand]

Also, if your husband gets a tenure track job, the uni will assist him with the paperwork.

Lolled.

(It's just incredibly unlikely)

Hey you gotta dream right? But yeah, it's rough out there - hope he finds something solid, as adjuncting is the academic's doc review (except that you'll find plenty of people from top programs doing the former).

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[Picosaurus]

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[charrob]

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It'd be awesome if there was any data on how international applicants fare/where they work after earning the JD, but unfortunately, I don't have it.

Unless you find a US citizen to marry before graduating (pro-tip: plan the wedding no later than at the end of your 2L year, as the visa process is incredibly slow), you gotta ask: who will be willing to sponsor your H1-B? I assume most big law offices will have no problem with this, and I know that if you find long term academic employment (that is, a tenure-track position), you'll be fine too. Government jobs are often only open to US citizens (or in the best case, permanent residents and citizens). A small firm might be happy to sponsor you, but I assume they need to be making good money before they'll be willing to do so. As to non-profits and such... I wouldn't count on it.

Are y'all gunning for big law?[/quote]

Thanks for your reply hereisonehand! I'm still considering my options tbh - I'm a qualified lawyer in the UK at a magic circle law firm so have done the "biglaw" route once and have been thinking that I'd like a slight change in direction.

[Picosaurus]

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[Brady199]

Glad I'm not alone in here anymore! There's only three of us so far of course, but with nothing but 170+ LSAT scores, I hope we'll be able to make this an outstanding cycle for international applicants.

yashranade, bear in mind that it can take a good while before your transcripts are evaluated... between getting your home university to mail the documents, the time the mail takes, and the time LSAC takes (both for acknowledging receipt, and for processing), the whole thing took close to three months for me.

Mine was done in exactly 8 business days after receipt (thus about 2 weeks total) 172, Superior Coursework (LLB)
I am very excited about this cycle!

[Hand]

Glad I'm not alone in here anymore! There's only three of us so far of course, but with nothing but 170+ LSAT scores, I hope we'll be able to make this an outstanding cycle for international applicants.

yashranade, bear in mind that it can take a good while before your transcripts are evaluated... between getting your home university to mail the documents, the time the mail takes, and the time LSAC takes (both for acknowledging receipt, and for processing), the whole thing took close to three months for me.

Mine was done in exactly 8 business days after receipt (thus about 2 weeks total) 172, Superior Coursework (LLB)
I am very excited about this cycle!

Congrats on the 'superior' evaluation! Two weeks is a solid turnaround time too.

[Brady199]

Glad I'm not alone in here anymore! There's only three of us so far of course, but with nothing but 170+ LSAT scores, I hope we'll be able to make this an outstanding cycle for international applicants.

yashranade, bear in mind that it can take a good while before your transcripts are evaluated... between getting your home university to mail the documents, the time the mail takes, and the time LSAC takes (both for acknowledging receipt, and for processing), the whole thing took close to three months for me.

Mine was done in exactly 8 business days after receipt (thus about 2 weeks total) 172, Superior Coursework (LLB)
I am very excited about this cycle!

Congrats on the 'superior' evaluation! Two weeks is a solid turnaround time too.

Thanks! I am seriously thinking about EDing to NU. Financials are a huge concern esp with the killer exchange rate and due to non-availability of any Federal student aid/loans. Plus, NU has great BigLaw placements. Your thoughts?

[MadagascarYX]

Thanks! I am seriously thinking about EDing to NU. Financials are a huge concern esp with the killer exchange rate and due to non-availability of any Federal student aid/loans. Plus, NU has great BigLaw placements. Your thoughts?

Do you have solid w/e? Because NU does attach great importance to that, although working for McDonald's for a couple of years still count.
NU does have great biglaw placements, but mostly in Chicago. Where do you want to practice? If Chicago, then I'd say definitely ED NU, pretty much the worst thing that can happen is that they put you into RD pool (according to my knowledge, they don't usually ding anyone in ED pool, but they do have a reputation of deferring applicants), and if you got admitted via RD, you will most likely get some money, although not comparable to full ride. If not Chicago, hmm... a 172 can get you into NU without ED, and possibly NYU, which places better nationally than NU. Again, if money is a big issue, I don't see any reason why not ED NU.
Anyway, good luck in this cycle!

[sashafierce]

So I'm not sure if anyone here will have experience with this, but maybe someone knows something.

I'm a US Citizen by birth (I've never lived in the states) but my husband is not. My understanding is that once we move, he would immediately be eligible for a Greencard, but how does that happen, exactly? And, more importantly, how should he go about demonstrating to employers that he will be able work?

Not sure about green card.

For the second question, employers would normally ask if the applicant needs sponsorship for visa in order to work in the states. As long as your husband is eligible for a green card and would not need the employer to pay for a working visa, he would be considered the same as a US citizen.

He's already been asked to prove eligibility! He tried to explain the situation, but I think we might have to go to the consulate or something.

Is your husband Canadian? That makes a rather big difference, as I think he would be able to get a work permit simply by finding a full-time job (at least, this is what my Canadian friend told me). If he's not, he will need to go through the regular marriage-based immigration procedure, which normally takes up to a year if things go well (and can take considerably longer if they don't). He wouldn't be eligible to work in the US while his application is pending.

Just typed a long ass response and lost it because of my the internet connection where I am my husband is a US citizen and I just went through the green card process, I literally just have to send in one more document to the consular office in my country along with my passport and that's it. If u need any specific info on the process PM me.

Honestly for spouse based applications I dont think it takes that long but other types (my step mom applied for her kids after she migrated and got married and it took 3+years). Mines took about 15 mths and that's because I prolonged the process.

[zxbn579]

Checking in. International but went to a private liberal arts school in the US.
3.65 GPA, taking the September LSAT.

Welcome to the thread! I'm gonna try and compile some data on the % of foreign nationals at t20 schools one of these days. Maybe we can also get a banner...

Thanks! That'd be great. I am more and more thinking about putting off the LSAT until December 6 as I have not scored 170+ on a PT yet and I have no reason to think that that'll change considerably in the next 2-3 weeks before the September administration.

[zxbn579]

Checking in! Had my UG outside the states. Transcript rated as "superior". Underperformed in the Feb test so will be retaking in Sep.

Best luck to all of you in the coming cycle! BTW, what fee waivers have all of you received so far? Got one from Vandy today, but nothing else.

I got Vandy and Emory yesterday, and a few TTTs.

How are you guys getting those? Do you have to have taken the LSAT to get them through LSAC? I just registered for CAS yesterday.

[zxbn579]

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[Hand]

Checking in! Had my UG outside the states. Transcript rated as "superior". Underperformed in the Feb test so will be retaking in Sep.

Best luck to all of you in the coming cycle! BTW, what fee waivers have all of you received so far? Got one from Vandy today, but nothing else.

I got Vandy and Emory yesterday, and a few TTTs.

How are you guys getting those? Do you have to have taken the LSAT to get them through LSAC? I just registered for CAS yesterday.

You need to make sure you sign up for CRS. If you have neither a CAS evaluation nor an LSAT score no school is gonna reach out to you (except for places you wouldn't want to attend). Not sure you need to have an LSAT score, but I didn't start receiving them 'till after I took the test, so there is that.

[Hand]

Checking in. International but went to a private liberal arts school in the US.
3.65 GPA, taking the September LSAT.

Welcome to the thread! I'm gonna try and compile some data on the % of foreign nationals at t20 schools one of these days. Maybe we can also get a banner...

Thanks! That'd be great. I am more and more thinking about putting off the LSAT until December 6 as I have not scored 170+ on a PT yet and I have no reason to think that that'll change considerably in the next 2-3 weeks before the September administration.

The last day to reschedule for free is the 9th! And yeah don't take it unless your PT scores are at least in the ballpark of what you're going for.

I'll get on collecting some data today!

[zxbn579]

Unfortunately, it's not free to reschedule. It's $85.

[Hand]

Unfortunately, it's not free to reschedule. It's $85.

ohhh well that sucks; however, still better than the full fee, no?

Anyway, I've updated the OP, with what I was able to find regarding the number of foreign students at the top 20 schools. Harvard and Columbia are the clear winners of those that report percentages...

[Snuffles1]

Just typed a long ass response and lost it because of my the internet connection where I am my husband is a US citizen and I just went through the green card process, I literally just have to send in one more document to the consular office in my country along with my passport and that's it. If u need any specific info on the process PM me.

Honestly for spouse based applications I dont think it takes that long but other types (my step mom applied for her kids after she migrated and got married and it took 3+years). Mines took about 15 mths and that's because I prolonged the process.

I'll second that. I'm a rising 2L at CCN, Canadian, and a US permanent resident. It took ~ 2 months to get to the green card interview stage, but something ridiculous like 10 days after the interview I got the card (despite my husband making a mistake with one of his answers!). I think it really helped that (1) we'd been married for 3 years by the time we got around to applying and (2) we had tons of documentation -- photos, bank accounts, leases etc -- ready to show them.

Also, if you're a green card holder (or eligible/in process) you'll be on par with US citizens for OCI.

[zxbn579]

Unfortunately, it's not free to reschedule. It's $85.

ohhh well that sucks; however, still better than the full fee, no?

Anyway, I've updated the OP, with what I was able to find regarding the number of foreign students at the top 20 schools. Harvard and Columbia are the clear winners of those that report percentages...

Thanks for posting the stats!

[zxbn579]

Just typed a long ass response and lost it because of my the internet connection where I am my husband is a US citizen and I just went through the green card process, I literally just have to send in one more document to the consular office in my country along with my passport and that's it. If u need any specific info on the process PM me.

Honestly for spouse based applications I dont think it takes that long but other types (my step mom applied for her kids after she migrated and got married and it took 3+years). Mines took about 15 mths and that's because I prolonged the process.

I'll second that. I'm a rising 2L at CCN, Canadian, and a US permanent resident. It took ~ 2 months to get to the green card interview stage, but something ridiculous like 10 days after the interview I got the card (despite my husband making a mistake with one of his answers!). I think it really helped that (1) we'd been married for 3 years by the time we got around to applying and (2) we had tons of documentation -- photos, bank accounts, leases etc -- ready to show them.

Also, if you're a green card holder (or eligible/in process) you'll be on par with US citizens for OCI.

So, for all intents and purposes, is it better to apply as an international, or as a permanent resident? Rather, I should say, what I am trying to decide is whether to apply this October/November as international, or wait until the December administration and apply in January as a permanent resident (that's how the timing worked with me - getting a green card some time in November). Would the former give me more of a % advantage even if my LSAT 3-4 points lower, just because of diversity?

[nyanyanya]

Just typed a long ass response and lost it because of my the internet connection where I am my husband is a US citizen and I just went through the green card process, I literally just have to send in one more document to the consular office in my country along with my passport and that's it. If u need any specific info on the process PM me.

Honestly for spouse based applications I dont think it takes that long but other types (my step mom applied for her kids after she migrated and got married and it took 3+years). Mines took about 15 mths and that's because I prolonged the process.

I'll second that. I'm a rising 2L at CCN, Canadian, and a US permanent resident. It took ~ 2 months to get to the green card interview stage, but something ridiculous like 10 days after the interview I got the card (despite my husband making a mistake with one of his answers!). I think it really helped that (1) we'd been married for 3 years by the time we got around to applying and (2) we had tons of documentation -- photos, bank accounts, leases etc -- ready to show them.

Also, if you're a green card holder (or eligible/in process) you'll be on par with US citizens for OCI.

So, for all intents and purposes, is it better to apply as an international, or as a permanent resident? Rather, I should say, what I am trying to decide is whether to apply this October/November as international, or wait until the December administration and apply in January as a permanent resident (that's how the timing worked with me - getting a green card some time in November). Would the former give me more of a % advantage even if my LSAT 3-4 points lower, just because of diversity?

In terms of diversity, I do not think that the fact that you are or are not a permanent resident makes any difference.

The general consensus in tls is to apply early (before Christmas), but a 3-4 pts higher LSAT should worth the waiting.

[zxbn579]

Just typed a long ass response and lost it because of my the internet connection where I am my husband is a US citizen and I just went through the green card process, I literally just have to send in one more document to the consular office in my country along with my passport and that's it. If u need any specific info on the process PM me.

Honestly for spouse based applications I dont think it takes that long but other types (my step mom applied for her kids after she migrated and got married and it took 3+years). Mines took about 15 mths and that's because I prolonged the process.

I'll second that. I'm a rising 2L at CCN, Canadian, and a US permanent resident. It took ~ 2 months to get to the green card interview stage, but something ridiculous like 10 days after the interview I got the card (despite my husband making a mistake with one of his answers!). I think it really helped that (1) we'd been married for 3 years by the time we got around to applying and (2) we had tons of documentation -- photos, bank accounts, leases etc -- ready to show them.

Also, if you're a green card holder (or eligible/in process) you'll be on par with US citizens for OCI.

So, for all intents and purposes, is it better to apply as an international, or as a permanent resident? Rather, I should say, what I am trying to decide is whether to apply this October/November as international, or wait until the December administration and apply in January as a permanent resident (that's how the timing worked with me - getting a green card some time in November). Would the former give me more of a % advantage even if my LSAT 3-4 points lower, just because of diversity?

In terms of diversity, I do not think that the fact that you are or are not a permanent resident makes any difference.

The general consensus in tls is to apply early (before Christmas), but a 3-4 pts higher LSAT should worth the waiting.

Eh, unfortunately December 6th 2014 exam scores only come out January 5th.